Battery Council International (BCI) has awarded Francesco Marfisi, Technical Sales Director at CAM S.r.l., the prestigious 2026 NextGen Leadership Award.

Presented by BCI in partnership with BEST Magazine, this global accolade honors professionals who are driving technological advancement, process efficiency, and sustainability across the battery manufacturing sector.

Process Engineering and Technical Leadership

Holding a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and licensed as a Chartered Professional Engineer, Francesco Marfisi has focused his technical and industrial career on automation and process optimization for lead oxide production, beginning with the development of automated, closed-loop measurement and feedback systems for industrial ball mills.

For the past 15 years, Marfisi has spearheaded international commercial strategy and plant engineering at CAM S.r.l. His methodology turns physical, thermal, and chemical constraints into strictly controlled process parameters—delivering operational continuity, zero downtime risk, and measurable ROI for leading automotive and industrial battery manufacturers worldwide.

Breakthrough Technologies Driving the Transition: Fasmelt and Lead Shaver

The official award citation highlights the measurable market impact delivered by CAM through two proprietary technologies:

• Fasmelt: The industry’s first industrial furnace engineered specifically for melting lead via magnetic induction, designed to maximize thermal efficiency, eliminate fossil fuel combustion, and significantly slash the carbon footprint of foundry operations.

• Lead Shaver (LSS): A breakthrough cold-mechanical shaving system that produces calibrated lead cylinders for ball mills without any thermal melting cycle. By operating 100% fusion-free and gas-free, it completely eliminates dross formation, cuts Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and reduces raw material preparation energy requirements by up to 90%.

These systems seamlessly integrate into CAM’s core plant ecosystem, including the MOP series ball mills (engineered for high-yield, stable lead oxide production) and Steam Cure curing chambers.

A Long-Term Vision for Industrial Manufacturing

“This recognition from Battery Council International validates the rigor of our engineering-first philosophy,” stated Francesco Marfisi. “In heavy industry, there is no room for guesswork: genuine sustainability is never a marketing slogan; it is the direct outcome of process optimization, thermal efficiency, and the complete elimination of operational risk. This milestone reflects the expertise and relentless dedication of the entire CAM team, committed daily to delivering turnkey plants that ensure long-term profitability and reliability for our global partners.”

This award coincides with CAM S.r.l.’s continued active presence across major global industry forums, reinforcing the company’s position as an international benchmark for lead oxide technology and heavy-duty battery manufacturing equipment.

Driving the Evolution of Lead Battery Manufacturing for Over 20 Years

The countdown to the European Lead Battery Conference (ELBC 2026) in Vienna has officially begun. For over two decades, this landmark event has represented a tradition of excellence and continuous innovation for CAM SRL.

Over the past 20 years of consecutive attendance, I have witnessed the global market transform, regulations tighten, and engineering challenges grow increasingly complex. Yet, one thing remains unchanged: my absolute commitment to protecting and accelerating the competitive advantage of our manufacturing partners.

Honoring Our Legacy, Engineering the Future

ELBC is far more than an industry showcase. It is a dedicated space to reconnect with our long-standing clients—companies we have partnered with for decades, who have built their operational efficiency upon CAM’s heavy-duty infrastructure. Their enduring trust is the ultimate proof that investing in CAM technology is a long-term asset that consistently yields superior returns.

Simultaneously, I look forward to engaging with plant managers and technical directors who are actively seeking concrete, data-driven solutions to enhance battery performance and optimize their plant’s Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). My objective is not to sell equipment, but to analyze your specific manufacturing bottlenecks and determine exactly how CAM’s high-tier equipment can elevate your production standards.

The Breakthrough: “The Cold Circularity Paradigm”

This year, however, marks a profound shift. The global industry demands genuine sustainability, drastic Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reduction, and energy independence.

For this reason, I officially invite all forward-thinking managers to join me in Vienna to discover a disruptive technology designed to take your production to the next level: The Cold Circularity Paradigm.

We are introducing a flawless, closed-loop system engineered to completely eliminate the heavy costs, logistics, and emissions associated with thermal smelting:

• Immediate Recovery: The system captures pure lead scrap directly from the cutting lines.

