Design furniture from industrial waste. Tecnomodel also involved in the project
€4.1 million program.
Two women hired in the production area at the Barbata
company CEO Tebaldini: “I couldn’t have made a better choice”
Two women hired in the production area at the Barbata
company CEO Tebaldini: “I couldn’t have made a better choice”
Giving new life to waste from complex manufacturing processes by recycling materials to create new objects—possibly even design pieces such as lamps and seating. This is the goal of the “FT2T” project, an acronym for “From Trash to Treasure,” which is being developed by a group of four Lombardy-based entities, including Tecnomodel from Barbata.
“The objective is to recover a composite waste material that is currently considered non-recyclable, transforming it into a certified green material to be used for new creations,” explains Gianluca Tebaldini, CEO of Tecnomodel. Overall, the project—aimed at developing a replicable model—is worth €4.1 million and has received €2.2 million in funding from the Lombardy Region through the “Collabora & Innova” call.
Leading the consortium is the Milan-based design studio Slide. The working group also includes another Milan company, Krill, specialized in 3D printing, as well as the Politecnico di Milano, which will be responsible for certifying the new materials and defining their mechanical and environmental properties. “We will take care of mold development,” explains Tebaldini, noting that the new material will require the use of rotational molding technology, which “involves a significant manual and artisanal component.”
The Bergamo-based company joined the project building on an existing collaboration with lead partner Slide and on its experience in the sector, with applications across diverse fields. “We started as a traditional pattern-making company for foundries, but over the past twenty years we have specialized in prototypes for small production runs and in specific market niches,” says the CEO. Among these are automotive projects, particularly for industrial vehicles—a market maintained thanks to “direct relationships with manufacturers, with whom we co-design molds,” Tebaldini adds.
In addition to its specialization, Tecnomodel has grown in both workforce and revenue—exceeding €10 million in 2025, up from €8.5 million in 2024—also thanks to its ability to build a small industrial group. In 2016, the company acquired control of Benedetti Meccanica in Concesio, and in 2022 it founded the newco Eidocast through a joint venture with the Bologna-based foundry Sa&Bar.
The workforce at the Barbata headquarters has grown from an initial 10 employees to around 30, with a notable detail highlighted by Tebaldini: “Recently, I hired two women in the production area. The younger is 25 and is in charge of the metrology department; the other is 30 and oversees production management—and I couldn’t have made a better choice.” “The mechanical sector is certainly still male-dominated, but women can bring significant value in terms of quality,” concludes the CEO.
“The objective is to recover a composite waste material that is currently considered non-recyclable, transforming it into a certified green material to be used for new creations,” explains Gianluca Tebaldini, CEO of Tecnomodel. Overall, the project—aimed at developing a replicable model—is worth €4.1 million and has received €2.2 million in funding from the Lombardy Region through the “Collabora & Innova” call.
Leading the consortium is the Milan-based design studio Slide. The working group also includes another Milan company, Krill, specialized in 3D printing, as well as the Politecnico di Milano, which will be responsible for certifying the new materials and defining their mechanical and environmental properties. “We will take care of mold development,” explains Tebaldini, noting that the new material will require the use of rotational molding technology, which “involves a significant manual and artisanal component.”
The Bergamo-based company joined the project building on an existing collaboration with lead partner Slide and on its experience in the sector, with applications across diverse fields. “We started as a traditional pattern-making company for foundries, but over the past twenty years we have specialized in prototypes for small production runs and in specific market niches,” says the CEO. Among these are automotive projects, particularly for industrial vehicles—a market maintained thanks to “direct relationships with manufacturers, with whom we co-design molds,” Tebaldini adds.
In addition to its specialization, Tecnomodel has grown in both workforce and revenue—exceeding €10 million in 2025, up from €8.5 million in 2024—also thanks to its ability to build a small industrial group. In 2016, the company acquired control of Benedetti Meccanica in Concesio, and in 2022 it founded the newco Eidocast through a joint venture with the Bologna-based foundry Sa&Bar.
The workforce at the Barbata headquarters has grown from an initial 10 employees to around 30, with a notable detail highlighted by Tebaldini: “Recently, I hired two women in the production area. The younger is 25 and is in charge of the metrology department; the other is 30 and oversees production management—and I couldn’t have made a better choice.” “The mechanical sector is certainly still male-dominated, but women can bring significant value in terms of quality,” concludes the CEO.
