Laminam grows while focusing on sustainability
The positive figures announced by Laminam CEO Alberto Selmi at the beginning of the 2022 Sustainability Report reflect the company’s highly satisfactory performance in a year that has severely challenged even the most established businesses. Laminam is reaping the rewards of shrewd strategic choices and capitalising on investments made as early as 2021 with a commitment to strengthening them in the future, while focusing on the group’s key strategies of internationalisation, digitalisation, human resources and sustainable innovation.
Laminam is preparing to become an increasingly global, synergistic and integrated concern. As part of this vision, one of the highlights of 2022 was the acquisition of Best Surface, the group’s first Spanish factory located in the heart of the ceramic district of Castellón de la Plana. During the year, the incorporation of Laminam Benelux BV – a distribution centre for surfaces – and the acquisition of Interstone Poland further helped to strengthen the brand’s international presence.
The group is in the process of expanding both its physical and digital networks. It has launched two key projects in the areas of Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital go-to-market, including the “Click-n Cut” e-commerce platform, which allows marble workers to view product availability in Laminam warehouses in real time and place orders independently.
The “human factor” was a major focus of the latest edition of the Sustainability Report and was confirmed as a key aspect of development. The company continued its recruitment drive in 2022 both in Italy and abroad, maintaining the efforts made in the previous year. Laminam sees promoting a culture of well-being for the benefit of its employees as a strategic goal.
For this purpose, the company launched LAMINAM CARES, a project that brings together corporate welfare initiatives and health protection activities. At Laminam, more than 9 out of 10 employees are on permanent contracts, 8 out of 10 employees are under the age of 50 and 36% are women. In addition, more than 9,000 hours of training were provided in 2022 and no serious occupational accidents occurred.
“Our investments have always been aimed at continually improving our products and processes,” says Alberto Selmi. “We believe this is the only concrete way to ensure sustainable development for future generations.”
Over the two-year period 2021-2022, the company rolled out an extensive programme of investments in new plant and machinery aimed at increasing production and improving environmental performance.
One of these was the renewal and expansion of the photovoltaic array in Fiorano, which has a peak power of 1,432 kW. Thanks to this expansion, Laminam is now able to meet the daytime energy needs of its three electric kilns entirely with solar energy.
A photovoltaic plant in Borgotaro (Italy) and another in Castellón (Best Surface, Spain) are already in the works for 2023, along with two trigeneration projects. This year, Laminam is continuing its research into the CO2 capture process and is proud of the sophisticated system it has installed to significantly reduce emissions.
These actions are part of an industrial development model that now achieves the highest sustainability standards in the industry, including a gradual shift away from traditional energy sources, efficient consumption, reduced waste and a commitment to recovery as part of a circular approach and a special focus on safeguarding biodiversity.
In 2022, the company added ISO 14064-1 certification (stemming from its Corporate Carbon Footprint study) and ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement certification to its already wide range of certifications.
The 2022 Sustainability Report was drawn up with the technical and methodological assistance of Nomisma in conformity with EU Directive 2014/95 and in accordance with the GRI Standards defined by the Global Reporting Initiative.