• Cold Regeneration: Bypassing the furnace entirely, it instantly regenerates high-purity lead ingots.

• The Perfect Loop: These ingots are immediately reprocessed using the CAM Lead Shaver—the only machine on the global market engineered to produce premium feed material for ball mills.

If your strategic goal is to stop wasting energy remelting scrap, and you want to transform your cutting department into an independent, highly efficient, closed-loop asset, I look forward to meeting you in Vienna.

Let’s drive your production to the next level together.

For a high-profile technical briefing, I will respond with precision.

Francesco Marfisi

CAM – The Lead Oxide Specialists

The Illusion of Savings That Kills Profit: Why Your “Cheap” Plant Is Costing You Millions

The silence of a stopped production line is the most expensive sound an entrepreneur can hear. For a battery manufacturer, that silence isn’t just a technical break; it’s a financial hemorrhage draining margins, destroying planning, and eroding market competitiveness. Every hour lead doesn’t flow and oxide isn’t produced, your capital evaporates under the weight of fixed costs that never sleep. Many convince themselves that success starts with saving on the initial purchase (CAPEX), but operational reality punishes this short-sightedness with mathematical violence.

The Culprit: The Purchase Price Trap

The true enemy of your profit isn’t a high initial investment, but the deceptive promise of “low-cost” solutions, often of low construction quality. Sellers of these plants bet everything on the immediate gratification of a lower price tag, leading you to believe a lead oxide production plant is a simple commodity. It is not.

Those who sell you on low price are hiding the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). They count on your distraction regarding maintenance costs, spare parts availability, and long-term reliability. They sell you a machine that works during tests but reveals itself as an “Achilles’ heel” as soon as it’s subjected to the stress of continuous 24/7 production. Chasing initial savings is, in fact, signing up for a ten-year subscription to sudden breakdowns and uncontrolled production scrap.

The Physics of Profit: The CAM Method and TCO Engineering

At CAM, we don’t design machines to be cheap; we design them to generate constant wealth9. Let’s analyze the real data for a plant with a production capacity of 24,000~kg/day (1~ton/hour) optimized for the European market.

With a conservative contribution margin of 0.50~€/kg, the value of lost production is 12,000 € per day. This is where the technical difference between a CAM plant and a “cheap” one becomes a matter of corporate survival.

• Reliability and Down Time: A cheap plant suffers an average of $18$ days of downtime per year, compared to only 5 days for a high-quality CAM system.

• The Impact of Failure: Over 10 years, this gap translates into a staggering production loss of 2,160,000 € for the cheap machine versus 600.000 € for CAM.

• Quality and Scrap: CAM’s engineering precision keeps scrap costs to 00,000~€ over a decade, while the approximate tolerances of “cheap” competitors quadruple this figure to 400,000 €.

• Maintenance Drain: A low-cost system requires continuous intervention, pushing maintenance and spare parts costs to 700,000 € over 10 years, whereas CAM stays at 600,000 €.

The math is hit-you-in-the-gut simple: the cheap machine “saves” you 475,000 € on the purchase price. However, it presents a final bill of 1,485,000 € MORE than a CAM plant over a decade18181818. Investing in CAM means eliminating the risk of losing over 1.5 million euros in lost production alone.

Dismantling the “It Costs Too Much” Dogma

The most common objection is: “The CAM plant costs significantly more upfront”. This is a technically correct statement that is economically irrelevant. Those who reason only in terms of CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) ignore the brutal reality of OPEX (Operating Expense).

Claiming a quality plant costs too much is like saying a quality parachute costs too much: the price is irrelevant if it fails to perform when needed. A plant that costs less but stops three times as often is not an investment; it is a financial liability. The stability of the oxide production process is the heart of your battery; compromising that heart to save a fraction of the total budget is a mistake your industrial accounting will never forgive.

The Choice of Excellence

For a high-capacity plant, CAM’s quality and reliability are not luxuries—they are absolute necessities to ensure your company’s economic sustainability24.

