Erretre, silent revolution

Erretre of Arzignano, in the history of the tanning industry, is a recognized excellence for technological innovation and service excellence. Founded fifty years ago, this company has been able to establish itself as a reference point in the sector of tannery drums and machinery production, thanks to a perfect combination of traditional craftsmanship and avant-garde solutions. It is a fascinating journey through the ages, a symphony of progress and adaptation to the changing needs of the market. Since its origins, the company has tackled obstacles with determination, turning them into opportunities for growth. Today, Erretre represents a pillar of Italian excellence in the sector of tannery drums and machines. However, it is in embodying technological innovation that the company is inimitable. Through relentless research and development, the company has created advanced machinery capable of revolutionizing tannery production processes. Their advanced technology guarantees extraordinary results in terms of quality and durability of the end products. However, technological innovation is not the only pillar on which this reality rests. The goal of Erretre is to create a solid partnership with its customers, offering them not only state-of-the-art products, but also a lasting collaboration based on mutual trust. To find out more, we met Giulio Galiotto, who told us how the company is leading the industry towards an increasingly promising future.
How was Erretre founded?
“Erretre was founded in 1974 by three partners who started out as a technical studio specialising in the design of tanning machinery. The initial idea was not to produce machines directly, but to sell their ideas and designs to other companies in the sector. For many years, it operated as a simple design service provider, selling its ideas as royalties. In the 1980s, the company decided to expand and start producing tanning machines itself. Erretre started by producing spray booths and tunnels, and later focused on the production of drums. The Erretre milling drum represented a revolution in the tanning industry, as it allowed traditional wooden drums to be replaced by more efficient and innovative machines.”
What materials were the first Erretre drums made of?
“Erretre entered the sector by making drums directly from stainless steel. On a technical level, this solution had many advantages, but also some disadvantages, including a higher price. Despite this, our stainless steel drums are still in use today, even after more than 40 years. Their robustness and reliability make them a forward-looking investment choice. An anecdote: we recently recovered a brown-coloured Erretre milling drum. Only the most experienced technicians will remember that our drums were originally painted this colour. This was done for a purely marketing reason, as it was closer to the colour of the wood, but it makes one wonder how many years that drum remained in production. This is a story that well represents our company: we are always looking for new innovative solutions, but we are also aware of the importance of the quality and durability of our products.”
After the drums, you introduced other products for the finishing lines, such as spray booths and drying tunnels, correct?
“This is also a little known fact: Erretre started its activity by producing finishing lines. The milling drum came later, but quickly became our flagship product. We continued to produce booths and tunnels, but they always took second place to the drum. The drum is still our crown jewel today. Of course, we have continued to develop the original designs and now our offer includes two new spray booths based on our original patents: Ecotan, with integrated abatement, and Ecospray, with external abatement. We have also developed the Ner modular tunnel, also an original Erretre patent, which guarantees energy savings of up to 30% and rapid drying without thermal shock.”
Erretre has always been a company focused on innovation. Your technical training has enabled you to constantly develop new products and processes, which have contributed to the success of the company. You are known precisely for this attitude of great attention to research and development.
“Our company has always had an innovative and research-based approach to the design and production of tanning machinery, focusing on the quality of the finished product. From the very beginning, Erretre has always had a well-balanced dichotomy between mechanical and tanning technicians. I myself studied tanning technology rather than mechatronic or mechanical engineering, and I believe that this has contributed greatly to shaping our company culture. For us, the quality of the leather is always the priority. If we develop an innovation that allows us to produce more leather, but at the expense of quality, we do not consider it a complete success. We believe the right way is to produce better and better materials, both in terms of quality and performance. This approach has been one of the factors contributing to the success of Erretre. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to reduce costs, but we believe that quality should always be the priority. When quality is high, costs can be contained without compromising performance. This is our goal, and we will continue to work towards it.”
Is the new drum an example of this?
“Absolutely. Compared to traditional drums, Black Line increases the efficiency of fulling hides thanks to a technological innovation that has led to perfection in temperature and humidity control, automatic processing and recipe management via software, and Chemical Milling® technology for chemical injection. All with a view to maximizing energy savings and process stability. The new drum, but in version 2.0, is a big turning point for us. When we change a machine, we tend to change it radically. Right now, we have been working a lot on the ergonomics of the machine, meaning more comfort for the operator. These changes have been made to further improve the performance of the machine and make it more efficient and sustainable.”
What are your target markets?
“We operate mainly in the foreign market. Our core business is the automotive industry, where we have always been very successful. This is due to the fact that the automotive industry has an extremely industrial type of production, where absolute quality is essential. To ensure a high standard, it is necessary to know the production process inside out through extensive data collection and process precision that does not allow for variability. Erretre was a pioneer in the field of digitised machines in the 1990s. Since the beginning we have always developed all versions of our software in-house. More than a production choice, the integral development of the software is an obligatory step, because we need a more cutting-edge control than a normal ladder program. In-house is also our leather research centre, which we founded 10 years ago. A real gamble, because we wanted to set up a laboratory on an industrial scale, with industrial machinery and 1400 square metres, which entailed a not inconsiderable economic and resource investment, but which we nevertheless had the courage to carry out, and today it continues to be our beating heart.”
One last question: what challenges does the future hold for you?
“Erretre is a company that is facing several challenges, especially in these times of global economic uncertainty. One of the biggest challenges is to change mentality. On the one hand, we are a company that has always been at the forefront of innovation. On the other hand, we have often been seen as elitist, not price competitive. The challenge is to find a way to combine these two aspects, to make innovation accessible to a wider audience. The Italtannery project is an example of how our company is trying to meet this challenge. Collaborating with other companies in the tanning industry allows us to come into contact with new mindsets and perspectives. This can help the company to develop innovative solutions that are also competitive in terms of price. Furthermore, making innovation accessible can help prevent the best ideas from being forgotten. Throughout history, there are many innovations and inventions that were not used because they were too complicated, or simply because the time was not right. If the innovation is accessible, it is more likely to be used and to have a positive impact on the world. This is a major challenge for us, but one that the company is determined to meet. We believe that by combining innovation and competitiveness, Erretre can continue to be a leader in the tanning industry.”

www.erretre.com