Decommissioned After Almost 50 Years: The F3 Continuous Machine of the Fedrigoni Group. 174 Employees in Extraordinary Unemployment Benefits

by Marco Arezio

The town of Fabriano experienced a historic and painful moment with the definitive shutdown of the F3 continuous machine, the beating heart of the Fedrigoni Group's Vetralla plant. This machine, active since 1976, represented for nearly half a century a symbol of Italian excellence in office paper production, especially the renowned Fabriano Copy 2. At 8:07 a.m. yesterday, its halt marked the end of an era.

An Emotional Farewell

Valerio Monti, an employee and Uilcom union representative, described a deeply emotional moment: "Many of us were in tears. It was a difficult farewell." The decommissioning of the F3 machine is part of a broader corporate restructuring plan by the Fedrigoni Group, which has decided to shut down the activities of Giano Srl, the company responsible for office paper production. This decision will directly impact 174 employees across the Fabriano and Vetralla plants, who are now in extraordinary unemployment benefits for one year.

Relocation Prospects

To mitigate the effects of the shutdown, the company has implemented a relocation plan. The opportunities offered include:

31 positions in Fabriano's internal services.

48 positions in the security sector.

10 positions in the Fabriano Colors department at the Rocchetta site.

16 positions in other plants within the Marche region.

Additionally, thanks to early retirements planned for 2025, the company estimates the availability of about 55 positions in its northern Italy plants, located in Trentino, Friuli, and Veneto. To facilitate this transition, economic incentives and benefits are offered for the first two years.

A training and requalification program, supported by regional funding, will help workers prepare for new roles, aiming to alleviate the uncertainty of the future.

The End of a Symbol

The F3 continuous machine was a source of pride for Fabriano, representing the heart of its industrial identity. Never ceasing operation in nearly 50 years, it embodied excellence and innovation in the paper industry. With its shutdown, the production of the famous Fabriano Copy 2 photocopy paper also comes to an end, a product that had cemented the brand's international reputation.

"Fabriano no longer produces photocopy paper," Monti stated, underscoring the profound significance of this loss for the local community. The closure of the F3 is not just an industrial event: it is a blow to the heart of a town that has made paper its identity.

A Future to Reinvent

As workers face an uncertain future, the entire Fabriano community questions how to reinvent itself. The shutdown of the F3 does not erase the wealth of skills and expertise accumulated over time, but it demands reflection on how to preserve Fabriano’s legacy as a symbol of Italian excellence in the paper industry.

© All Rights Reserved