Keeping a close eye on the supply chain to deliver safe products
Business stories
Excerpted from The Map Report, issue no. 5
Antezza Tipografi operates in both sheet-fed and rotary printing. Headquartered in Matera, in the La Martella industrial district, the company occupies 7,000 square metres and specialises in high-quality printing of brochures, leaflets, catalogues, magazines and printed materials, with longstanding expertise in the graphic arts. A conversation with Dario Antezza offered the opportunity to hear how this entrepreneurial venture — developed together with his brothers Eustachio and Enzo — first came to life.
Can you tell us how Antezza Tipografi was founded and what services you offer?
In the late 1980s, my brothers Enzo and Eustachio and I — after years of experience in the graphic arts — decided to bring something new and innovative to the market. We chose to establish our facilities in Matera, in the La Martella area: a green, spacious setting well suited to housing the large premises a print facility requires, and a city that would later become European Capital of Culture 2019. From the outset we invested heavily in technology, equipping ourselves with state-of-the-art machinery and immediately setting a new standard compared to others in the region. A commitment to quality and innovation has been a constant throughout Antezza Tipografi’s history — going beyond print services alone to become a point of reference for a diverse, international clientele in offset, roto-offset and digital printing. Deeply rooted in our territory, yet always alert to the opportunities of the global market.
What does quality printing mean to you?
Quality is not simply a measurable dimension — for us, it is a system. We are an industry with a craft vocation. We conduct technological research and continuously experiment with ever more advanced processes to produce faithful and extraordinary printed results.
We work to international printing standards set by ISO 12647 and select only carefully controlled raw materials — papers, varnishes and inks of the highest quality — which, expertly combined, guarantee the exceptional results our clients have come to expect. Quality means investing in human capital through continuous training. It means assuring clients that every stage of Antezza Tipografi’s workflow is digitalised, connected across all departments and fully traceable: from material procurement and supplier selection to pre-press and final delivery. Every phase of production is part of a single quality system. The company has certified its quality management system to ISO UNI EN 9001:2015 — a certification first obtained in 2004.
How do you support your clients?
For Antezza Tipografi, producing a printed piece means giving material form to an idea — communicating a message, offering a product that informs, or preserving and spreading culture. The company is aware of the fundamental role it plays throughout the entire process, and makes available to all its clients an expert team capable of supporting both clients and print professionals in defining and delivering any type of printed material. Flexibility, passion and experimentation — combined with genuine love for the craft and a drive to develop new solutions — allow Antezza Tipografi to respond effectively to every client’s printing needs. Standardising the production process means controlling and caring for every detail of the product, and being a reliable point of reference for any kind of print job.
What do social responsibility and environmental commitment mean to Antezza?
We believe social responsibility is first and foremost a universal cultural value that companies, as actors in society, must put into practice. For us, it has always been a concrete, daily commitment.
Rigorous control and strict compliance throughout the supply chain are essential requirements for delivering safe products. Antezza Tipografi cares for the environment by continuously reconfiguring its production cycle to reduce the CO₂ emissions generated by its activities. Energy is sourced from green and renewable sources, including the company’s own photovoltaic installations. Since 2013, the company has contributed to reducing CO₂ emissions by 4.7 million kg. Antezza Tipografi is also constantly seeking new sustainable solutions, having standardised its production process in line with environmental policies and certifying its environmental management system to UNI EN ISO 14001:2015.
Heat generated by machinery is recovered to warm areas that require a constant temperature. Rainwater is also collected and used in the production process. Waste management is rigorously structured: paper that can no longer be used is recycled, supporting a circular economy model. In line with these goals, Antezza Tipografi has also obtained significant environmental certifications including PEFC and FSC from the Forest Stewardship Council — an international non-governmental organisation that promotes sustainable forest management through the use of paper produced from responsibly managed forests.
“The Exchange of Knowledge” is the title of a paper published in Advances in Management & Applied Economics, Scienpress Ltd, London, comparing the experiences of IKEA and Antezza Tipografi on environmental and social sustainability. It demonstrates how Antezza Tipografi — consistently attentive to environmental policy — has adapted its production processes to meet the ethical and moral standards of the Swedish giant, working only with suppliers who embrace sustainable innovation that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
What are you doing to simplify and improve the efficiency of your logistics and commercial processes?
The know-how built up over the years enables efficient logistics management, with the ability to offer clients temporary or long-term storage for both small and large print projects. Many brands also ask us to manage the international shipping of their printed products. Through agreements with major national and international distributors, Antezza Tipografi eliminates physical distances and guarantees delivery to any destination. The company’s sustained investment in logistics has made it one of the most productive and efficient areas of the business — because delivering the work is just as important as producing it.
Antezza Tipografi takes care of its clients through a dedicated account team that supports marketing activities, ensuring every client need is fully understood and met. The initial brief is an essential part of structuring and planning the work effectively. The company has all the tools necessary to deliver any type of offset and digital printing. Numerous international companies have already chosen Antezza Tipografi for their communication needs. Maximum availability. Maximum satisfaction. What good is technological innovation if you forget the human relationship?