COMAS, a global leading supplier of primary solutions and processing equipment for the food, cosmetic, tobacco and energy storage industries and part of the Coesia Group, has recently acquired SAM EUROPE, a prominent player in the design and manufacturing of equipment for the converting and printing industry, including innovative solutions for energy storage systems. In this exclusive interview, we spoke with Massimo Bernardelli, Head of the Converting Business, about the background of the acquisition and what lies ahead.
Mr Bernardelli, please introduce us to Comas!
Massimo Bernardelli: COMAS has been a leading manufacturer of primary plants for the tobacco and other industries for over 50 years. In fact, the company’s 50th anniversary took place just before we joined the Group. As part of the Coesia Group, COMAS began exploring diversification opportunities – leading to the involvement of SAM Europe. Our initial discussions centred on an energy storage project. Today, Coesia offers comprehensive equipment packages for the battery industry: from mixing, coating and drying to slitting, cell assembly, cell finishing and end-to-end factory automation.
The Group has a clear ambition: to become a European leader in energy storage. That initial project opened the door to broader discussions with COMAS and Coesia. We quickly realised that beyond energy storage, there were significant opportunities in the converting industry – which, in the long term, could prove even more promising for us.
Can you share more about the acquisition of SAM Europe?
M. Bernardelli: The acquisition included the intellectual property, brand, and logo of SAM Europe. Importantly, all of our experienced engineers and skilled workers also joined the new organisation. As a result, SAM Europe no longer exists as a legal entity, but its expertise and identity live on within COMAS and the Coesia Group.
How will your customers benefit from this merger?
M. Bernardelli: Let me start with some context. Coesia is a global industrial group with 20 companies, more than 8,000 employees, and an annual turnover above €2 billion. Compared to our former owners at SAM Korea, we are now part of a much larger and financially stronger organisation. This brings several benefits to our customers: access to multiple R&D centres, consistent reinvestment into innovation, and cutting-edge technology development. Notably, Coesia held the highest number of patents of any Italian company in both 2023 and 2024. Within COMAS specifically, we continue to invest heavily in R&D and new technologies.
With a global after-sales network spanning more than 36 countries – including subsidiaries in the US, Asia, and South America – we offer an extensive service programme ranging from component upgrades and equipment overhauls to training and support. These services are designed to complement our technical capabilities and foster a dedicated journey of cooperation with our customers. The merger strengthens our engineering capabilities, further boosting the reliability and performance of our systems. It’s worth noting that COMAS already had a background in converting through its dryer technologies for the tobacco industry – so this expertise is not entirely new. Ultimately, our strength lies in listening to our customers and developing solutions that meet their real needs.
Which markets are you currently focusing on?
M. Bernardelli: The company’s strategic priority is the battery and energy storage market. In addition, we’re heavily involved in solution coating and specialty printing, and we also offer tailor-made machinery for extrusion coating. The battery market is progressing, though at a relatively slow pace – currently growing faster in the USA than in Europe. In solution coating, we’ve already seen very positive results since the acquisition, including several new orders and encouraging feedback from customers who value our decades of experience – over 35 years in the converting industry.
As for extrusion coating, there is some movement, but usually, we observe a complementary dynamic: when solution coating is strong, extrusion coating tends to be weaker, and vice versa. At present, the trend clearly favours solution coating.
What were your impressions of the latest ICE Europe – and how did customers react to the merger?
M. Bernardelli: The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Customers were pleased to see a new player entering the market with the backing of a strong, capable organisation. They appreciate the enhanced service, support, and engineering innovation we now offer. ICE Europe itself was significantly better than the 2022 and 2023 editions. We received numerous serious inquiries with strong potential to turn into concrete projects.
Given current global challenges and geopolitical shifts, how is COMAS positioning itself for the future?
M. Bernardelli: The geopolitical climate is indeed unstable. However, our global footprint allows us to be flexible. For example, in response to US tariffs, we can manufacture equipment locally, reducing the impact on our customers. That’s one of the advantages of being part of a large group.
We pursue a dual objective: personally, I strive to uphold our standing as a trusted provider of high-quality, high-performance machinery. Strategically, our broader ambition is to position COMAS as a global benchmark among machinery suppliers. In times of uncertainty, our strength lies in our adaptability. Investing in a coating line is a major financial decision – usually in the multi-million-euro range. That’s why we also offer smaller-scale solutions, such as retrofits or upgrades to existing systems. We provide customers with transparent data on cost vs. efficiency gains and help them assess the value
of new investments versus retrofits. COMAS has long experience with this approach and now brings it into the converting sector.
Furthermore, being part of Coesia opens up significant cross-selling opportunities. While converting is our core focus, we collaborate with other Group companies on related solutions in logistics and flexible packaging – areas that are highly relevant for our customers. Together, we can offer complete, integrated solutions.