On Saturday, 12 September, Magic held the inauguration of  Airgel at its Oleggio headquarters, marking the opening of the new plant dedicated to the production of absorbent nonwoven material using airlaid technology.

In the presence of regional, provincial and local authorities, industry associations and the project’s financial partners, CEOs Mara Galli and Mauro Giani presented the new Airgel production line, dedicated to the manufacture of cellulose-based absorbent nonwoven material.

The new line is a  4.0 industrial plant with fully computerised management and requires just two operators per shift.
At full capacity, operating three shifts over seven days, it can produce 4,000 tonnes of airlaid per year.

The new superabsorbent airlaid is composed mainly of cellulose and incorporates Spongel, the superabsorbent powder patented by Magic and subsequently certified OK Compost Industrial. 

In 2015, the company began a research and development programme based on a university study focused on the development of a new superabsorbent powder. Over the following years, Magic developed and tested a production process and dedicated plant which, at full capacity, can produce 1,500 tonnes of Spongel per year.

Spongel won first prize in the“Raw materials and Innovation” category, at the 2017 Edana Index Awards 2017 in Geneva and obtained OK Compost Industrial certification in the first months of 2020.

The first Magic product containing Spongel was Mottyno, the baby diaper launched on the market the previous June. The product takes its name from Motty, the mascot of Mottarone, the mountain that is a symbol of the local area: a friendly little wolf loved by children and involved in numerous social initiatives, particularly those supporting children.

Mauro Giani explains:

Magic’s entrepreneurial story did not stop with the market results already achieved. Five years ago, we decided to take an important step and develop a highly technological cellulose-based raw material, unique on a global scale. We see ourselves as a young company, with the enthusiasm of a start-up, and our R&D department is always looking for something new. Ours has been, and will continue to be, a very ambitious project driven by continuous improvement, but thanks to our enthusiasm and that of all our employees, we are confident it will be a successful one.

Mara Galli shares an emotional tribute to the company’s founder, Luciano Giani:

Today’s ceremony has great symbolic value for us, because it is intended as a thank you to the person who, over time, gave us our vision and mission. The values behind them have always been part of the identity of our family company. […] At a time when so much seems uncertain and in short supply, we believe in this investment and want to inspire confidence in the people around us and those who work with us, knowing that the growth of our business will enable us to create employment and bring benefits to our community and local area.