Insight

This year sees Fiminox celebrate its 50^th anniversary as a specialist in standard screws and bolts in stainless steel, with the company proud of its ability to compete with some of the biggest players within the stainless fastener market.

Fiminox SpA was founded in 1971 on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, as an evolution of a small local family-run hardware store established in 1964. The company soon specialised in the sale of stainless steel screws and bolts to the industry. As the founder, Luigi Bettinelli passed on his extraordinary passion for stainless steel to the whole family.

Now Paolo Bettinelli, son of Luigi, is the CEO of the family business and is proud of how the company has developed into a European player in the field of stainless steel bolts. “We have spent 50 years on the crest of the wave and now we are ready to win the challenges of the next half century,” states Paolo. “Assisted by a proven team of collaborators, today it is I with my brothers Stefano and Mariagrazia who carry on the management of the company, which in this half century has continuously evolved and profoundly transformed.”

Paolo adds: “Our strength has been to shape and adapt to the needs of a constantly evolving market and ever new customers, to whom we have been able to provide a 360-degree professional service.”

A prime example of the company’s commitment to providing a complete service to its customers was the foundation of Tekinox Srl in Arcene, Bergamo, Italy, which since 1998 has been producing turned metal parts in stainless steel and other materials. Through this partnership it has been possible for Fiminox to further expand the range of products at its disposal.

Another key factor in the company’s success has been the growth of its exports. “We only started exporting in 2014, once the dynamics of the market made it necessary to increasingly export our products,” explains Paolo. “In just eight years we have achieved total coverage of the European Union and our export turnover accounts for almost 45% of our total turnover.”

Through this growth, Fiminox counts itself as the third most important distributor of stainless steel fasteners in the Italian market and a reference point for industrial customers in various sectors, including food, construction, chemicals and oil & gas. “Thanks to the fruitful synergies with important groups such as Permasteelisa in the construction sector, the Guzzini (lighting), Cimolai (carpentry) and Fincantieri (naval). We have had the honour and privilege of collaborating in the construction of many great works in Italy and in the world,” mentions Paolo. “Among the main ones I like to remember are the San Giorgio viaduct (ex Morandi bridge) in Genoa, the Freedom Towers (ex Twin Towers) in New York, the Yas Island Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the new University Center of Bossoni in Milan and the photovoltaic park of San Bellino in Rovigo.”

Paolo concludes: “Our 50 years of hard work and constant commitment have given us a truly special position within the stainless steel market. I could not have hoped for better at this important milestone and now we are ready to take up the challenges of the next 50 years.”