If your goal is to manufacture batteries, not manage mechanical failures, the choice is clear.

To delve deeper into the technical aspects of your TCO, I will gladly respond to your request.

Francesco Marfisi

CAM – The Lead Oxide Specialists

Curing Chamber for Lead-Acid Batteries: Transform Your Production into Efficiency and Peace of Mind

If you are a manager in a lead-acid battery manufacturing company, you know how critical the plate curing and aging phase is. Every day, you face issues like:

• Green spots on plates

• High scrap rates

• Unpredictable cycle times

• High energy consumption

These problems increase costs, reduce productivity, and add stress to your daily operations.

The Main Challenges of Traditional Curing Chambers

Traditional curing chambers often fail to deliver:

• Uniform plate oxidation, causing defects and rework

• Long and variable cycle times, slowing production

• High energy consumption, raising operating costs

• Complex maintenance and unexpected downtime, disrupting workflow

These challenges make your job harder, create hidden costs, and reduce overall competitiveness.

Imagine Waking Up Tomorrow with No Worries

What if your curing chambers worked perfectly every day?

• Predictable, consistent cycles

• Plates perfectly dry and evenly oxidized

• Controlled energy consumption

• Minimal scrap

Wouldn’t it be amazing to walk into your plant knowing production will run smoothly? You could focus on innovation and growth, instead of putting out fires.

CAM Curing Chambers: Advanced Technology Meets Peace of Mind

CAM curing chambers deliver both technical performance and managerial reassurance:

• Steam Cure + Laminar Flow → uniform oxidation, free-lead <3%, residual humidity <1%

• Short, predictable cycle times → higher throughput, less stress

• AISI304 stainless steel construction → no contamination, lower maintenance

• Up to 41% energy savings → control costs and protect margins

• Advanced process monitoring → full visibility from single plate to the entire chamber

Why Choosing CAM Makes the Difference

Technical Benefits

• Perfect plates every cycle

• Optimized production times

• Lower energy consumption and reduced scrap

Emotional Benefits for the Manager

• Daily peace of mind: no unexpected emergencies

• Greater control and reliability in production

• Recognition for bringing innovation and efficiency to your company

Your Next Step

Don’t let curing chamber problems slow down your production. With CAM, every cycle is efficient, reliable, and worry-free.

Investing in a curing chamber for lead-acid batteries from CAM means:

• Higher productivity

• Reduced energy costs

• Fewer defects and reworks

• More peace of mind for you and your team

Introduction:

The battery industry is constantly evolving, driven by the quest for greater efficiency, reduced costs, and, crucially, increasing sustainability. For decades, producing lead slugs—a fundamental component of lead-acid batteries—has been synonymous with gas furnaces, molten lead, and exhaust fumes. While the market now offers a few “green alternatives,” it’s vital to look beyond the surface.

At CAM, we have developed and perfected the Lead Shaver, a machine that is redefining production standards. We will show you why our cold-working technology is the definitive solution, not just against the old methods, but also against new alternatives that hide significant operational costs.

The Traditional Method: A Cost We Can No Longer Afford

The conventional process of melting lead in a gas-fired furnace is burdened by issues that no modern manufacturer can ignore:

1. Exorbitant Energy Costs: Furnaces consume up to $90$ kWh per tonne of lead, making them highly vulnerable to energy price volatility.
2. Material Waste (Dross): The process loses approximately 3% of lead to dross, generating $\approx 480$ tonnes of waste per year for high-volume producers.
3. Environmental Burden: High CAPEX and OPEX due to the need for complex stack filtration and fume management systems.

For a producer running 2 million batteries annually, the total estimated annual loss in the Eurozone (due to energy and material waste) is over €1.2 Million.

The False Promise: Why the “Cubic Machine” Alternative Falls Short

In the search for cleaner production, some companies have introduced machines that eliminate melting but still use mechanical methods, such as the Cubic Machine. This technology typically works by slicing the lead ingot into thin strips and then pressing them into cube-shaped slugs using a male/female drum system.

