ITEMA Weaving and LAMIFLEX spa, global market leaders in their respective fields of textile solutions and machinery engineering, have entered into a strategic agreement thus further formalizing and strengthening the collaboration between the two entities.

ITEMA Weaving is a business unit of the International Technology & Machinery Group (ITEMA) dedicated to the production of weaving machines and related accessories. ITEMA Weaving is marketing and maintaining the world-wide renowned brands Sulzer Textil, Somet & Vamatex. Production sites are in Italy, Switzerland and China, with a global workforce of more than 1400 employees, and a turnover of 280 million € in 2008. LAMIFLEX spa, leader for more than thirty years in the sector of technical composite materials, is active in the production of laminates destined for all the main industrial environments; it counts about 80 employees and has a turnover of 20 million €.

The agreement, signed for ITEMA Weaving by Engineer Miro Radici and for LAMIFLEX spa by its president, Ms. Luigina Bernini, consolidates the already existing partnership with the prospect of the implementation of new products and processes and the mutual protection of intellectual property rights by means of common protection strategies.

Thus, the regulations concerning the supply of LAMIFLEX components for ITEMA machines are defined and all the inconclusive issues between the two groups regarding the exploitation of intellectual property and industrial rights are resolved.

This, along with a different contribution level to the partnership from LAMIFLEX has lead to the acknowledgement by LAMIFLEX of a compensation for ITEMA Weaving. In general, the agreement regulates the distribution of spare parts to the international market, which the two groups intend to exploit in a mutual way taking advantage of the existing commercial channels of the corresponding sales networks.

The understanding rationalizes, moreover, the use of the corresponding trademarks and the combined protection of certain patents, with eventual cross licensing.

The mutual coordination of these aspects allows ITEMA Weaving and LAMIFLEX spa to optimize the actual collaboration relationship and in general the market approach, addressing individual customers in a clear and more precise way thus optimizing the response times and procedures.

“The intellectual property generated by a company with significant investments must be protected and defended,” claims Davide Maccabruni, manager of ITEMA Weaving and coordinator of the agreement. “The patents are only one of the aspects, and formal and binding agreements with the partners involved are equally important in order to defend in a more efficient way these assets of the company. Moreover, in times of crisis, such as the current one – it is indispensable to renew and strengthen the relations between partners in a selective way. In this sense, the partnership with LAMIFLEX spa has a double value”.

“Consolidating and intensifying a collaboration with a partner such as ITEMA Weaving is an opportunity to be taken” confirms Francesco Corsi, manager and coordinator of the agreement from LAMIFLEX spa. “Being present on the market in a coordinated way enhances the capability and opportunities of both companies to face challenges, while developing new solutions at the same time”.