In the Italian industrial landscape, where the manufacturing sector is predominantly made up of highly specialised SMEs, networking is increasingly becoming a necessary strategy for tackling global competition. It is against this backdrop that ITA Polymers has been established: a new business network bringing together eight Italian companies from the plastics sector under a single brand, whilst maintaining their autonomy, identity and distinctive specialisations. Officially launched on May 2026, the network brings together Celloplast, DIAP, GF Plast, Greenchemicals, MIFE, Pick Up, Polichem and Seta Polymers, companies active in the production of plastic additives, flame retardants, masterbatches, technical compounds, thermoplastic elastomers and materials derived from recycled plastic waste.“ We had been considering the idea of creating a business network for some time, partly because we already had close relationships with the members, and it was a matter of giving continuity and structure to these collaborations,” explains Micaela Lorenzi, CEO of Greenchemicals and Polichem.“ Creating a network, whilst each company retains its own identity, allows us to present ourselves nationally and internationally as a single brand, capable of responding effectively to the demands of manufacturers in the sector. Through cooperation and the combination of different specialisations, we will be able to provide rapid, tailor-made solutions.” From a production perspective, ITA Polymers brings together over 50,000 tonnes of compounds, 15,000 tonnes of masterbatches and 5,000 tonnes of powders and compacts. The range includes additives, halogenated and halogen-free flame retardants, tech- |
The ITA Polymers business network group. From left: Giancarlo D’ Ottavio, CEO of Celloplast; Lorenzo Riello, CEO of Seta Polymers; Michele Preto Martini, CEO of MIFE; Fabrizio Vitaioli, Production Manager at Diap; Paola Ottaviani, COO of Diap; Marco Giacomin, CEO of Pick Up; Micaela Lorenzi, CEO of Greenchemicals & Polichem; Giusy Perin, President of Pick Up; Andrea Fontana, CEO of GF Plast
nical and recycled compounds, functionalised polymers, compatibilisers and impact modifiers.
SMES AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS The project aims to enhance the typical characteristics of Italian SMEs— flexibility, direct customer relations and technical expertise— by integrating them with a greater capacity to respond to international markets.‘ The heart of Italian manufacturing consists mainly of small companies, often family-run,’ emphasises Lorenzo Riello, CEO of Seta Polymers.“ This translates into generally high product quality and, above all, high-quality customer service. However, when it comes to competing internationally, this type of enterprise has a number of limitations. The ITA Polymers business
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network offers an alternative to being‘ big’, balancing the strength of a large team with the advantages of being small.” Paola Ottaviani, COO of DIAP, also highlights the opportunities generated by collaboration between complementary companies:“ ITA Polymers opens up a range of opportunities, from the chance to collaborate on innovative projects to finding new market outlets abroad. All network members will benefit from increased visibility, as well as the opportunity to find new solutions in the field of polymers.”
SPECIALIST EXPERTISE AND SUSTAINABILITY Among the network’ s key players is Giancarlo D’ Ottavio, a long-standing Italian entrepreneur in the polyamide compound sector, who is participating through Celloplast, a company active in thermoplastic elastomers and impact modifiers for high-performance compounds.“ Sustainability also means having the ability to pool expertise and join forces to tackle the challenges of the future. And I believe that ITA Polymers has a great opportunity in this regard,” comments D’ Ottavio. The network aims to share technical know-how, research and development activities, and production capacity, bringing together in-house laboratories and diverse industrial expertise.
OFFICIAL DEBUT AT PLAST 2026 ITA Polymers’ public debut will take place during Plast 2026, the international exhibition dedicated to plastics and rubber, scheduled to take place in Rho from 9 to 12 June 2026. The network will be present in Hall 9, Stand B100-B104, in a space shared with Greenchemicals and designed using recycled materials, in line with
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the focus on sustainability shared by the member companies.“ GF Plast has decided to join the network because it sees it as an added value,” says Andrea Fontana, CEO of GF Plast.“ Being able to share information and market strategies, and to participate in international trade fairs, strengthens us all and puts us in a more effective strategic position than we would have had as individuals. We are enthusiastic about taking part in this new venture, and we can’ t wait to present ourselves together at Plast 2026.”
A NETWORK FOR INNOVATION AND GROWTH According to Marco Giacomini, CEO of Pick Up, joining the network represents a tangible driver of development:“ Joining the ITA Polymers business network represents a strategic leap forward: an alliance with eight leading organisations that amplifies expertise, innovation and competitive strength, transforming collaboration into a tangible engine for growth and new market opportunities.” Michele Preto Martini, CEO of MIFE, shares this view, seeing the true value of the project in collaboration between companies:“ We chose to join ITA Polymers because we are convinced that the most significant results arise from the coming together of skilled individuals, solid companies and visions that enrich one another. A network can offer what an individual cannot achieve with the same strength: the possibility of transforming each person’ s value into a shared, broader and stronger driving force.” With ITA Polymers, the Italian sector for compounds, masterbatches and additives for plastics therefore aims to strengthen its international presence through a model based on industrial cooperation, innovation and technical specialisation.
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Italian technology plast / June-July 2026 |
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www. plastmagazine. it |
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