While this alternative eliminates the furnace, it introduces a new and critical hidden cost:

• High Maintenance Cost from Wear and Tear: The core of the Cubic Machine is the stamping or pressing mechanism (the male/female drum). Due to the high forces and repetitive impacts necessary to cold-form lead cubes, this drum assembly experiences significant, rapid wear.
• Frequent Drum Replacement: The necessity for frequent and costly replacement of this drum assembly creates an unpredictable and onerous operational expense that severely diminishes the machine’s profitability advantage over time.

The Cubic Machine might look “green” on paper, but its high, recurring maintenance costs reveal a false efficiency.

The CAM Lead Shaver Revolution: True Efficiency, Zero Hidden Costs

The CAM Lead Shaver is the only technology that delivers true efficiency without dangerous trade-offs. Instead of stamping the lead (which causes high mechanical stress), our machine performs a clean, continuous “shaving” process on a solid bar.

The Lead Shaver technology delivers a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 90% and recovers that crucial 3% of lead, generating enormous immediate savings. More importantly, it achieves this with robust mechanical components that require only standard, predictable maintenance, completely avoiding the catastrophic, recurring costs associated with the Cubic Machine’s stamping drum.

The Lead Shaver offers a path to production that is cleaner, vastly more efficient, and truly predictable.

Ready to calculate your guaranteed savings, without hidden costs?

Don’t let the costs of the past or the hidden costs of the competition slow you down. Discover your true potential for savings and sustainability.

Click here to request your FREE, personalized “No Worry Report”: https://www.cam-srl.com/no-worries-report/

In the intricate world of battery manufacturing, every single stage of the process is crucial to the quality and longevity of the final product. Among these, plate curing is an often-underestimated yet fundamentally important step. This is where a simple lead paste transforms into a solid, robust plate, ready to house the electrochemical reactions that will power our vehicles and devices.

But what exactly happens during curing? And why can the choice of curing technology make such a profound difference?

The Science Behind Curing: From Paste to Functionality

Imagine freshly pasted plates: they are an “inactive” paste, primarily composed of free lead. The objective of curing is twofold:

1. Solidification: To transform this malleable paste into a solid, robust structure that can withstand the stresses of the manufacturing process and, subsequently, the operational environment within the battery.

2. Oxidation of Free Lead: To reduce the free lead content by converting it into lead oxide. This step is vital because free lead is less efficient in electrochemical reactions and can lead to performance issues and reduced battery life.

For this oxidation to occur, the plate needs a key element: oxygen. Traditionally, oxygen is supplied through humidity, often in the form of atomized water introduced into curing chambers.

The Traditional Approach: Atomized Water and Its Limitations

For years, the standard method for humidifying plates has been the use of atomized water. Water, in the form of tiny droplets, is introduced into the environment, providing the necessary humidity for the oxidation reactions.

However, this approach, while functional, has inherent limitations:

• Inhomogeneous Distribution: Water droplets, due to their mass and surface tension, tend to settle or fail to penetrate uniformly into every nook and cranny of the plates. This can lead to inhomogeneous curing, with some areas being over-cured and others under-cured, affecting the overall quality of the plate.

• Longer Cycle Times: To compensate for poorer penetration and ensure sufficient humidity, curing cycles can require more time.

• Energy Consumption: Atomizing and heating large volumes of water can be energy-intensive.

The Steam Cure Revolution: The Power of 1 Bar Saturated Steam

At Steam Cure, we have thoroughly investigated these limitations and developed a game-changing solution: our curing chambers utilize saturated steam at 1 bar to generate humidity, in combination with a horizontal laminar flow.

But why is steam so superior to atomized water? The answer lies in its density.

Let’s consider the numbers:

• The density of saturated steam at 1 bar is approximately 0.590 kg/m3.

• The density of water at $100\text{°C}$ is approximately 958 kg/m3.

This difference is astronomical! Steam, being infinitely less dense than liquid water, behaves radically differently:

1. Unparalleled Penetration: Thanks to its low density and gaseous nature, steam can diffuse and penetrate into every single micropore and interstice of the plate. It doesn’t just “wet” the surface but completely envelops the plate structure.

