The three-year balance of driven growth

The growth plan, which began in late 2013, today shows a positive outcome. The strategy, created to implement an expansion guided by the geographical areas and commodity types of the companies supplied, has also involved a strong commitment to creating conceptually innovative products, making investments in the manufacturing systems, regarding both the technological and environmental aspects, in addition to strengthening the sales network.

 

The figures reveal a progressively consolidated growth path. Turnover grew by 6.5% in 2014-15 and 8.3% in 2015-16 — a constant and significant increase and a valuable figure considering that Icma almost exclusively supplies the luxury segment, which is particularly competitive, and in which large international companies operate. Icma has been able to define its positioning and thus acquire a substantial market niche by developing its strong points: a vast range of papers always available in stock and customizable papers, innovative products created as a result of continuous research engaging both a permanent team of creative professionals and the Icma technical laboratory, rapidity and flexibility in serving the market, even for the really minimal quantities required by large luxury brands for “limited edition” projects, which must meet the requirements of original creativity and high quality, minimizing environmental impact and resource management.

 

The growth of Icma’s turnover has been accompanied by an increasing number of clients served directly or through distributors, gradually reaching the current number of 576 operating in 27 countries. In less than five years, Icma has basically moved from supplying the Italian and French market (which is also a benchmark for luxury) to an expansion that today involves at least three continents so that the foreign incidence on the turnover today vouches for 34%.

 

The commodities sectors that use Icma’s sartorial paper for packaging (boxes, cases, shopping bags), corporate image and publishing have increased with the acquired customers. While fashion, accessories, jewellery, watches, perfumes, and cosmetics are the sectors in which Icma has always been present and in which its paper is particularly valued, also due to the possibility of customization and creation of unique products as required by the luxury world, Icma is successfully entering others, including top range wines, champagne, liqueurs, chocolate, and design objects.  Icma also supplies specialized niches, such as the sectors of artistic frames, hospitality, and restaurants, with the manufacturing flexibility that characterizes it and a range of over 300 textures that can be combined with 96 colours and around twenty different finishes.

 

“We wanted to plan Icma’s growth in phases”, explains Elena Maria Carla Torri, Icma’s president. “It is accompanied by a commitment to research to always create new products, which give us a real competitive advantage, but it isn't only about aesthetic aspects and stylistic choices, as important as these factors are. The research we are carrying out is wide-ranging and concerns both the technological arrangements (creation or modification of ad hoc machinery and of the relative manufacturing processes) and environmental sustainability, elements which can no longer be separated. In the past three years, Icma has invested 850,000.00 euros to minimize its environmental impact and is continuing its commitment with the ISO 9001:2015 currently being completed, while since 2009, Icma has had the dual certification FSC (ForestStewardshipCouncil) Mix Credit and Controlled Woods”.