An Extensive History

The paper mill began production in 1954. The official name of the company – A. Merati & C. – is in memory of Angelo Merati who, in the early twentieth century, produced various types of paperboard in the paper mills of Vedano Olona and Gravedona, including the paperboard that was used to manufacture the soles of the shoes of Italian soldiers in the First World War of 1915–1918.

When the paper mill began operations in September 1954, its paper machine was equipped with only 8 drying cylinders with a diameter of 125 centimetres along with 4 felt sheet dryers with a diameter of 100 centimetres. The production consisted merely of wool paper and barely reached 100 quintals per day. This went on for a few years, until the battery of dryers was upgraded and the workshop, warehouses and offices were built. The production of wool paper was first integrated with the production of kraft paper for bags of cement and foodstuff, before the production of paperboard for tubes with the old flat panel that was later integrated with the installation of forming drums for the production of multilayer cardboard.