Gambini has a major project for 2026: consolidating its presence in two different but equally challenging territories — Brazil and North America — two markets that Gambini’s technology can address by tailoring solutions to each specific need.
At the end of 2025, the first AirMill installation was completed in Brazil, at Damapel, marking the milestone of the first Gambini machine built at the Joinville facility, outside of its historic Lucca headquarters. This dynamic writes new rules for a historically monopolistic market; with the opening of the South American subsidiary in 2024, the region can finally count on an industrial alternative.
A parallel and equally important project is the consolidation of the North American market through customized solutions. North America is already a well-established market for Gambini, thanks to its Green Bay (Wisconsin) facility, opened in 2017 and now led by a new Managing Director, Gianni Gambini.
While the Brazilian offering requires local production, due to economic sustainability and to meet the needs of the local market, in the United States the presence of a large spare parts warehouse and qualified technicians meets industry demands. In a market where efficiency is everything, timely assistance and rapid spare parts supply are what make Gambini America competitive.
This pursuit of absolute efficiency is largely linked to the 40% share of finished products made with TAD. TAD rolls, as is the case with other hybrid papers, require frequent jumbo roll changes and equipment capable of preserving the intrinsic characteristics of the raw material.
For this reason, Gambini’s R&D department has developed innovative automatic unwinders specifically designed for use with non-conventional papers, which are shorter and therefore subject to frequent changeovers. Central unwinding also eliminates the problem of the paper being marked by unwinding belts, and the proven ATS (Any Time Splicing) system ensures easy roll changes without having to stop the line. Moreover, the innovative loading bay allows completely safe operation without the use of an overhead crane and can be further automated with the use of AGV/LGV shuttles.
In addition, several years ago Gambini developed G1, the first rewinder on the market specifically designed for hybrid papers. It ensures uniform winding from the first to the last sheet, maintaining the bulk generated in the previous phases of the process. This is made possible by the innovative synchronized movement of the winding rolls and rider roll, combined with the typical Gambini rewinding system, always ensuring maximum ease of use for operators.
The need to design this rewinder dates back to 2018, when Gambini introduced wet embossing into the converting process for the first time using the AirMill. This process transforms conventional LDC paper into textured paper with characteristics similar to hybrid/TAD paper, improving its basic specifications as well as its appearance. This is made possible by combining the power of water (wet end) with that of heat (dry end), as happens inside a paper mill.
All this has allowed Gambini to develop several finished products over the years, enabling customers to stand out in their target markets and create previously unseen product categories, as in the case of C-TAD, or to improve TAD products, as with Deco Booster.
C-TAD, or Comparable TAD, is conventional tissue treated to achieve strength and texture characteristics similar to TAD tissue, while also significantly improving absorbency compared to conventional products.
Gambini has proposed several versions of Concept Rolls, useful for demonstrating the improved applicability of the AirMill to products already on the shelves. Among these is Deco Booster, developed specifically for structured papers like TAD, which allows unprecedented embossing definition and increased softness.
Whether you’re a TAD producer looking to improve your product or an LDC producer aiming for Comparable TAD, Gambini has the technology to support you with highly efficient and user-friendly lines, offering the right balance between operational ease and automation.
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