ERO GLUING SYSTEMS CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY BY INNOVATING IN THE FIELD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Dedicated to the design and manufacture of cold glue application and quality inspection equipment, ERO Gluing Systems celebrates 30 years of expansion and continuous improvement.

Focused on the folding carton, paper bag, and corrugated markets, ERO Gluing Systems has evolved from a small family business to a company that serves internationally, significantly increasing its presence after becoming part of the Valco Melton group.

The ERO project began to take shape in 1994 in the basement of it’s founder house, Roberto Notari, a technician who had worked for years in the carton converting industry. Roberto Notari had observed that the adhesive application was often the most critical part of a producton line. Then, he perfected an effective pneumatic gluing station for corrugated converting that minimized technical issues caused by the open glue pots that were typically used for corrugated gluing. Thanks to Roberto's knowledge of the environment, these new systems were quickly adopted by new companies with excellent results.

As a family business, the name ERO was derived from the initials of Roberto and his wife, Enrica, who handled accounting and purchasing. Within a few years, ERO had sold numerous units across Italy, likely becoming the country's leading glue system supplier. In 2005, the GTE-13 gun for folding carton applications was launched, meeting with great success. It was so robust and efficient that the design has barely been modified to this day.

During the economic crisis that started in 2007 and affected Europe, ERO, that was just selling in Italy, began facing a difficult period. That was the year Francesca Notari, the founder’s daughter, joined the company and started expanding the brand beyond the country’s borders. Within a few months, they noticed that the brand was highly valued in other countries, especially by OEMs from Asia. This prompted them to ramp up their efforts by attending trade shows and events globally, where ERO's technology was appreciated for its durability and precision.

Since then, their philosophy has remained consistent: providing reliable products that minimize maintenance and downtime. However, when problems do arise, ERO's second focus is to quickly give answer to any technical issues. For this reason, the team is strongly committed to providing both on-site and remote support whenever a customer reaches out.

With much effort, the company grew, although the definitive breakthrough came in 2016, when it became part of the Valco Melton group, world's leaders in cold glue and hot melt dispensing solutions, and quality assurance systems. This alliance allowed new synergies and brought a new stage of worldwide expansion, reaching new customers and connecting the small company to a prestigious international brand.

One of ERO’s core values is its commitment to fully meeting customer expectations. Driven by a commitment to sustainability, they have developed cold glue solutions compatible with eco-friendly adhesives.

"Since its founding, the company has always had a great interest in technological innovations, important fact in the corporate philosophy, which focuses on innovation and the future”, asserts Francesca Notari. It is thanks to this approach that ERO was a pioneer in using iPads as controllers, allowing remote configuration of systems on a lightweight and intuitive device. Staying at the forefront, ERO has just launched the new intelligent gluing inspection system ERO-DL, which, based on Artificial Intelligence, simplifies configuration tasks and integrates both gluing and camera system contro. Thanks to its Deep-Learning system, which has learned from hundreds of samples, the system can configure the optimal adhesive pattern for each batch of cartons.

As a company expanding worldwide, ERO faced in recent years the need for more space. That is why the company, which now has 35 on-site employees, has moved this year to a new, larger location. "We wanted to create a comfortable environment for the entire team," confirmed Francesca Notari, General Manager. "The design of the new building allows for better synergies. Now the manufacturing section is close to Engineering and Quality, so communication and teamwork are more fluid."

The new building will soon host new projects. ERO Gluing Systems is working hard to improve its product range. "Improving the features of our gluing and quality control systems is key for us," says Giacomo Porcari, Engineering Manager. "We listen to our customers' needs. Every time we receive feedback, we strive to work on our weak points and achieve better product performance."