Albéa opened the new, $7 million facility just last week in Bottanuco, Italy.
Volumizing
The site incorporates a range of manufacturing technologies from injection and injection-blow molding to decoration, surface treatment and assembly. Albéa employs 250 people at the location and is set to produce up to 160 m units there each year.
The European Mascara Centre of Excellence fabricates mascara packaging (of course). However, lipgloss and eyeliner containers are made there as well.
Albéa suggests that the plant will allow the company to work faster and more effectively all at once: “This completely integrated site should not only improve our responsiveness and industrial efficiency but should also allow us to offer a wider range of high value-added services. It will also make it easier for our customers and teams to work together,” says Guillaume de Demandolx, executive VP at Albéa.
Duty bound
The company has established its own Global Manufacturing Practices to comply with international regulations all along the supply chain.
Additionally this particular facility was constructed with Albéa’s corporate social responsibility objectives close in mind: “Albéa Bottanuco is now a model site in terms of renewable energy sources. This trigeneration heating and cooling system, both reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reuses the heat for other energy needs. In addition, the workshops’ layout was designed to improve employees’ working conditions and safety,” explained the company’s statement announcing the opening.
Wands
The company’s applicator development team will be located at the Bottanuco facility too. The Albéa Tips Studio “program [is] the only one of its kind in the world, [and] brings together all of the group’s expertise in the areas of innovation, development and production of applicators, including fiber and plastic mascara brushes, lipgloss tips and eyeliner applicators,” according to the Albéa's statement to the media.
The Tips Studio looks to be a full-service offering for Albéa’s customers. It will house a materials library comprising fiber and plastic brushes “as well as rapid prototyping capabilities and a makeup test laboratory to evaluate the trio formed by applicator, wiper and formula.”
Globally and historically
Albéa headquarters are in Paris, France. And the company has major sales offices in both Shanghai, China, and New York City. Across the Americas, Asia and Europe, Albéa operates manufacturing facilities in 38 sites. “Joining the other manufacturing sites in, Mexico , Brazil and China, the Bottanuco plant strengthens Albéa’s leading position in the mascara packaging market,” the statement says.
This growing global presence is all taking place under the leadership of CEO Francois Luscan, who previously oversaw the acquisition of several key properties including the Betts group in 2010, Eyelematic in 2011, Tex China in 2012 and the Rexam personal care division in January 2013, according to the company site. And before that, Luscan led the company’s transition from Alcan Packaging Beauty to its current structure, the independent company named Albéa.