2. Perfectly Homogeneous Curing: This uniform penetration ensures homogeneous curing at every point of the plate, regardless of its position within the chamber. Every plate, from the outermost to the innermost, receives the same humidity and thus cures perfectly. This eliminates quality variations and ensures greater batch uniformity.

3. Reduced Cycle Times: The efficiency of steam diffusion, combined with our horizontal laminar airflow system, accelerates the oxidation and curing process. The result is a significantly lower cycle time, leading to increased productivity and flexibility for your production line.

4. Greater Energy Efficiency: The steam system is designed to maximize energy efficiency, reducing waste and long-term operating costs.

The Future of Curing is Here

Investing in advanced curing technology like that offered by Steam Cure is not just an upgrade; it’s a strategic move for your business. It means:

• Improved Product Quality: More uniformly cured plates mean higher-performing and more reliable batteries.

• Increased Productivity: Faster curing cycles mean more plates produced in less time.

• Reduced Waste: The homogeneity of the process reduces the likelihood of defects related to inadequate curing.

• Competitive Advantage: Adopting cutting-edge technologies positions you as a leader in the industry.

If quality, efficiency, and innovation are priorities for your battery production, Steam Cure’s curing chambers represent the next evolutionary step. Don’t settle for the standard when you can surpass it.

If you’re ready to explore how Steam Cure’s vapor technology can transform your plate production, we invite you to learn more.

Click here to contact one of our experts and discover all the details.

Hey there, lead battery manufacturers!

Today, I want to take you on an exclusive journey, a peek behind the curtain of our premium remote assistance service. If there’s one thing we’ve learned at CAM, it’s that in the fast-paced world of battery production, every single second of downtime is a cost, a lost opportunity. And that’s where we come in, with our promise of reliability and operational continuity.

More Than a Price Tag: A Guarantee of Peace of Mind

We always say it: the value of a CAM machine isn’t just measured by its initial price. The true value lies in consistent quality, production coherence, and, most importantly, the certainty that your plants will operate smoothly without interruptions. Our remote assistance embodies this philosophy. It’s our way of standing by your side, wherever you are, 24/7.

Our “Window to the World”: TeamViewer in Action!

Have you ever wondered how we manage to provide such comprehensive support? Our ace in the hole is TeamViewer. It’s not just software; it’s our digital bridge that allows us to connect in real-time with our equipment installed in every corner of the globe. Imagine having our engineers directly in your plant, ready to intervene, analyze, and troubleshoot. That’s exactly what happens!

A Virtual Tour of CAM Plants in Production!

And now for the most exciting part! In the video I just published on my YouTube channel, I show you live how all of this works. Get ready for a virtual “teleportation” to our plants!

• Germany: Precision and Continuous Monitoring. In the video, I take you to a cutting-edge company in Germany. You’ll be able to see our ball mills and oxide area systems operating at full capacity. I’ll show you how our technicians, comfortably from our offices, can monitor every single parameter: from temperatures to flows, from pressures to alarms. You’ll see how we manage to read the machine’s “vital signs,” anticipating potential problems even before they arise!

• Colombia: The Efficiency of Our Curing Chambers. Then, we move to Colombia, where our curing chambers are working tirelessly. Through the remote connection, we can view the process progression in real-time, ensuring that every battery is maturing perfectly. It’s incredible to see how we manage to guarantee high-quality standards even thousands of kilometers away!

• Portugal: The Versatility of Lead Shavers. And to conclude our tour, we land in Portugal. Here, our lead shavers are the stars. I’ll show you how our engineers can not only monitor but also provide guidance or even, with your permission, make small adjustments remotely to optimize performance. It’s a perfect example of how remote assistance is not just reactive, but also proactive.

Flexibility and Security: Our Priority

We know that cybersecurity is paramount. That’s why, if your company has very strict IT policies, no problem! We are able to establish temporary and controlled connections, precisely for the time needed for intervention, ensuring maximum security and adherence to your procedures.

Ready to Revolutionize Your Production?

If you’re tired of unexpected downtimes and want to ensure your lead battery production is always operating at its peak capacity, CAM remote assistance is the solution you’ve been looking for.

