With his father and brothers, Giuseppe Saleri founded Sabaf (standing for SAleri BAttista & Figli) in Lumezzane (Brescia), starting the production of brass taps, initially for the farming sector.
History
-
1950 - The foundation
-
1960 - Entering the domestic market
During the Italian “economic miracle”, the sector of household appliances took on a central role. Sabaf focused on the production of taps for gas cooking, in which precision mechanics, already at its highest level in Sabaf, is fundamental to guarantee high quality products.
-
1970 - The introduction of the safety system
At the end of the 1960s, Sabaf started the production of gas thermostats and introduced, in both its thermostats and taps, the thermoelectric flame failure device, becoming an undisputed leader in terms of quality and reliability.
-
1980 - Innovation in gas burners
In the early 1980s, Sabaf patented and started the production of a gas burner with a radial Venturi system. This innovation marked a revolution in the whole market of global domestic appliances, because it allowed the significant reduction of the depth of the cooking appliances and therefore the diffusion of built-in hobs.
-
1990 - The passage from a family business to a global company: listing on the Stock Exchange and the arrival in China
1992 - The turning point
Giuseppe Saleri acquired Sabaf shares from his brothers and started out a path that would take the company to its present-day levels, first through the passage from a family-run business to a professional management one, then through the listing on the Milan Stock Exchange.
1996 - Burners' modularity
In the mid-1990s, Series 2 burner family was introduced into the market. This Series, inspired by the automotive sector, permits the use on the same cup of flame spreaders and lids in different materials and colours and with different aesthetics. The manufacturers can thus diversify the production at almost zero cost.
1997 - The arrival in China
When Sabaf opened a representative office in China, it was an immediate success and Sabaf burners became the market standard. The office was replaced in 2008 by a WOFE (Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise) – Sabaf Appliance Components (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. – in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, 80 Km northwest of Shanghai.
1998 - The listing
Continuing along the path started in the early 1990s, on 24 March 1998 Sabaf was listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and in April 2001 entered in the High Performance Equities Segment (STAR). The listing marked the formal separation between the ownership and the management that was devolved upon a group of managers external to the Saleri family.
1999 - The triple ring burners
Once again Sabaf’s capacity for research and development allowed the company to patent the first Triple ring burner with air from above initially designed for the domestic market. This product marked an unprecedented success, and became the standard on built-in hobs and cookers all over the world.
-
2000 - New production sites, new products
2001 - Sabaf do Brasil
With the intention of better serving Sabaf customers in South America, where the company already exported a significant part of its products, in 2001 was founded Sabaf do Brasil that started the production in Guarulhos (São Paulo), In 2007 the production was moved to Jundiaì.
All the products made by Sabaf do Brasil are currently sold only on the South American market.
2002 - Enlargement of the headquarter
At the beginning of 2002, with the intention of improving and increasing its manufacturing capacity, Sabaf business was moved to the new industrial complex of Ospitaletto, in the province of Brescia. The new site, with a surface area of 100,000 square meters, includes the production units for the manufacture of taps, thermostats and burners, as well as for the production machinery developed in-house.
2003 - Production of extruded aluminium taps
To meet the specific needs of some markets, Sabaf started the production of extruded aluminum taps. It was a historic event that marked the passage from the specialization in machining brass to the specialization in machining aluminum.
Initially limited only to taps without safety devices, thanks to the great success obtained, the production was almost immediately extended to taps with thermoelectric safety devices.
2004 - Adhesion to Global Compact
In April 2004, Sabaf adhered to the Global Compact, the United Nations project for companies that commit to supporting and promoting the ten universally accepted principles covering human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and the fight against corruption.
-
2010 - Internationalization and new manufacturing sectors.
2012 - Sabaf enters Turkey
Sabaf expands its activities outside Italy with Sabaf Beyaz Eşya Parçaları San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti., a new manufacturing site in Manisa (Turkey) for the burners production.