Three fundamental
principles form the basis for the international success of Lanificio Luigi Colombo SpA, as
one of the most renowned weavers of cashmere fabrics anywhere in the world:
• An extensive commitment to the careful selection and rigorous testing of the
best raw materials. The company’s own testing laboratory,
equipped with modern testing instrumentation, sets the highest
standards and only the absolutely best quality raw material
is approved for subsequent manufacturing.
• The quality consciousness, ability and professional knowhow of a very young
and motivated group of employees are encouraged to continually improve by means of ongoing
training programs.
• State-of-the-art machinery and modern technology enable the employees to
transfer their ability and professional knowhow to the product – a product that
ultimately satisfies the highest demands of customers worldwide. Processing the
finest and very exclusive yarns requires the most careful handling by the filling
insertion system on the weaving machine. And these yarns are not only cashmere, but also
include alpaca, angora wool, mohair, camelhair, guanaco and cashgora. The breaking
strength of very fine and delicate yarns such as cashmere up to a count of Nm 70/2 and
virgin wool with a count of Nm 60/1, in some cases can be lower than 5RKM.
The technology of the weaving machine
The DORNIER Rapier Weaving Machine, with positive filling transfer in the center of the
shed, the limited overstroke of the rapier and the extremely low speed of the rapier
during pick up of the filling, meets the requirements determined by the characteristics of
the yarns themselves. The high degree of versatility necessary to weave this exceptional
range of yarns, and a large variety of patterns utilizing a wide range of weave
constructions, are also well taken care of by this weaving system.
According to Mr. Marco Goldin, Technical
Manager of the company, the most significant development in weaving machine technology
during the last 10 years is the new DORNIER leno device, EcoLeno® (see page 5). The
advantages are decisive for a weaver of expensive yarns, such as Lanificio Luigi Colombo
SpA. As a result of the deployment of this double-disc leno device, patented by DORNIER, a
certain amount of the very expensive yarn can be saved. And thanks to the elimination of
the catch selvedges and the use of a leno yarn made from one component fiber, the amount
of filling waste still remaining can be recycled (leno and filling yarn composed of the
same fiber).
The stress exerted on the warp ends in the vicinity of the cloth selvedges during the
weaving process is considerably reduced. This results in a reduction in warp stops during
the weaving process, thus also reducing weaver workload.
Sufficient reasons for our customer to invest in 26 new DORNIER rapier weaving machines,
type HTVS 8/S this year, subsequent to a series of orders placed during the period 1973
through 1996.
The history of the company
The history of Lanificio Luigi Colombo SpA is a history of success characterized by a
dynamic and courageous entrepreneurship.
At the end of the 60’s the founder of the company, Mr. Luigi Colombo, decided to
branch out on his own to develop his own new ideas based on many years of experience he
had gained with a leading weaver of wool fabrics.
 In a very short time double-face fabrics of the highest quality
caught the attention of famous fashion houses such as Giorgio Armani, Mila Schön,
Valentino, Christian Dior, Hermès, Gian Franco Ferré, Prada, Gianni Versace, Escada and
Jil Sander, to name a few. And Luigi Colombo rapidly gained the reputation of being very
avant garde and creative among the leading wool weavers.
At the end of the 70’s the three sons of the founder, Giancarlo, Roberto and Paolo,
joined the company. The sons quickly assumed important strategic positions in the company.
Giancarlo took over the responsibility in manufacturing, Paolo became CFO and Roberto as
CEO was in charge of marketing.
Today the company is a vertical operation, covering combing, spinning, preparation,
weaving, dyeing and finishing, with some 220 employees.
Of the one million meters of fabric produced last year, about 70% was cashmere and this
means that 220 tons of raw cashmere was processed. Both the development and the success of
Luigi Colombo are considerable. In 1997 gross sales reached Lit.75 billion with exports
accounting for 60% of this total. During the current year, Lit.20 billion are being
invested in the construction of a new 17,500 m2 facility in Borgosesia.
A company on such a high road to success with a lot of innovative ideas has earned
international recognition. Membership in the Club Europe’s 500, a prize awarded by
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International, and also from the European for Management
Development, and a finalist as "Company of the Year" from Ernst and Young are
testimony to this recognition.
New Products
First and foremost it is the products themselves that have earned distinction. New
developments such as the pure cashmere fabric "Summer Flow", an extremely
lightweight fabric with a yarn count of Nm 70/2, the "Super 150 Flynder" style
with a wool fiber fineness of 15.5 microns, or "Natural Comfort" containing high
twist wool yarns that give the fabric stretch characteristics as if it contained an
elastomeric yarn. These are examples of ability and technological skill that cannot be
imitated, thus also securing success in the future for Lanificio Luigi Colombo SpA. |