Watch the video for a complete experience and then… let me know what you think in the comments below! Do you have questions? Want to dive deeper? Send us an email or click the link in the video to download our CAM Box and discover more about how our solutions can transform your production.

We look forward to working with you for an interruption-free future!

In the world of industrial manufacturing, innovation often happens behind the scenes, in the very heart of the machinery. For lead oxide production, that innovation is found in the CAM MOP ball mill, and specifically, in its unique internal water spray cooling system.

If you’re involved in battery manufacturing, lead recycling, or any industry requiring high-purity lead oxide, you know that the quality of your raw material directly impacts your final product’s performance and longevity. At CAM, we’ve focused on perfecting this foundational step.

Beyond the Surface: The Core Difference in Cooling

Most ball mills on the market rely on external cooling mechanisms. While these serve a basic purpose, they often come with compromises. At CAM, we challenged the status quo and developed an internal water spray cooling system. Here’s why it’s a game-changer:

1. Precision Temperature Control: The Key to Superior Quality

The most critical factor in producing high-quality lead oxide is maintaining optimal temperature during the milling process. High temperatures can lead to the formation of orthorhombic lead oxide (ortho-PbO).

• Ortho-PbO is characterized by an oxygen ion surrounded by four lead ions. This structure makes the crystals prone to flaking, which directly translates to low conductivity in the final product. For battery applications, this means compromised performance and a shorter lifespan.

Our internal cooling system provides direct and immediate temperature control. By spraying water internally, we can precisely regulate the heat generated during milling, preventing those detrimental temperature spikes. This meticulous control ensures the formation of 100% tetragonal lead oxide (tetra-PbO).

• Tetra-PbO, formed at lower, controlled temperatures, has a distinct “snowflake” shape where each Pb2+ ion sits above a $PbO\_4$ pyramid with identical $Pb-O$ distances. This unique molecular structure results in significantly higher acid absorption—a vital property for high-performance batteries. The difference in conductivity and acid absorption between ortho-PbO and tetra-PbO can drastically impact the efficiency and lifespan of your final products.

2. Unprecedented Durability: A 30-Year Lifespan for Your Investment

Beyond product quality, our innovative cooling method offers remarkable benefits for the mill itself. With internal water spraying, the water is instantly absorbed by the material inside the cylinder. This prevents any thermal shock or long-term damage to the mill’s cylinder.

Consider the alternative: external cooling systems often suffer from continuous limescale buildup. This requires frequent, costly maintenance and cleaning, leading to significant downtime. More importantly, limescale accumulation can cause structural damage to the cylinder over time, drastically reducing its operational lifespan.

This is why CAM MOP ball mills can confidently guarantee an incredible 30+ years of cylinder life. It’s not just about producing better lead oxide; it’s about providing a robust, reliable, and exceptionally durable piece of equipment that serves your business for decades.

Invest in Excellence: Why CAM MOP Mills are the Smart Choice

Choosing a CAM MOP ball mill means more than just acquiring machinery; it means investing in:

• Consistently superior product quality, which enhances the performance and market value of your end products.

• Greater operational efficiency through reduced waste and optimized processing.

• Significantly lower maintenance costs and minimal production downtime.

• Exceptional equipment longevity, safeguarding your capital investment for the long term.

Don’t settle for conventional methods that might limit your product’s potential and increase your operational burdens. Embrace the innovation that sets CAM MOP ball mills apart.

Ready to elevate your lead oxide production and secure a competitive edge?

Discover how our unique technology can transform your operations. Visit our landing page, fill out the form, and get in touch with a CAM expert today!

www.cam-srl.com/landing-page

See you at the BCI Convention in Texas

We are thrilled to announce our participation in the prestigious BCI Convention, taking place in San Antonio, Texas, from May 4th to 7th, 2025. For CAM, being present at this globally significant event for the lead-acid battery industry is a source of great pride.

Why should you definitely visit us?

