Mecnosud | Quality, automation and cutting performance alongside the art of baking

Michette bread rolls, loaves, baguettes, pitas, buns, naan, rotis... every country has its own special kind of bread. Yet at the core, it is always a mixture of flour, water and little else, skillfully mixed and processed thanks, these days, to dough mixers, planetary mixers, dough sheeters and more. One of the leading brands in the production of such technologies is Mecnosud, a company based in Avellino (50km east of Naples) that for over 35 years has been designing and manufacturing machines for the art of baking – not just for breadmaking, but pastry and pizza too.

“The company was founded in 1987,” says Antonio Ingrisano, the company's owner and technical and production manager, “years when our core business was producing technologies for the wine sector. Over time, while firmly remaining in food and beverage, we gradually moved toward breadmaking, pizza and pastry machines, work that we still do today and that has enabled us to develop slowly and steadily to our current size.”

In fact, Mecnosud is anything but small: it has 93 employees at its Flumeri headquarters (in the province of Avellino), and 1,400 sales points scattered in over 70 countries around the world. Its target customers consist of distributors who resell the Campania-based company’s machinery consisting of over 15 product lines to a very wide range of end users: from families to pastry shops and bakeries, to customers in industrial baking.

“The strengths of our offering,” the owner continues, “are undoubtedly the build quality, a factor that is now essential for any business in this sector, combined with the very wide range of products, allowing us to feature in almost all segments of the market, without forgetting the design aspect: in fact, we work with some major design studios that have helped us define the aesthetics of our products, which are used both in workshops and in open kitchens or environments that require a certain degree of elegance.”

These factors have driven Mecnosud’s success, resulting in more than 15 product lines currently in its portfolio: spiral mixers, fork mixers, double-arm mixers, planetary mixers, manual sheeters, rolling machines and proofing chambers. The common denominator is design and development that takes place in the covered 15,000 square meter Flumeri plant, where the technical office and all production departments, from metalwork to assembly and logistics, are located. All of this is continuously improved and enhanced through ongoing investment that aims both to upgrade production technologies as well as drive new product development. “Our company,” Ingrisano continues, “has a strong propensity for investment related mainly to the development of new products and the search for increasingly refined design to meet users’ tastes. It is the aesthetics that create a strong emotional connection at the time of purchase. Enhancing this aspect is our in-house technology, which includes 5 Prima Power laser cutting machines, with attached automation, that translate the designers’ ideas onto the sheets of metal.”

Partners for over twenty-five years, with a focus on cutting

“Before meeting Prima Power,” the production manager explains, “we were using punch dies and manual machining to cut the sheet metal components we required; then came the first CO2 lasers, and, after looking at various manufacturers, we came across the Turin-based group, which really impressed us with the technological standard of their machines, prompting us to rely on them.”

Laser cutting has allowed Mecnosud to take a significant leap in terms of productivity and flexibility: not having to depend on punch dies means greater freedom in geometries, lower costs and faster and less onerous production changes. The arrival of Prima Power's technologies was therefore welcomed with great enthusiasm by the company, but it was over time, after testing the quality of the machines, the extreme reliability and the promptness of the service, that Mecnosud decided to renew its trust in the Italian manufacturer.  

In fact, today the company has five laser cutting machines, all equipped with loading and unloading automation: “Specifically,” Ingrisano says, “we have a 2.5kW Platino 1530 with Compact Server automation, two Laser Genius 1530, one 4kW and the other 6kW, both with Compact Server, and, the crown jewels, two brand new Laser Genius+ 1530, also 6kW and again with Compact Server automation.”

Focusing on the latest model, Laser Genius+ is a 2D laser cutting machine designed to combine performance and production versatility, intended to process complex nestings while maintaining high speed and accuracy. The gantry design ensures a stable structure with excellent thermal management and vibration damping characteristics. Movement of the cutting head on the worktable is provided by compact motors and energy-efficient transmissions that enable traversing speeds of up to 180m/min, placing the Laser Genius+ among the highest-performing solutions on the market.

The head features adaptive optics for automatic focal position and diameter management and fast, responsive and accurate stand-off measurement. It has a single focusing lens suitable for all production needs, integrated shock protection (SIPS) and fast lens alignment (OPC) systems, and a protective glass drawer for easy inspection.

Of utmost importance for a company such as Mecnosud, which has to integrate new machinery into an already crowded and operational production area, is compactness and ease of installation. In this area, too, Laser Genius+ is the ideal solution since the laser generator, chillers, motors and optics are integrated in the cabin, making installation very quick.

“We have the model featuring a 1500x3000 work area,” explains Ingrisano, “and with 6kW of power we are able to process thicknesses up to 20mm, all with a very high degree of efficiency.”

