A strategic sector between transformation and new challenges
In recent years, the paper market in Italy has undergone profound change, balancing the strength of its long manufacturing tradition with new environmental and economic demands. With over 8 million tons of paper produced every year and €8.3 billion in revenue (Assocarta, 2024), Italy’s paper industry remains among the top in Europe — driven primarily by the tissue and packaging segments, boosted by the growth of e-commerce and policies aimed at reducing single-use plastics.
From an environmental standpoint, the sector has also consolidated its leadership position: over 60% of production now comes from recycled fibers, and many paper mills operate according to increasingly circular models. These include reduced water consumption, waste-recovery optimization, and improved energy efficiency through cogeneration, heat-recovery systems, and renewable sources. It is an approach that combines sustainability and innovation, lowering environmental impact without compromising quality or competitiveness.
However, in such a fast-evolving and competitive context, workplace safety cannot be overlooked. Given the number of incidents that still occur, protecting workers is no longer just a regulatory requirement — it is a strategic investment that ensures operational continuity, process quality, and the safeguarding of valuable human capital.
Paper mills are complex industrial environments. Every day, large rolls and bulky loads are handled by forklifts and overhead cranes or stacked in warehouses, creating tight corridors, high-traffic zones, and areas with reduced visibility. It is no surprise that a significant share of workplace accidents in the sector involves collisions, crush injuries, and interference between people, vehicles, and oversized loads.
The latest INAIL data highlights the urgency of strengthening prevention systems: in 2024, the “Manufacture of paper and paper products” sector recorded 1,725 injury claims, including one fatal case. These numbers may seem small when viewed in isolation, but in a modern and technologically advanced society, they should no longer exist. Every accident is a warning sign — a reminder of the need to further enhance preventive measures.
If the paper industry excels economically and environmentally, sustainability today requires going a step further: placing worker protection at the center of competitiveness. Safer paper mills are more productive, more resilient, and more attractive: they reduce downtime, retain know-how, strengthen reputation, and respond to increasing market and stakeholder expectations around social responsibility.
This is where AME plays a crucial role.
AMESPHERE: Technologies That Prevent Risk — Not Just Manage It
Since 1999, AME has been developing technologies that enhance safety and efficiency in industrial environments without slowing productivity. The mission is clear: go beyond risk management and intervene before risks become incidents.
This vision gave rise to AMESPHERE, an ecosystem that integrates hardware devices and software into a single platform, connecting people, vehicles, and operational areas. The result: real accident prevention and measurable process efficiency.
Advanced hardware for real-time field intervention
Active TAGs, AI cameras, onboard tablets, and key-sensors work together to:
• detect people and vehicles
• measure distance, direction, and speed
• calculate the actual risk level of each interaction
• communicate in real time with operators and vehicles
These devices enable immediate actions such as tailored alerts and automatic vehicle slowdowns during roll handling. In short, they turn prevention into a continuous, on-site process.
Objective data for strategic decisions
Beyond real-time field interventions, all collected data is sent to the cloud, processed by the platform, and transformed into strategic insights. Through intuitive dashboards and clear reports, managers can monitor operations and make genuinely data-driven decisions to:
• optimize logistics layouts
• improve traffic managment
• reduce operational risk
• increase plant efficiency
Today, more than 120 paper mills across Europe, North and South America, and Australia rely on AME to improve safety and productivity — not theory, but proven results.
AME Solutions for the Paper Industry
Paper mills are dynamic, complex environments: heavy rolls lifted by clamp forklifts, narrow aisles with poor visibility, moving overhead cranes, operators on foot, and external suppliers unfamiliar with internal logistics. AMESPHERE enhances safety across all these scenarios, without slowing operations.
1) Vehicle-to-operator and vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance solution:
The system detects people and vehicles in motion, calculates real risk levels, and provides immediate alerts. Collisions involving forklifts, vehicles, or cranes are prevented even in low-visibility or high-risk maneuvers, thanks to automatic slowdowns and real-time warnings.
2) Customized safe areas:
AMESPHERE allows the creation of virtual “safe zones,” tailored based on plant layout and local traffic. Within these zones, the system automatically adjusts speed, priority, and vehicle behavior — ensuring that forklifts slow down only when necessary and resume normal performance as soon as they exit. Safety stays high, productivity stays intact.
3) External operators protection:
External workers such as drivers, suppliers, and maintenance technicians can operate safely too. Through active TAGs, AMESPHERE makes them immediately visible to all moving vehicles, ensuring continuous protection even in the busiest areas of the facility. This reduces the risk of unexpected interactions and guarantees safe access for anyone entering the site.
4) Advanced access control:
The system monitors who enters sensitive areas, where they are, and what is happening. Permissions for people and vehicles can be managed via RFID, UHF, biometrics, or license-plate recognition. Unauthorized access triggers immediate alerts, enabling rapid intervention.
But AMESPHERE is not only about safety: it is also a powerful tool for operational efficiency. By monitoring forklift and industrial vehicle usage, performance, and behavior in real time, it enables true data-driven fleet management. Flow analysis, automatic slowdowns, and intelligent zones reduce idle times, inefficient routes, and equipment wear. The result is a smoother, safer, more efficient plant.
Why Customers Choose AMESPHERE
Paper mills that implement AMESPHERE consistently highlight four key advantages:
- Complete adaptability – The system adjusts to any facility and vehicle type.
- Real risk assessment – More than alerts: AMESPHERE quantifies the actual risk of every event, providing objective data for decision-making.
- Ease of installation and use – Fast setup, intuitive interfaces, seamless integration into daily operations.
- Continuous support – Training, installation, assistance, updates: not just a supplier, but an effective partner.
A testimonial from Alberto Cinelli, Corporate Spare Parts Optimisation & CNV Machinery Director at Sofidel S.p.A — a company that adopted AMESPHERE across all Italian sites — highlights our system’s real value:
“At first there was some skepticism, as with any innovation, but once the benefits were clear, the system was welcomed positively. Today our operators consider it essential for safety: blind spots no longer exist, and everyone feels more protected.”
Conclusion
With AMESPHERE, safety, efficiency, and intelligent flow management become concrete and integrated pillars of every paper mill. This is not only about preventing accidents — it is about creating safer, more productive, and more resilient workplaces where people, vehicles, and operations coexist in harmony. Through advanced technology, real-time interventions, and actionable data, AME supports the paper industry on its path toward a sustainable, modern, and competitive future, where human capital protection truly lies at the core of industrial strategy.
As Steff Williams, H&S Manager at Sonoco, said talking about AME:
“When I see solutions like this that provide so much proactive information, my only question is: why wouldn’t you invest in it? I would much rather spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a system that prevents accidents than have to see someone breaking a leg or worse. The technology is out there—it gives you all the insights proactively, instead of responding too late.”
