Founded in 1973 in Pessinetto, a charming and quiet village perched in the Piedmontese Alps, Lederplast is a historic company highly specialised in the industrial production of PVC and PU coatings. Now in its second generation – in fact, at the helm of the company are Paola and Sara Russo, daughters of the entrepreneur Salvatore Russo who 50 years ago had the brilliant intuition to found this all-Italian industrial excellence – the company has immediately distinguished itself on the market for the high quality of its workmanship and its desire to combine sustainable development objectives with a low environmental impact policy, thus becoming a best practice spokesman for the entire sector.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr Paola Russo, what was the mission of the company founded by your father back in 1973?
It all began 50 years ago, when my father decided to reconvert a historic cotton mill of the late 19th century into a modern factory dedicated to the industrial production of synthetic coatings, totally immersed in the green valleys of Piedmont. A truly unique and evocative landscape, dominated by the presence of the Stura di Lanzo river (in the past, water from the river was used to power the looms), which has always been a constant in the history of our company, which has always been attentive to the delicate balance of the mountainous territory in which it is located. Thanks to a strategic vision and a sustainable and innovative business approach, in a short time Lederplast has been able to assert its leadership in a highly competitive market, clearly differentiating itself from other market players and becoming an Ambassador to the world of high quality Made in Italy products. Today our brand is in fact highly appreciated and recognised on the national and international B2B market (35% of turnover comes from abroad, mainly from Europe, India, Vietnam, Australia), in the furnishing, contract, motorbike upholstery, nautical, medical, and paper sectors.
What peculiarities distinguish you from your competitors?
In addition to the experience and professionalism accumulated over many years of activity, our main added value is undoubtedly represented by the high quality of our workmanship, the consistent level of our warehouse stock (an average of 30 products in 30 colour variants; a strategic choice that allows us to guarantee a vast and immediate supply of our products within a few days) and a highly qualified and reliable consultancy service. Our success among the main international players in the production of synthetic coatings is also the result of our propensity for technological innovation (of process and product) and of our considerable and continuous investments in Research & Development, with the aim of proactively anticipating the trends of a constantly evolving market, researching ever more innovative and high-performance materials, and thus responding to increasingly restrictive quality reference standards. We have invested considerable resources in the purchase of the latest generation of highly advanced and specialised machines: Xenotest technology, for example, allows us to test the ability of outdoor materials to resist ageing due to atmospheric agents, simulating their prolonged exposure to sun and rain. Today, we are also able to micro-drill, puncture or punch the imitation leather in order to customise as much as possible to the requirements of each individual customer and thus no longer limit ourselves exclusively to standardised production, as was the case in the past. It is from the synergy between experimentation and technological innovation, creativity and highly specialised know-how, that Lederplast’s success in the world derives, despite the various crises in the sector that have occurred cyclically over the past 50 long years.
Lederplast is a company with a green heart that has always made social and environmental responsibility its main ethical value. How important is it for you to combine sustainable development goals with a low environmental impact policy?
Very much! Thanks to the choice of harmonising economic growth objectives with low environmental impact policies in line with ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles – thus combining innovation, productivity, competitiveness, territoriality and environmental sustainability – over the years we have managed to become a reference of excellence for Made in Italy. And, in order to best venture into the fourth industrial revolution, our commitment to a sustainable future has gone as far as to reorganise our production plant according to the paradigms of Industry 4.0, to be increasingly oriented towards production and energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and the circular economy. It is no coincidence that, thanks to substantial investments, the Old Hydroelectric Power Plant was reactivated and modernised, and is now widely used for the production of clean electricity.
Our strong vocation for sustainability and respect for the surrounding mountain territory has allowed us to obtain ISO 9001 certification, International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (the ISCC allows us to demonstrate the traceability and sustainability of our raw materials, rigorously selected from renewable sources), and the AUA (Single Environmental Authorisation), an important recognition by the Region on the goodness of the emissions (air, land, water) in the atmosphere (equal to zero). All very important instruments that certify the commitment of a business that has always been attentive to the environmental and social context in which it operates. Today, the children of workers who have now retired work at Lederplast; we are therefore very proud to have given a positive impulse to the area, attracting young people who would otherwise have to move to the city to work.
So many goals have been achieved in these 50 years. Future goals?
To continue to play a leading role in the current green revolution, focusing on increasingly biocompatible and natural raw materials, trying to make the synthetic coatings supply chain as environmentally friendly as possible, to responsibly respond to the needs of a sector that is rapidly heading towards an increasingly sustainable future. With its ethical values, our brand demonstrates every day that it is possible to achieve business objectives while making a positive impact on the world.
www.lederplast.com
