An interview with Marino Girotto, Sales Manager at Stamplanet

Marino Girotto has been in the packaging business for some time now, always bearing in mind his mission to bring packaging suppliers and service providers into the 21st century. His most recent position is at Italian firm Stamplanet, a mould construction firm that focuses on turnkey plastic mould services. The company is an innovative and creative one, but is currently seeking to expand its online reach, one of the reasons Marino became interested in helping them out and offering his broad experience as an expert in digital platforms.

Frank:     So Marino, what exactly does Stamplanet do?
Marino:   Well, Stamplanet has been in the business of mould making for over 25 years, and has garnered a lot of experience in the field of mould construction for plastics of all sorts. We create moulds for companies that want to create novel and interesting packaging concepts from the ground up. Some packaging buyers start with a standard solution and then decorate it in order to personalize their products, but companies that want a more unique solution tend to come to mould makers like us to start the process from the ground up. We also have a lot of proprietary moulds that we can use to offer turnkey service to companies that want to accelerate the design and development process.

Frank:     OK, so if I need something a bit more interesting, shall we say, I can go to Stamplanet and work with your team to create a mould based on special design or physical requirements.
Marino:   Yes, precisely. You can work with the team to define a very specific project just for you or you can go through our standard moulded items to find something that will suit your needs and use one of those. Both services are vital parts of our business and both receive our utmost attention.

Frank:    Where is all this done? Where does Stamplanet operate?
Marino:   Our factory is in the north of Italy, about 15km from Vicenza or 50km from Venice, in an area where the density of industrial activity is among the highest in Europe. We provide service to a lot of companies in our area, still more in the rest of Italy, and a few abroad. We have a very strong presence in the Russian market, where we supply packaging manufacturers with the moulds to produce pumps, hinged closures, 3- or 4-part closures for spirits, and aerosol caps for cans. Our customers appreciate the fact that we offer superlative Italian design, something that has become something of a hallamrk in the packaging industry over the last 20 or so years.

Frank:    And what sort of industries and markets does your company target?
Marino:   Besides creating and producing moulds for special projects, we have a lot of real project experience in a number of fields. We have produced moulds for numerous types of packaging components, for the automotive sector where we produce exclusive components for Ferrari. We also do work with moulds for electronic equipment, even for office equipment and appliances. Just about any sort of large scale project that requires a perfectly crafted, dedicated mould. Not to mention the facilities and production equipment to use the mould and do a run as quickly, efficiently, and free of errors as possible.

Frank:    So, how are things going for the firm these days?
Marino:   Actually, quite well. In these last few years, our position on the market has enjoyed constant growth. Currently, we are negotiating with clients in a number of new countries. We are also branching out into new markets within the packaging space. Also, apart from our usual activities in mould construction,  we have recently begun a service for mould injection, specifically for those customers who need a finished product very quickly.

Frank:    Marino, we've known each other for some time, but I'm curious, what is your current position at Stamplanet and what does it entail? What do you hope to accomplish with the company?
Marino:  (Laughing) That's a good question! My official title is Sales Manager, so I have to make sure Stamplanet is receiving an appropriate number of orders from new and repeat business. Like most people, though, I have to wear several hats, and one of the things I am doing is to investigate new marketing avenues for the company and to take advantage of digital platforms. I want to make sure everyone online knows the Stamplanet name an recognizes it as an excellent source for moulding services.

Frank:    That's a pretty tall order.
Marino:   Of course it is, but the possibilities for communicating online are endless. We can leverage our own web site to attract traffic and obtain contacts, we can use social networks to keep professionals up to date, we can integrate our content into Webpackaging and make sure it forms a part of our marketing mix. All of those things, little by little, bit by bit, increase our reach online and get us talked about. And that translates into people being aware of the Stamplanet brand and services, which is what we want. So I guess i would have to say that I want to make the Stamplanet name as ubiquitous as possible among those professionals that require our services and support.

Frank:    And what new items or services can you discuss? When will they be released?
Marino:   Most importantly, we’re in the process of obtaining our 9001 certification, along with special certification in the 13485 category, for medical disposals.  As of February 2016, we'll have the ability to offer injecting in a full cleanroom. Also, we are constantly challenging ourselves and studying new items for our customers, like dispensing pumps, closures, small containers, and medical devices. Very shortly, within a couple of months actually,  we're branching out to create our own proprietary closures for jars, as well as double wall flip tops, so we have something excellent and novel to offer the personal care and nutraceutical markets.

Frank:    Will you be at any shows this year?
Marino:   We are currently preparing a lot of marketing efforts, including participation at shows, for 2016. For certain, we know that we'll be at an exhibition in Moscow and another one in Zurich. My secret dream (and from today, it's not so secret any longer) is to be close to home at Cosmoprof 2017 with our own proprietary closures and moulds. That will happen. I hope to see you there as well.

Frank:    I'll be sure to make time to visit. Thanks a lot Marino, I appreciate you having taken the time to let me know a bit about Stamplanet.
Marino:   My pleasure, any time.