At FEFCO 2025 in Rome, I asked Marco Bertola, the CEO of Fosber Group, a simple question: “What do corrugated manufacturers need to know right now?”
His answer surprised me — and it might surprise many of you, too.
In my personal view, especially in this era of artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics, it’s crucial to understand the real needs of the market. At Fosber, we believe in sharing opportunities with our customers—opportunities to improve performance and maximize business results. But we also believe in preserving human value. Technology should help people work better, not replace them.
This is a sensitive topic. Many people are still wary of AI and generative technologies. That’s why companies like ours have a responsibility—not just to innovate, but to build trust. We’re focused on using generative AI in a way that keeps people at the center. It’s about enhancing service, improving technology, and helping our customers become more efficient, competitive, and future-ready.
Fosber S.p.A. is a leading manufacturer of machinery for the corrugated board industry, specializing in the design, production, and installation of complete corrugators and individual machine units. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Lucca, Italy, the company is recognized as a global provider of high-performance corrugated packaging solutions.
Can you give us a concrete example of how this works at Fosber?
Absolutely. Our digitalization journey began back in 2012, and by 2015 we were already integrating IoT into our systems. Today, we’re working with digital twins, generative AI, and intelligent automation. The goal is to give our machines a kind of intelligence that supports technicians, plant owners, and investors—helping them move from subjective evaluations to objective, data-driven decisions.
All our technological improvements aim to stabilize processes and free up employee time for higher-value tasks. This philosophy has guided Fosber for years. Those familiar with our products know Syncro—essentially the brain of our machines. Now, we’re using AI to analyze data and provide real-time support not only to customers but also to our service engineers.
We’ve also implemented augmented reality to stay connected with customers, bridging gaps in culture, distance, and language. For us, technology is a tool to empower people—not to replace them.
So your machines can now predict issues before they happen?
Exactly. Our technology gives our teams full awareness of what’s happening inside the machine. This allows us to foresee potential issues and prevent problems before they affect the customer. Predictive analysis is a key part of our strategy—it’s how we anticipate failures and keep operations running smoothly.
How is Fosber positioned in the global market today?
We’re quite satisfied with our current position. Like any company, we aim to grow—but we remain focused on our core business: the corrugated industry. To reach the top, you have to stay committed to your specialty. That’s our approach.
Which regions are showing the most promise right now?
It varies year by year. Sometimes the Asian market is more dynamic, other times it’s Latin America. Europe remains stable, and the U.S. is performing well. Global conditions are challenging for investors, but we see that people still believe in the future—and that’s encouraging.
In our industry, investments are long-term. You don’t plan year by year—you plan for the next five to ten years.
And finally, what message would you personally like to share with producers?
We’re in close contact with many of them, and for us, listening is essential. Events like FEFCO are invaluable—they allow us to engage with customers, exchange ideas with other manufacturers, and make informed decisions together.
Our customers are truly at the center of everything we do. It’s part of our DNA. And we believe that every challenge brings new opportunities. That’s the mindset we carry forward.
Reporting by Igor Tkalenko – corruga.expert
