Supporting Ferrero Packaging: A Decade-Long Energy-Saving Journey with Italy’s Sunino Group

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Customer: Sunino Group

Founded: 1950

Production Profile: The Plastic Legno facility at the Italian headquarters covers 25,000 m², with a total group area of 60,000 m². Sunino operates 10 factories worldwide, producing 2 billion pieces of food packaging annually.

End Customers: Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Lindt, TicTac, and more

Introduction

With high-efficiency electric injection molding solutions tailored for packaging applications, Tederic successfully enabled Sunino’s headquarters to replace imported top-tier equipment with Chinese machines. In 2025, Sunino once again selected Tederic for its expansion in Asia-Pacific, marking the tenth year of cooperation between the two companies.

01 When a long-established Factory Faces the Dual Pressure of Energy Use and Output

Since its founding in Castellamonte, Italy in 1950, Sunino Group has built a global manufacturing network of 10 plants. Its Plastic Legno factory—dedicated to food packaging—covers 25,000 m² and produces around 2 billion units annually for brands including Ferrero, Nutella, SCHLEICH, and Sterilgarda, while maintaining strong operations in Romania, Hungary, Moldova, India, and Hong Kong.

Inside the Plastic Legno production factory, the rhythm is nonstop: the low hum of injection molding machines, counters flashing on the control panels, and finished packaging constantly stacking on conveyor belts. Behind such high throughput lies a growing demand for “lower energy consumption, higher reliability, and faster local service”—precisely the challenges Sunino faced.

Although long reliant on European top-tier injection molding equipment, Sunino increasingly encountered high operating costs and slow service response, particularly in energy control and maintenance. For packaging lines running 24/7, reducing energy consumption without compromising quality—and ensuring timely service support—had become an urgent operational imperative.

02 Breaking the Energy Bottleneck: How Tederic Replaced European Equipment

Trust often begins with a small step. Ten years ago, Sunino’s Romania plant introduced its first Tederic Dream series machine. The customized service and fast local response left a strong impression. Later, when the Italian headquarters needed new injection molding equipment, Sunino confidently chose Tederic—becoming the first Chinese brand to enter its molding workshop.

To meet the customer’s requirements for high shot volume, low energy consumption, and fast cycle times, Tederic provided the NEO·E electric injection molding machines along with a tailored solution focused on energy efficiency and precision control. Embedded within the system are several “energy-saving genes”:

  • Twin-screw injection drive + screw cooling system: Optimizes drive response and temperature rise control, ensuring repeatability and long-term stability.
  • Energy recovery system: Recovers regenerative energy during acceleration and deceleration, reducing peak and average power consumption.
  • Low-friction transmission & lightweight design: Linear guides and lightweight components reduce inertia and mechanical losses for higher efficiency.
  • Advanced Decompression Technology (ADT): Reduces clamping force after injection, optimizing machine load, shortening each cycle by 0.2 seconds, and extending machine life.
  • Smart energy management system: Real-time energy monitoring and analytics support decision-making for production and energy optimization.

03 Tangible Energy Savings, Calculated Trust

In actual performance tests at the Plastic Legno plant, the NEO·E machines exceeded customer expectations thanks to these design and control strategies. As the company’s purchasing manager noted:
“After the first few months of operation, all functions have been validated. From a cost-performance and energy-efficiency perspective, our goals have already been fully achieved.”

An example of an 850 tons NEO E. The data speaks for itself:

  • Average power consumption: ~26 kWh/h
  • Dry cycle time: ~3 seconds
  • Total cycle time: 7 seconds (on par with imported machines)
  • Energy consumption: About 50% lower than comparable imported models

What does this mean in real terms?
Each machine saves approximately 576 kWh per day—equivalent to €103.68 per day (≈ RMB 852).

According to Euromap 60.1, the machine meets the highest 9+ energy efficiency rating.

Plastic Legno Sales Manager Marco Cilardino commented:
“Tederic’s machines run smoothly with excellent consistency. The energy-consumption results are impressive—they truly save us money, and in a sense, help us make money.”

Excellent performance and responsive service have built long-term trust. In 2025, Sunino again ordered NEO·E electric machines from Tederic for the expansion of its Asia-Pacific facility—signifying a deeper, more strategic partnership.

A decade of cooperation began with a single machine and strengthened through shared trust. Through continuous innovation and dedicated local service, Tederic has become a successful model of “Chinese alternatives to imported equipment” at Sunino.

Looking ahead, Tederic will continue to focus on energy optimization, intelligent control, and responsive service—providing high-efficiency, one-stop injection molding solutions for global packaging manufacturers, helping them move further and more steadily toward sustainable, green production.