Rondine SpA, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding this year, constitutes the main nucleus of an industrial group that now also includes the tile manufacturers Hilton, Fontana, Sassolgrande and Bismantova. Since 1998 the company has been present on the domestic and international markets with two brand names: RHS and Fontana/Bismantova. In 2005 Rondine became the majority shareholder in Spray Dry, a company that operates in the sector of raw materials for the ceramic industry. And finally, 2010 brought the acquisition of Sadon, a leading company in the production of skirting boards and porcelain stoneware tiles in small formats.
The reasons why Rondine turned to Mattei, a historic firm in the sector renowned for its solutions focused on high quality production, can be found in the importance of guaranteeing superior performances and continuity of operation in a company that produces a total volume of 6.0 million m2 of porcelain stoneware per year.
The use of compressed air is required in various phases of the manufacturing cycle, with constant, round-the-clock consumption of 32,000 litres/min. From the enamelling, using screen printing machines and ink-jet printers, to airbrushing and colour application by means of spray guns, to the final packing, compressed air controls all the automated processes, for hi tech, low environmental impact production.
The benefits offered by Mattei compressors are twofold: first, their average duration is very long due to the machines’ simplicity of construction, so that the stator never comes into direct contact with either the rotor or the vanes. In addition, thanks to their rounded surfaces, the vanes glide over a film of oil as they turn that preserves them from wear. Second, the compressors’ configuration, which does not have any gearing between the motor shaft and the rotor, nor thrust bearings since they are replaced by brass bushings, reduces the number of components and consequently the maintenance operations.
The return on the investment is concrete if one considers the entire life span of the machinery, the small number of maintenance operations, the absence of overhauls and the lower cost of the original replacement parts.
Rondine SpA general services manager Claudio Scalabrini says: “For us it’s essential to have machinery that is able to provide not only top performance but also long life and low maintenance. Thanks to the Mattei compressors, we have succeeded in keeping our working standards high, in terms of quality, pace of production and energy savings.”
Mattei director Silvia Contaldi declares: “We’re especially proud of our beneficial collaboration with Rondine SpA, a company whose strong points, like Mattei’s, include attention towards “Made in Italy” quality and technological innovation. Rondine is an importance reference for us in the ceramic sector and represents yet another demonstration of the versatility of our solutions. Mattei compressors can be easily integrated into already existing plants (OEM) and customised in synergy with the customer to satisfy even the most complex requirements.”