09 Jun Custom-made machines for independent paper mills
Company stories
Quality, flexibility, innovation
by Roberto Carminati
For a well-known Verona-based manufacturer of systems and solutions for the paper industry, the October appointment with MIAC in Lucca is not the only date to highlight on the 2025 calendar: in addition to celebrating its 30th anniversary, the company inaugurated a new Assembly Center in June.
By taking part in the 31st edition of the International Exhibition of the Paper Industry, scheduled to take place in Lucca, the Verona-based company LBZ (www.lbz.srl) aims to give visibility not only to its machines, but also to its entire and well-structured working philosophy. This was explained by co-owner and Sales Manager Stefano Boccianti, who founded the company and manages it together with partners Luigi Lavarini and Andrea Zullo.
“We will be present at the Lucca exhibition,” he said, “at Stand C23 in Hall C, with the intention of introducing two technical solutions that perfectly embody our vision of custom-made machines for independent paper mills.”
The first is a calender, available in hard or soft nip configurations, designed to optimise the thickness and surface quality of paper, an essential aspect for improving printability while enhancing the finished product.
The second is a motorised shaft rewinder, designed to handle precise cutting and narrow reels, from 50 to 60 millimetres, and considered ideal for companies wishing to supply cardboard tubes or other materials intended for niche markets.
“These two machines,” Boccianti commented, “respond to two very clear trends: on the one hand, the drive towards higher-value finished products; on the other, the diversification of production in order to avoid price wars with large groups. We chose to present them at the trade fair because, in recent months, we have seen growing interest from users who want to stand out, internationalise, or expand their product range.”
LBZ ASSEMBLY CENTER
Precision is our craft
LBZ was founded in 1995 from the desire of three partners to bring a mix of technical experience and entrepreneurial ambition into the world of paper mill maintenance. From the very beginning, their objective was clear: to offer an agile organisation with high-level expertise, capable of supporting paper mills with speed and professionalism.
Over the years, the company has evolved steadily: from maintenance, it moved on to the design and construction of key components such as rollers, stretchers, regulators, unwinders, doctors and suction rolls, eventually reaching the production of complete machines and special systems.
Since 2005, with the move to its current headquarters near the Verona Nord motorway exit, LBZ has pursued a continuous path of technological innovation and investment in high-precision machine tools. Today, LBZ has 32 employees and a facility covering 8,200 square metres, of which 3,200 are covered. The company has established itself both in Italy and abroad. Approximately 70% of its total annual turnover comes from the Italian market, while the remaining 30% comes from international relations. Today, the company has active projects in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Central America.
The added value of flexibility
LBZ wants customers and potential customers to become familiar with its strengths and distinctive characteristics. The customisation of its different machines, together with the decision to move away from standardised models, reflects a precise approach to work and to the market.
“We believe,” Boccianti continued, “that each of our systems must be created by listening to the real needs of users. In this way, we are able to respond to specific problems while optimising every functional detail.”
It is no coincidence that, together with its tailor-made design service, LBZ provides all-round consultancy and continuous assistance, following projects from the initial concept and technical definition phases through to testing and after-sales support.
“Those who turn to us,” the Verona-based entrepreneur observed, “know they can rely on a technologically skilled and always available partner, capable of guaranteeing fast and timely interventions.”
Versatility is the added value and, according to the interviewee, a precious differentiating factor. While a significant share of competitors focuses on mass production, LBZ has chosen a different path and, so far, the results seem to have proved it right.
Not just sales
“We operate as true design partners,” the Sales Manager emphasised, “and an example of this is the recent creation of a rewinder requested by a company that needed to process very different types of paper and required non-standard functions. In particular, the customer asked us for an unusual but strategic feature: the possibility of running the machine in reverse, in order to facilitate the recovery of waste or defects present in the reels. We developed a dedicated control logic, modified the mechanical structure and solved a specific operational problem that had previously found no answer. This, for us, is the true meaning of customisation: providing solutions to real needs, not simply selling a product.”
It does not seem risky to say that this is where that classic extra touch lies, the one that makes it possible to seize the opportunities that the sector still offers despite its undeniable critical issues.
“Certainly,” Boccianti reflected, “pressure on energy, raw material and logistics costs has pushed many companies towards rationalisation, but those that have managed to innovate and differentiate themselves are now also the most competitive. There is also a noticeable increase in demand in the advanced packaging, tissue and technical paper sectors.”
After 30 years, LBZ is still a family-run company, but with an international vision. Rooted in its territory, close to its customers and constantly evolving. We have been able to grow from a company specialised in maintenance into a technical partner for complex projects, while always maintaining one central value: quality as a responsibility towards those who choose us.
Stefano Boccianti, Sales Manager and Co-founder, LBZ.
The paper of the future
In the co-founder’s opinion, the trends that are already shaping the sector today and are destined to inspire its future are equally visible. Digitalisation and process automation are the key to increasing efficiency, reducing waste and improving quality. Paper must increasingly evolve towards the status of a “high-profile material” and, in this respect, growing attention is expected towards “graphic enhancement and therefore embossing, relief effects and surface treatments.”
As in other sectors, sustainability is also a key issue in the paper industry: from a circularity and recovery perspective, “plants that process recycled paper or use eco-compatible materials” are gaining ground.
No less important is the trend towards modularity, as paper mills are looking for “flexible, expandable and easily reconfigurable lines” in an attempt to broaden their customer base by serving multiple markets.
“Looking ahead, we believe that increasingly modular and flexible solutions will emerge, with strong integration between mechanics, electronics and software. Paper mills are no longer looking only for machinery: they are looking for technical allies capable of supporting them in continuously adapting to the challenges of a changing landscape.”
LBZ itself is also partly changing its appearance, as demonstrated by the new building and assembly centre — the Assembly Center — which the company chose to give itself, so to speak, to celebrate its first three decades of activity in June 2025.
“It was built in about a year,” Stefano Boccianti recalled, “and represents a major step forward in our operational capacity. It was conceived as an integrated space in which to manage multiple processes in parallel, such as the assembly of several complex systems, electrical wiring, piping, testing and mechanical trials. It also serves to ensure higher quality control, in shorter times and with lower transport costs.
Whereas in the past we had to deal with limited space and fragmented logistics, now each system can be managed vertically, with dedicated technical teams and equipped workstations for every phase.
But it is not only a matter of space: the new Assembly Center symbolises a working philosophy in which efficiency and quality are integrated into a fluid and traceable process. It is a strategic choice looking towards the future, born from careful listening to customers. However, LBZ’s true capital remains its people: technicians, designers, workers and collaborators who contribute every day to creating value with expertise and passion.
