What is ANTIM

ANTIM, the National Association of Milling Industry Technicians, celebrated its 30th birthday at the end of 2020 (it was born in 1990). The Association, which on its foundation had about 15 members, today boasts over 130 members, and the lists of its members include figures such as miller foremen, flour milling business owners, plant testers, quality control managers, students of sector schools, managers of leading manufacturers in the industry, and representatives of machinery construction companies.

ANTIM operates throughout Italy and includes the following bodies:

• The Assembly

• The President

• The Executive Board

• The Treasurer

• The Secretary

• The Vice President

The Assembly consists of:

1) Ordinary Members including head millers from all over Italy, company owners, milling plant testers, laboratory and quality control managers and managers of leading manufacturers in the industry.

2) Honorary Members, including the Director of the Grain Farming Institute, the Director of the Grain Department (Istituto Superiore di Sanità).

3) Supporting Members, all companies producing technology for the milling sector and several milling companies.

The Association now

The President chairs the Board of Directors and the Assemblies and he is their legal representative. The current President is Lorenzo Cavalli. The Executive Board is composed as

by Editorial Staff

follows: the President, the Vice President (Massimo Zorzetto), the Treasurer (Gerardo Calvello), the Secretary (Radamez Gobbo) and three Board members (Gianluca Allodi, Mauro Caputo and Luigi Seragni). An Association that is therefore able to rely on the acknowledged skill of leading professionals operating in and for the Italian milling sector. These years of activity of ANTIM have featured a number of events of a strictly technical nature, often hosted by the main national milling concerns as well as by leading manufacturers who have opened their gates to ANTIM members on several occasions. These events are able to attract not just ANTIM members

Plants for handling and storing fragile granular products for food and non-food industries.

• PASTA AND PET-FOOD STORAGE SYSTEMS

• STORAGE OF PASTA NESTS

• BUCKET ELEVATORS

• BELT CONVEYORS

• VIBRATING SIEVES FOR PASTA AND PET-FOOD

• CHAIN CONVEYORS

• SPIRAL DESCENDERS

• VIBRATING EXTRACTORS but also all those who are interested in the topics dealt with from time to time, issues that are always of great significance and timeliness.

OUR SYSTEMS ARE WORKING IN OVER 85 COUNTRIES, WITH MORE THAN 22 000 MACHINES AND 2 500 SILO BINS. EVERY YEAR WE STORE AND MOVE 30% OF THE WORLD’S SHORT-CUT PASTA PRODUCTION.

Lorenzo Cavalli, production manager at Molini Valente, has been at the helm of ANTIM since January 2015 as its President. We have met up with him to ask him a few questions.

Mr. Cavalli, you are faced with a demanding term as President of ANTIM. Where are you going to start from?

«I believe I should start from the Association’s mission, that is, giving to all millers an opportunity to gather, get to know one another, exchange information and experience. And also, raise awareness on our work and, in a certain sense, “be a school”. I would like all colleagues to feel at ease, turning conventions into an opportunity to ask questions and above all, to receive answers. My experience shows that the most interesting queries are often put at coffee breaks rather than during the lectures. The Association’s mission is to create a climate of friendship and cooperation».

What are your objectives to be achieved at ANTIM within 2023? «What is lacking is a generational turnover for technicians; this issue had been around for many years without reaching any conclusion. Finally, as of this year, in collaboration with Italmopa, ANTIM has launched a training course for milling industry technicians, which will train young people in the various tasks of the milling industry. The course will last one year and is organised in collaboration with the Cisita Parma training centre and the University of Parma, where the teachers come from. The course will cover all topics of interest to the milling industry, i.e. commodity science, laboratory, milling, the use of flour or semolina, breadmaking, etc. It required a big effort in terms of organization; however, by persevering we reached our goal. My invitation goes out to all the people who are looking at this fascinating job: join us, because you will have to carry on a key work for the Italian industry».

The Italian milling industry is undoubtedly synonymous with excellence for its ability to produce infinite types of very high quality flours. What is the secret of this success?

«The Italian milling tradition is very old and owes much of its success and excellence to flour product producers. Let me explain: pasta and bakery industries in Italy are the best in the world and they have always asked for outstanding products. Millers have always had to be up to their standards by being perfectly prepared, always up-to-date and able to suggest new products to anticipate and address market needs. In short, as we all known, Italian food is synonymous with excellence and variety: to meet such high demands, we need to set our work to excellence».

Do your projects also include consolidation with an international outlook?

«Yes, I would like to build relationships with other trade associations from other countries to give members the opportunity to exchange technical information... I hope it will be possible to organise a joint conference with other trade associations in the future as it was the case in Italy by joining forces with the Italmopa Youth Association or the National Association of Maintenance Workers, etc.».