Pratrivero celebrates 350 years in textiles

BY DOROTHY WHITCOMB

Everything about Pratrivero S.p.A., from its current business plan to its strategic direction, is rooted in values present at its founding a truly impressive 350 years ago.

A commitment to agility and a deeply held belief that the company is defined by the quality of its products have propelled the Pratrivero, Italy-based textile manufacturer throughout its long history.

Pratrivero facility

Pratrivero has two manufacturing facilities in Italy and one in the United States to serve 78 countries around the globe.

Now a global supplier of nonwoven textiles, the company was founded by weaver Ajmo Barbero in 1663 and has since been owned and operated by his descendants. Paolo Barberis Canonico is the company’s current chief executive officer and president, representing the 13th generation of his family to shepherd the business.

“The family name started with Barbero and we have always both lived and operated the business in Pratrivero,” he says. “Our entire family lives in this village of 650 people and everyone in town works for the company. We have a saying that our babies drink milk and wool.”

When the original business was split into two separate weaving companies in 1936 by Barberis Canonico’s grandfather and granduncle, the pull of family and place was so strong that both parts of the company continued to operate, not only in the same town, but out of the same building.

The company’s ability to adapt and survive was severely tested by World War II. To protect against enemy bombs, tunnels were built to connect the village’s homes and businesses.

“Above ground, we continued producing fabric, but underground we were producing weapons,” Barberis Canonico explains.

In 1964, Pratrivero’s success was threatened again.

“That year saw the worst textile crisis in Italy’s history,” Barberis Canonico says. “Most textile mills completely disappeared. Instead of disappearing, we adapted. I don’t think there was ever a period when we thought we’d have to stop.”

To keep the company afloat, his father, Carlo Canonico, stopped weaving wool and started spinning it. Then, in 1982, he began producing nonwoven textiles and by 1986, he had converted the business entirely to nonwovens.

BRIEFLY
Company Pratrivero S.p.A.
Headquarters Pratrivero, Italy
Specialty Nonwoven, stitchbond fabrics
Founding Started by weaver Ajmo Barbero in 1663
Ownership Family-owned by the 13th generation of the Barbero family
Website www.pratrivero.com

Production today

Today, Pratrivero produces about 55 million yards of fabric annually. In 2012, it posted annual sales of more than $31 million, an increase of about 5% over the year before. In 2012, close to $6.5 million came from sales to the bedding industry, an increase of 6.5% over 2011.

Barberis Canonico projects that the company, overall, will post a 9% gain in annual sales for 2013. He expects, however, that sales to the bedding industry will be even more robust, rising at least 11%.

In large part, mattress industry sales are brisk because of the company’s technical fabrics, including the Soster FR line.

“We are growing very fast and there are a couple of huge programs responsible for that growth,” Barberis Canonico says. “We are also selling into so many markets that we can concentrate the type of fabric we offer to the needs of a specific country.”

Pratrivero manufactures products for the furniture, medical, automotive, geotextile and recreation industries.

“Our biggest volume of sales is in the home furnishings industry, with sales (specifically) to mattress manufacturers contributing between a quarter to a third of that annually,” Barberis Canonico says. “Currently, 18% of our global annual sales come from the bedding industry.”

Last year, Pratrivero exported products to 78 countries, including Kurdistan and those in remote areas of Africa. Barberis Canonico credits his design department with boosting sales in some of the company’s strongest markets, among them Kenya, Poland and South Africa.

“Our design team is exceptional and we excel in printing good design,” he says.

Pratrivero produces stitchbond at two facilities in Italy and one in the United States. All greige material is manufactured in the 29,500-square-foot Pratrivero facility. The greige is then shipped to a 50,800-square-foot plant in Gandino, Italy. All finishing, including printing, dyeing, coating and laminating, occurs there.

A 48,000-square-foot facility in Greenville, S.C., receives both greige and printed fabric from the Italian factories.

