Interview with Edoardo Finotti from Gierrebi

Home textile cutting machines: serving companies’ automation needs, even during pandemics

Thanks to a meeting between FKgroup and Gierrebi, a collaboration began which has allowed both a drastic reduction in the time needed to cut bedding textiles and the possibility of converting the company’s production in case of emergencies, as Covid-19 has been. This has been achieved through a consistent collaboration between a company that believes in the future and technology and FKgroup, which has made all this possible.

This is the case of Gierrebi, a historic company that specialises in contract manufacturing of household linen, particularly for the bedroom, and has been operating in Lombardy for 60 years.
Today Gierrebi is a solid and competitive company in the textile industry and a reference point for the biggest Italian and American brands.


With an eye toward the future, they have decided to invest in highly technological machinery and automation. It’s for that reason that the cutting of the fabrics has been entrusted to an FKgroup cutting system since 2019, which has significantly speeded up the cutting process.

As the owner of Gierrebi, Edoardo Finotti, points out, this acquisition has made it possible to reduce cutting and punching times and to convert the production of household linen into masks and gowns in just a few weeks. The company responded promptly and quickly to the needs of the market at that particular moment in time, leading to an increase in turnover of around 20% in 2020.

How did the company's production change with the acquisition of the FKgroup home textile cutting machine?

We were pioneers in automating the cutting process in the home textile sector and can say that the service we offer has changed for the better.
For example, in punching holes for embroidery, we have replaced manual drilling and drastically reduced production times.
As a result, work that used to take 1.5 to 2 hours takes only 10 minutes.
And that’s not all – the home textile cutting machine has a 3.2-metre high table which allows the fabric to be completely laid out. This allows us to cut many more sheets at the same time, which has increased production. As a result, we can offer our customers more embroidery options.

“As a company we offer our customers the added value of having a partner at their side”

What needs prompted Gierrebi to begin using a home textile cutting machine?

Our company vision is based on the desire to believe in the future and in technology. We are convinced that a good investment always pays off, and though this has been proven from the very beginning, it was especially true in 2020 during the Covid outbreak.
Thanks to this purchase, we were able to cut approximately 1 million linear metres in 2019, which corresponds to more than 3 million square metres.
Let’s not forget either that this drive towards the future is also useful when it comes to hiring qualified personnel who find technological projection an attractive feature of our business.

Was the FKgroup cutting system involved in production during the Covid 19 pandemic?

Absolutely!
Thanks to having automated the cutting process, we were able to start mask production as early as the third week of March, 2020.
With a daily output of 50,000 masks, we were able to turn a moment of uncertainty into an opportunity for our company and our employees.
After a few months, the opening of the import of masks from China forced us to choose a different product, so we decided to replace mask production with the production of gowns, cutting 600,000 metres of non-woven fabric between May and October, 2020.

What was it that led you to choose FKgroup’s cutter?

First and foremost, the fact that FKgroup is a leader in the sector both domestically and internationally. Moreover, as a company we offer our customers the added value of having a partner at their side which is always available if needed. This is a value fully shared by FKgroup, a company which has given us the same availability. Physical proximity is a very important factor for us, as it enables us to provide a much faster service. In addition, the group also offers remote assistance by telephone if necessary, an element that reduces both the costs of sending out a technician, and above all, those of machine downtime. I can say that FKgroup has always lived up to its name.

What are the characteristics of the FKgroup home textile cutting machine which Gierrebi purchased?

The home textile cutting machine we chose is equipped with a GRT spreading system, which opens the fabric from the pallet and spreads it according to the required dimensions on a completely open 3.2-metre table, and the same cutting machine, which comes into operation after spreading.
We are very pleased with this acquisition. It is a special system that is perfectly suited to the company’s needs and the space restrictions of the working environment.