Stefania Scampini – VINAVIL
Vinavil is one of the historical companies in the Italian scenario of the chemical sector. It is a company which has always been innovative and which has succeeded over time and through farsighted investments in internationalizing and becoming one of the benchmarks in Italy and abroad for its industrial production of polymers. We’ll go back over the history of the Italian company, which is famous worldwide for its vinyl glue. Renewal, understanding the changes of industry and global geopolitical situations, learning from past experience, overcoming challenges, and reinventing itself. Maybe this is the key to success for Vinavil which has recently celebrated its 90th birthday.
The company has managed through time to understand the market changes, has overcome the market cyclic negative periods and it has proved to be resilient to the increase in the prices of energy sources and it has rebuilt and replaced its old plants by new generation ones for the production of several polymers.
The history: the beginning
First of all the Vinavil name is the “Vinil Acetato a Villadossola” acronym, a valley where the origins of the company come from; however, step by step, that’s how this historical name was decided. In the Ossola Valley, early between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries gold and iron were extracted. Between 1918 and 1919 SET (Società Eletrochimica del Toce) decided to create a site in Villadossola together with SIP (Società Italiana di Prodotti Sintetici) for the production of calcium sulfide. The enlargement of the manufacturing capacity in Villadossola was supported by Montecatini, which implemented the development potentials of artificial fibres, especially of the acetate Rayon, which was added to the viscose Rayon in the textile production.
In the year 1928, since the production of the calcium carbide offered a solid supply base of the raw material (acetic anhydride) to obtain cellulose acetate, the Montecatini company realistically studied an organic manufacturing cycle. During these years, the Villadossola plant was equipped with infrastructures, steam generation plants, also for energy distribution, with working shops and with control and research labs. The plant in Villadossola was enlarged and equipped for the production of raw materials needed to manufacture the acetate Rayon. The manufacturing potentials of calcium carbide were increased with new ovens building large warehouses which allowed the storage of quantities of materials to be used during the seasonal inactivities of furnaces. So the manufacturing plants for acetic aldheyde, acetic acid, acetic anhydride and acetone were started. The acetic anhydride and the glacial acetic acid change, through the Ryon process, to cotton and acetyl-cellulose.
The Second World War time, when the “white glue” was born and the post-war period
In 1940, when Italy took part in the war on Germany’s side, the plant became of military interest to the Italian government of the time. The plant’s staff actively participated in the dramatic events that took place during this period, and as early as 1936, the plant began producing raw materials that had previously been imported. Despite the dramatic nature of the situation, this period is characterized by a series of initiatives motivated by contingent needs and fueled by the proactive activity of research and development structures.
In these years, the first semi-industrial production of vinyl acetate, a highly versatile molecule, began. Vinyl acetate was transformed into polymers and polyvinyl alcohol for adhesive applications. Experimental production of polyvinyl acetate emulsions thus began, obtained by polymerizing vinyl acetate in a bath of water and polyvinyl alcohol. It’s 1942, a historic date: the “white glue” was born, which ten years later will be known as the “universal adhesive” Vinavil. It’s time for relaunch, growth, and development. At the end of the war, the factory remains intact, and the staff is eager to breathe new life into the entire site, which is renovated and equipped with new production facilities.
In 1952, the polyvinyl acetate pearl plant was opened, obtained by polymerizing vinyl acetate in a stirred water bath. In the same year, the reactors for polyvinyl acetate emulsion were installed, and with them the name Vinavil was born, meaning, as previously stated, “Vinyl Acetate” in Villadossola. This white latex, sold in the characteristic white and red container, would invade the market and would soon become synonymous with glue, defined in the Encyclopedic Dictionary as a “trade name” for polyvinyl acetate and in particular for a type of cold glue obtained from that plastic resin”.
The crisis of the plant: 1971-1983
In 1966, Montecatini merged with Edison, creating Montecatini Edison S.p.A., which became Montedison in 1974. In the mid-1970s, the oil crisis caused a surge in the price of petroleum derivatives, and the production of vinyl acetate from carbide reached its peak. In the wake of this economic situation, in 1974 the decision was made to expand the product range for more specialized applications by building the EVA plant in Villadossola for the production of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer emulsions. However, in the late 1970s, Montedison, as part of a rationalization of its operations, separated the hydroelectric power plant from the plant. At this point, Villadossola found itself having to purchase energy at near-market prices. From 1981 onwards, production gradually decreased, culminating in August 1983, with the plant definitive closure.
From Montedison to EniChem
Of the three original production groups (acetic acid, vinyl acetate, acetic anhydride), on 1st January 1984 only the production of polyvinyl acetate went on (approximately 30,000 t/y), the management of which was entrusted to a company called Vinavil S.p.A., controlled by the Montedison group. In 1985, resin production was increased, with the production of Porto Marghera, formerly Edison, also being transferred to Villadossola (approximately 15,000 t/y). In the same year, the Vinyl Acetate Ethylene (EVA) polymer plant was expanded, increasing nominal production from 12,000 to 20,000 t/y.
Total production increased to approximately 55,000 t/y. Polyvinyl acetate production was entrusted to a company called Vinavil S.p.A. In 1987, Vinavil S.p.A. was merged with Montedipe, which Montedison transferred to Enimont in 1989. In the following year, all chemical activities were transferred to EniChem, incorporated into the operating company EniChem Synthesis, together with the Ravenna unit, dedicated to similarproduction . The two production facilities in Villadossola and Ravenna, which until the previous year had operated in a conflicting manner on the market, were reunified. However, the plants were modest in size and lacked competitiveness in terms of production efficiency and product range. Furthermore, the Villadossola plant was in precarious maintenance conditions, so much so that EniChem wanted to close it in 1991. Only after intense political and union pressure it was decided to sell it.
Joining the Mapei Group 1994 – 2001
In July 1994, Mapei acquired the vinyl acetate resin production business from EniChem Synthesis, including the Villadossola and Ravenna plants. This changed the company’s strategies. The transaction allowed the company to strengthen chemical production at the two plants and consolidate the company’s extraordinary growth prospects. In the initial phase, attention was focused on renovating buildings and facilities, improving production efficiency and product quality, and enhancing resources.
One of the first initiatives undertaken by the Mapei Group in 1994 was to reopen the Research Center in Villadossola that Enichem had closed. This sector, which remains a flagship for the company, currently employs more than 30 people, representing 16% of the total workforce The Research and Development strategy is aimed at strengthening the presence in the historical sectors (binders for adhesives, paints, construction and textiles), at finding new application opportunities in sectors and markets adjacent to the traditional ones and at researching solutions capable of increasing the safety and reducing the environmental impact of its products and processes.
Furthermore, Mapei has always been a company oriented towards sustainability and therefore was already seeking to minimize the environmental impact of its production with a view to fully eco-compatible chemistry.
New investments and internationalization process
In 1997, several production lines were installed in Laval, Canada, and West Chicago, the United States. In August 2002, Vinavil Egypt was established in Egypt, marking the Mapei Group’s first expansion into the Middle East and Africa. The Egyptian plant is located in Attaqa, on the Suez Canal, conveniently positioned to serve customers in the southern Mediterranean and along the east coast of Africa, as well as the Middle East. In 2006, the plant’s capacity was increased by more than 50% with the construction and commissioning of a third reaction line and the expansion of services.
The present
Today, Vinavil is a growing company with over 450 employees, investing in R&D, and positioning itself as a leading global producer of acrylic and vinyl polymers, expanding its global production capacity from 10,000 tons to 500,000 tons. The Milan headquarters coordinates three Research and Development centers and operational offices in Italy, Canada, the United States, and Egypt.