Keeping things modern

“We invest a huge amount of money in R&D and technology. As a result, we have, by far, the most modern, efficient plants in the world. Our oldest pieces of machinery came on line in 2006. We will probably pull those and the oldest 2007 machines this year,” Barberis Canonico says. “This is key to our survival and growth, because it allows us to be competitive and still produce in Europe where labor costs are high.”

Current technology also “gives us an enormous advantage in terms of quality,” he adds. “Our seconds are well below 2% and our goal is zero waste.”

Advanced technology also has allowed Pratrivero to address its environmental impact goals in a meaningful way. This, in turn, has made the company attractive to key customers, including Ikea.

“We have a worldwide contract with Ikea for mattress and furniture upholstery and it has high requirements for environmental stewardship,” Barberis Canonico says. “We were working toward our own environmental goals before Ikea, but they have certainly given us a push.”

He continues: “Environmental stewardship is a natural thing for us to do. We don’t want to make something that spoils the place where we live.” His family’s home is a mere 400 yards from the factory and his employees live nearby, too.

The company applies the same quality, efficiency and environmental standards to its U.S. facility as it does to plants in Italy. Pratrivero acquired the Greenville plant when it purchased Soltex, another stitchbond producer, 10 years ago.

Larry Starkey, who is vice president of sales for Pratrivero USA, describes post-purchase changes that occurred in Greenville as dramatic.

“Paolo came in with a whole new mindset,” he says. “Soltex’s main customers were middle- to low-end rebuilders and the only thing that mattered was price. He walked away from big business rather than compromise on the integrity of his product. The integrity of his business and his product are not negotiable.”

Starkey’s mission has been to educate mattress manufacturers in Central and North America about the importance of quality stitchbond filler to their business.

“Some believe that filler is just a commodity, but it’s more than that,” Starkey says. “It’s a commodity that can shut you down.”

Stitchbond success

Pratrivero has been producing FR stitchbond since 1994. It was first developed for theater stage curtains and then adapted for mattresses when the United Kingdom legislated FR standards.

“When California (the precursor to federal FR standards in the United States) came on board, we had the solution in our hands,” Barberis Canonico says. “We immediately came out with Soster, which has been well-received.”

Soster, he explains, is a viscose stitchbond fabric that can be dyed or printed and used as either filler or cover cloth to help mattress manufacturers meet 16 CFR Part 1633 standards. The company currently offers five generations of the fabric.

“We are already doing a sixth generation for specific customers, but it is a new concept that is not yet on the market,” Barberis Canonico says. “We are very prudent when introducing product, because we want to be 100% sure that it works. We take time to make sure it is the best.”

The company also offers a range of standard viscose and blended viscose/polyester stitchbond fabrics. Printed stitchbond, Starkey says, is “a huge part of the bedding industry in Europe.”

Although printed stitchbond has not been widely adopted by the North American bedding industry, Starkey is working to raise its visibility.

“What has been common here in stitchbond has been plaid or balloons,” he says. “The Italian designers are terrific, however, and Pratrivero’s fabrics absorb color better. Part of my job is to find the right designs and colors for the North American market. We are introducing five new designs that will work well for conservative to traditional tastes. With these new printed stitchbonds, I think we have a chance to take some of the damask business.”

Starkey is optimistic about the growth of the company in North America. While sales to North American accounts grew only slightly in 2012, he anticipates a 7% to 9% increase in 2013.

“It’s all about time and trust,” he says. “We know our quality is the best and we follow through with service. We’ve really gone after the smaller guys and that’s been very good for business. We project what they will need so that we can ship to them within 36 hours.”

What’s ahead

Barberis Canonico is optimistic, but also pragmatic.

“Size sometimes matters,” he says. “If we were larger, we could make larger investments. If you have to invest 5 million euros and don’t make it back, that’s a challenge, but the challenge is minimized by our positive growth. Pratrivero’s right size is probably double what we are now and I think that’s achievable.”

He continues: “Profit is a measure of what you’ve done. My personal opinion is that the real achievement for an entrepreneur is in working together with people toward goals. The target is to always do the right things at the right moment with the right people. That’s what brings satisfaction in both life and work.”

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