The answer is simple: for over fifty years, precisely since 1967, CAM has been a global benchmark in the production of specialized equipment for lead oxide and curing chambers. Our exclusive dedication to this sector has allowed us to develop unique know-how and rely on a team of highly specialized technicians. Today, over 50 plants worldwide depend daily on the reliability and efficiency of our machines.

But we don’t stop there! We are delighted to share another exciting piece of news with you: for the second consecutive year, CAM is a finalist for the prestigious BCI Innovation Award! This year, our innovation that has captured attention is the Lead Shaver XL, a revolutionary and unique method for the production of lead billets for ball mills, completely free of gas emissions.

Don’t miss the opportunity to:

• Meet our experts: Our managers will be present at the exhibition to answer all your questions and discuss your specific needs.

• Discover the Lead Shaver XL: Come and see firsthand this cutting-edge technology that is redefining industry standards.

• Explore our solutions: Learn about the full range of our equipment for lead oxide and curing chambers.

Book your appointment now!

Would you like to arrange a dedicated meeting with our team during the BCI Convention? Click below to schedule your visit:

https://www.cam-srl.com/get-quote/

Get a sneak peek of the Lead Shaver XL!

If you’re curious to see our innovative Lead Shaver XL in action, don’t miss the presentation video available here:

We look forward to welcoming you to the BCI Convention in San Antonio! It will be an unmissable opportunity to discover the latest innovations and strengthen partnerships in the world of lead-acid batteries.

See you in Texas!

What a fascinating story! It almost sounds like one of those inventions born by chance, just like many great ideas. Here’s a draft of the story based on your account, which you can then enrich with further details and perhaps some local color from that business trip:

It was a typical workday in 2006 for Fernando and Armando, the dynamic owners of CAM. A trip had taken them away from their Lanciano, to a location that now blurred slightly in their memory, but the taste of that lunch was still vivid. Sitting at the table of a cozy restaurant, after an intense morning, they were enjoying a well-deserved plate of steaming pasta.

“Some cheese?” Armando asked, as the inviting aroma of the sauce filled the air.

The waiter, with a polite smile, approached the table not with the usual manual grater, but with a small electric appliance. Pressing a button, a cylinder began to rotate, transforming a solid block of Parmigiano Reggiano into a soft white cloud that fell delicately onto the pasta.

Fernando watched the scene with a raised eyebrow, a spark of genius beginning to illuminate his gaze. As the savory taste of the cheese mingled with the pasta, his mind, always searching for new solutions and challenges, was already racing.

“Excuse me,” Fernando said, addressing himself more than the waiter,

“but… why couldn’t we do the same thing with lead? Grate it, as if it were a piece of Parmigiano?”

Armando looked at him, initially perplexed, then a smile spread across his face. The seemingly outlandish idea held within it that spark of innovation that had always driven their company.

Thus, from an intuition born at the table, the seed of the “Lead Shaver” sprouted. A name that encapsulated the image of a process that had been unthinkable until then: working lead with the precision and ease with which one grates a fine cheese.

The return to Lanciano was filled with enthusiasm and rudimentary prototypes. The first models were clumsy, often more akin to torture devices than efficient machinery.

Months, years, of trials, bitter errors, and some inevitable failures followed.

The road to the perfect Lead Shaver proved more winding than expected.

But Fernando and Armando’s tenacity was matched only by their vision. They did not give up in the face of difficulties, learning from every mistake and constantly refining their project.

This is the first test in 2008 in a Lead Battery plant in Italy.

The real turning point came with the entry of Engineer Matteo Marfisi into the team. With his technical expertise and meticulous attention to detail, Marfisi was able to give concrete form to the two owners’ intuitions.

He analyzed the problems, redesigned the mechanisms, and introduced innovative solutions that transformed a brilliant but imperfect idea into a reliable and efficient machine.

Today,
after more than twenty models that have evolved over time, the Lead Shaver is a consolidated reality, an example of how a simple observation during a business lunch can, with the right amount of ingenuity, perseverance, and competence, lead to the creation of something unique and functional.

And it all began with a seemingly innocent question:

“Excuse me, but why couldn’t we grate lead as if it were a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano?”.