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Home > Spotlight
Bombassei: Success? Technological research and competitive initiative
Rome - (Adnkronos) - For Alberto Bombassei, a 62-years old father of two from Vicenza who moved to the Brembana Valley in his childhood, the Chairman and Managing Director of Brembo , a world leader among companies producing braking systems for vehicles, the secret of success is all about vertical integration of the production process, technological research and competitive initiative. Looking at the story of the man and his company, it also has a lot to do with a formidable determination to stick at it and press on confidently with his choices and strategies. Alberto Bombassei's life can be practically identified with the story of his company Brembo, his crowning achievement. He was born in Vicenza in 1940. Two years later his family moved to Curno, near Bergamo, where his route backwards towards the Alps began from the Brembana Valley. In 1961, at the age of 21, he and his father Emilio Bombassei, founded the Brembo company, a small mechanical workshop. He began working for the company full-time in 1964, when he also started small scale production of discs for braking systems.
That was the start of Italian manufacturing in this sector. These were the heady days in which car ownership was becoming generalized and the most sophisticated vehicles were starting to be equipped with the earliest disc brakes, which were then only made in Britain. The Bombasseis realized this was their winning chance to turn their small business into something big: in the future all cars would be equipped with disc brakes, at least at the forecarriage. They took up the challenge and after just a year, in 1975, Brembo had 28 people working for it (including the founding partners).
But making spare parts was not enough. They needed to do better than the big British, American and German makers. And for products to improve, they have to be tested in the toughest conditions. What better test than a Formula One racing car? The breakthrough and technological triumph came in 1975 when Enzo Ferrari, The Drake, called on Brembo to research, develop and produce the breaking systems for his Red Horse Cars.
In those years of terrible worldwide economic crisis, Brembo needed to move into a different league. What made the difference was the courage and determination shown by Alberto Bombassei, who had become the company's General Manager. In 1975 the company now had a staff of 146 and a turnover of nearly 3 billion Italian lire.
There would be no future in staying in the spare parts sector. They needed to excel, expanding into certain specialized market niches, from racing cars to motorbikes, by developing research into new materials and new products. They developed new aluminium calipers, which were immediately adopted by Porche, Mercedes, Lancia and BMW. Then they produced braking systems for industrial vehicles to supply Iveco, Renault, and Mercedes. That crowned them as Europe's leading company in the sector.
The next phase, the 1980's, saw Bombassei believing as strongly as ever in his company and its readiness for future challenges. In 1983, when Brembo had a staff of almost 350 people and a turnover of 50 billion lire, a majority stake in the company was bought by the giant American multinational Kelsey-Haynes. The family retained management of the company and Alberto Bombassei became Managing Director. But in 1992 Brembo and Kelsey-Haynes felt the need to move on in different directions. Alberto Bombassei believed in the competitiveness of the Italian economy and, with the management behind him, began a hard struggle to buy back control over the company. His challenge succeeded in 1993 with regaining of the majority stake, which had been given up to his American partners ten years before. A winning choice: in 1995 Brembo's growth did not stop. Its staff reached nearly 1,200 and its turnover exceeded 330 billion Italian lire.
Its watchword is to move forwards, through vertical integration of production, from the melting of the iron to the assembling of the finished product, by developing technological research and opening to international markets. Today, besides Italy, Brembo also works in Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Britain, Germany, France, Sweden, the USA, China and Japan. It has joint venture agreements with Sweden's SKF, Daimler Chrysler and Yejin Motor Group. Its turnover is now close to 600 million euros and its staff numbers 3,600, including 350 engineers and technicians working solely on research and on the development of new materials and the most innovative production processes. Alberto Bombassei believed the challenge could be won and it has been.
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