The Albéa Group currently operates two industrial sites in Italy, one in Bottanuco, specializing in the production of mascaras and lipgloss, the other in Tortona, specializing in the production of tubes. A ‘Made in Italy’ full-service offering is all the more useful and justified as Albéa’s Beauty Solutions division has a sales office in the Milan area with a dedicated salesperson in charge of both meeting the needs of formulators in terms of packaging solutions, as well as supporting innovation and time to market. It’s an “ecosystem” of its own consisting of partners with whom Albéa has built its full-service offer.

Overview with Cécile Tuil, VP Communications.

Jean-Yves Bourgeois: Albéa’s presence in Italy consists primarily of cutting-edge production capabilities!

Cécile Tuil: Yes, the Group can rely on two industrial sites and a sales office in the area of Milan. The first site is located in Bottanuco. It is our global center of excellence for mascara brushes and bottles.  This site is also home to our Tips Studio where we invent and develop applicators (fiber and plastic mascara brushes, lipgloss, eyeliners, eyebrows applicator tips…).

The Tortona facility is our regional center for plastic tube expertise and is dedicated mainly to customers in southern Europe. Our “Fast-Track Tubes” offer, which we recently presented at Luxe Pack Monaco, was developed in Tortona. Finally, our Beauty Solutions division has a sales office in the Milan area in charge of our partnerships with Milanese and Italian formulators and fillers.

Bourgeois: Therefore, it is only logical for your Beauty Solutions division to be present in this part of Italy, a true makeup sanctuary at the global level…

Tuil: Indeed, the salesperson working there is in an “ecosystem” of its own, collaborating with partners capable of proposing a “Made in Italy” full-service offering. But this is not restricted to Italy, since we also offer our customers “Made in” solutions coming from other parts of the world (Europe, United States, Asia…). The strength of Italy undoubtedly lies in its excellence in terms of formulas and applications (powders, emulsion, mascara and complexion, liquid lip color, sticks…). And concerning the pack and formula duo, this region allows us to be efficient in terms of time to market, to propose an “easy customization” for very fast launches on the European market. “Made in Italy” is also very popular in the United States, Brazil and even Asia.

Bourgeois: Can you tell us more about the industrial capabilities in Bottanuco and Tortona?

Tuil: The Bottanuco plant, whose turnover is around € 50 million, employs some 250 people. It offers integrated capabilities in injection, decoration and assembly. Albéa has been operating in the region since 1979 but the brand new 18,000 m² site was opened in 2014. All the Group’s assets can be found in Bottanuco: a strong Corporate Social Responsibility commitment, in particular, to reduce emissions; constant innovation; a continuous training of teams; an expertise in the innovation and development of new products… At Bottanuco, the Albéa Tips Studio brings together the Group’s expertise in mascara, liner, brow and lip applicators and covers all manufacturing stages: from consumer studies to pilot molds including design, rapid prototyping capabilities, a test and methods laboratory, a fiber and plastic brush library, not to mention full-service capabilities and industrial property services. Every year, more than 30 new designs and prototypes, including related technologies and processes, are developed by our experts. The Albéa Tips Studio is actually global: it opened in Morristown, Tennessee last year.

Our Tortona facility, as you know, is specialized in the production of tubes. It employs some 100 people and has sales of around € 20 million. This facility is home to our Fast Track Tubes offer. Fast Track, whether tubes or other packaging solutions, is meant to speed up launches. It is a selection from our bestselling products, in line with the latest trends and available immediately, with lower minimum order quantities, shorter delivery time, as well as customization options recommended by our experts. It is the guarantee of uncompromising quality: a fresh dose of innovation, a commitment to social responsibility, respect for industrial property and compliance with the most stringent regulations—and the ability to scale up as soon as success knocks.
In the case of Fast Track Tubes, we are talking of ready-to-use tubes, available everywhere in Europe in 4 weeks maximum, particularly suited for cosmetics and makeup, designed for the trendiest looks and e-commerce needs. Customers can pick the format they need among our 14 references, print their decoration (from the skirt to the cap), and decide which applicator and cap will work best with their brand’s skincare or makeup product. We are capable of producing small series (1,000 to 9,000 tubes) and then to scale up when success is within grasp!