Eighty years young!

Carlo Gavazzi is celebrating its 80th anniversary with new platforms for energy management, industrial and building automation, along with the strengthening of its research & development activities, all underpinned by continued cautious financial growth.

Carlo Gavazzi Milestones

1931
Carlo Gavazzi registers the company in Milan having as its prime activities the distribution of Johnson oil burners and Honeywell instrumentation.
 
1953
Start of control panel manufacturing. Carlo Gavazzi begins to offers turnkey projects in engineering, instrument supply and panel installation.
 
1959
Carlo Gavazzi develops its activities supplying centralised remote control instrumentation for the propulsion of an Italian Navy m/s as well as cruise ships and merchant vessels.
 
1960
Installation of the first control-rod-drive hydraulic system for power plant. Foundation of Reactor Controls (CA, USA) leader in boiling water reactors control systems.
 
1965
Carlo Gavazzi (through a JVC) becomes a qualified manufacturer and international supplier of automation components. Sales companies throughout Europe are founded.
1984
The company goes public, with shares traded on the Zurich Stock Exchange.
 
1988
Strengthening of the industrial base and product offering by the acquisition of Electromatic (control components) and Feme (relays and switches).
 
Today
Carlo Gavazzi Automation Components operates worldwide through 21 wholly-owned sales companies and selected representatives in more than 65 countries.

The company opened its doors in 1931, establishing a Milan headquarters for distribution of Johnson oil burners and Honeywell instrumentation. 1953 saw the start of control panel manufacturing, with Carlo Gavazzi also offering turnkey project capability for engineering, instrument supply and panel installation. Manufacturing expanded in the 1960s through joint ventures in electromechanical components and electronic control devices.

During 1965 sales and service companies were established in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and The Netherlands: expanding to France, Belgium and Spain two years later. Today, Carlo Gavazzi Automation Components operates through 21 wholly-owned sales companies and selected representatives in more than 65 countries from the Pacific Rim to the United States.

Today's strengths in renewable energy and industrial automation are spearheading the company through its next eighty years, as CEO Vittorio Rossi explained: "We are focused today on clearly defined sectors such as building automation, industrial automation and control, and renewable as well as conventional energy. Our 80th year has amply demonstrated the effectiveness of this strategy and the development initiatives that support it."

During the 2010/2011 financial year, sales to the industrial automation segment recorded a 50percent growth year-on- year, thanks to the introduction of new products such as solid state relays, capacitive and inductive sensors.  Meanwhile, growth in building automation markets reached 12percent and an exceptional sales increase of around 150percent was achieved in the renewable energy market.

"We expect to achieve similar results for the current business year", predicted Rossi. "Our growth will be supported by continuous efforts to strengthen and enlarge both our R&D activities worldwide and product management in Asia, in order to improve time- to-market and better fulfil regional requirements."

Initiatives announced recently include: new platforms of inductive and photoelectric sensors offering improved measurement accuracy and repeatability. In addition, a new modular Universal Web Platform UWP - with integrated management, data logging and web communication features – is poised to drive further growth in the areas of energy efficiency and building automation.