50 years of story

From a small basement to a multinational company: this is our story

This year we celebrate an extraordinary milestone: 50 years of innovation, growth and success. From humble beginnings in 1974, our company has grown to become an industry leader, thanks to the dedication and passion of our team and the trust of our customers.

Re is a typical success story that began in 1974 in a small basement in Milan and, step by step, has developed into a multinational company recognised all around the world. It has been 50 years marked by great technological and commercial successes that have brought Re S.p.A. to be first Italian and then global excellence.

It was 1974 when Re was founded in a small basement of about 80m² in Milan. It was a small mechanical workshop with five people, which in the early years produced water-cooled brakes and rotary joints for the packaging, printing and steel industry in Italy.

The 1980s were the years of company structuring, expansion outside Italy and the use of electronics. In this years, precisely in 1981, we move to a 300 m² area to face our important growth.

The company expanded its product range with load cells, conical clutches, powder brakes and the first tension controllers. In 1984, began a collaboration with the Italian Navy to equip eight ships with friction clutches.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Re moved to Bussero in a warehouse that will be our home to this day. This decade is characterised by significant commercial development both in Italy and abroad, thanks to an increasingly structured sales network.

One of the most important dates is 1990, the year in which we launched the Combiflex brake, an air-cooled single-disc brake that immediately became a benchmark and the most copied brake in the converting industry and enabled us to become a leading company recognised worldwide.

The new millennium marks an important change in mentality. On the one hand, the development of electronic products becomes increasingly important; on the other, the management works to make Re a multinational company.

In 2006, the internationalisation process begins with the opening of the first foreign subsidiary, Re Latina, in Brazil. In 2008, following the important growth of the Asian market, we founded Re China in Shanghai and a few years later Re India was established in Ahmedabad. Finally, to complete the expansion also in the United States, in 2018 our fourth subsidiary, Re USA, is founded in Boston.

Today, it is time to celebrate an important milestone: 50 years of history.

One would never have thought that starting from a basement we would arrive at celebrating half a century of a multinational company. A history made up of people, passion and courage that forms the solid foundation on which we base our expectations for future achievements.

From the beginning, we have believed in the importance of people, building a solid and qualified team, of innovation, always expanding our offer and keeping it in step with the times, and of customer service, always taking care to satisfy every need from product selection to after-sales service.

We think these are the three pillars that have allowed us to grow steadily over the years.

We look to the future with enthusiasm and determination, ready to face new challenges and achieve new goals. We thank our incredible employees, customers and partners for being part of this extraordinary journey. Without them, none of this would have been possible. With these values, we continue our journey, confident that the best is yet to come.