Last but not least is its ease of use: although Mecnosud's staff is very familiar with Prima Power's machines, given the historic relationship between the two companies, Laser Genius+ is even more user-friendly, since it is equipped with features that constantly monitor processing: LISA (Light Intensity System Analyzer), for example, checks the correct operation of process parameters in real time, and the Check Optics function allows maintenance of the protective glass while minimizing downtime.

The Laser Genius+ machine can be equipped with ECO TOUCH Cut and GAS MIXER Cut functions that enable the machine to save up to 40% of cutting gas and use up to 96% of the nested sheet metal, all with obvious benefits in terms of efficiency and environmental sustainability. The ECO TOUCH Cut function consists of a special type of movable nozzle that when cutting almost makes contact with the sheet by concentrating the gas flow inside the kerf; this allows to increase gas consumption efficiency by 90% and cut all materials with pressures of 8/9 bar. All this results in a significant reduction in operating costs, especially for those who use nitrogen cutting extensively to process iron sheets. 

Customer and supplier on the same wavelength

“We are very satisfied with the relationship established thus far with Prima Power,” Ingrisano says, “not only because of the quality machinery provided to us at the right price, but even more so due to the relationship that has been built between our companies over these 25 years, a relationship that is based on values that I consider fundamental, the same values on which Mecnosud is based: human connection, pragmatism and customer focus.” The owner particularly appreciates the bond that has been created with Prima Power's representatives and technicians over time. Due to organizational needs, large multinationals usually have highly bureaucratic structures, and while this improves efficiency of processes on the one hand, on the other it can also be a disadvantage for customers who require direct answers quickly. “I would be lying if I said that over the course of these 25 years we have never had any issues, although fortunately there have been very few,” Ingrisano continues, “but what turns a negative event into a strength is the way the supplier reacts to the crisis, and with Prima Power I have never had cause to complain: all I have ever had to do is pick up the phone to find competent people on the other end ready to solve the problem quickly and effectively.” Another key element valued by Mecnosud is the customer care provided by the service department during machine installation and commissioning. “In this case too Prima Power shares our same approach. We are aware that downtime means that our customer will have a drop in productivity, which in turn results in increased costs – this is why a large part of our production is dedicated to spare parts, which allows us to always have a stocked warehouse capable of shipping the part to the customer within the first 24 hours. This same approach is shared by Prima Power, which has always supported us by giving us all the tools to maximize our productivity: from minimizing machine installation time, to training operators so they are able to operate the machines as soon as possible to maximize ROI, right up to technical assistance in the case of issues.”

Growing by focusing on quality and design

Mecnosud's achievements to date in the production of bakery, pizza and pastry technology are impressive, but this does not cause the Avellino-based company to sit on its laurels. On the contrary, since its current results are thanks to slow and steady growth, management is well aware that the drive must always be towards improvement. “Our goal for the future,” Ingrisano says, “is to continue to grow by maintaining or, better yet, increasing our market share. This means working on two aspects: generating demand and facing up to the competition. Regarding the first, we have structured courses for amateurs and professionals with the aim of improving baking techniques; as for the second aspect, the challenge is to counter competition from the Far East.” The first project to which the owner alludes is called Mecnolab, which takes the form of a series of cooking classes led by renowned masters, both Italian and international, who are experts in baking or pizza-making and can be enjoyed by both professional and amateur users. The approach is hands-on, since each student in the class has their own workstation and can personally make the recipes presented by the instructor themselves. “The innovative aspect of these courses,” Ingrisano continues, “consists in having direct feedback from the instructor, which is essential in a delicate art such as baking or pastry making, but uncommon in other Academies that often provide one-way training, in addition to the advantage, of course, of being able to use Mecnosud's equipment.” In terms of challenging the competition, the sector in which Mecnosud operates is also experiencing increased competition due to the entry into the market of Asian manufacturers, which are determined to push prices down. In the face of this challenge, Mecnosud's strategy is to continue to focus on quality, both technically and aesthetically, and customer service. “We are not interested in competing on price, because that would mean compromising on quality. We want to continue being a reliable partner for customers by offering them top-of-the-line technologies with a focus on design, while continuing to be recognized as ambassadors of ‘Made in Italy’. To do this, we need to continue investing in research and development and updating our fleet of machines – two crucial elements without which we could not give substance to our offering. In the future, I therefore expect a continuation of our close collaboration with Prima Power, confident in the quality of their solutions and pleased to work with a company capable of fully and completely embracing the same values as ours.”

This article has been republished with the approval of Deformazione. 
Originally published on Deformazione. 
Images: courtesy of Deformazione.