Bonomi’s production facility.
Article by Laura Wang
The global valve industry has evolved over the last 50 years with profound implications for the companies that drive the sector. Valve World Asia interviewed Mr. Aldo Bonomi, President and CEO of Bonomi Group, on this phenomenon and also on the way his company is continuing the legacy of an Italian family business.
First of all, a journey back in time. Bonomi started out in 1901 as Rubinetterie Bresciane, founded by Aldo’s grandfather, and ran the business until the factory was forced to close during the II World War.
“In 1946, my father Massimo and his brother Dante, resumed the activity inherited by their ancestors and it was under their skilled and passionate direction, that the business had thrived again and could grow in the years.
It was 1973 when my brother and I – at the age of 21 years – succeeded and started working in the company. We had the dream of having our own company, that could be state-of-the-art in its field and highly competitive on Italian as well as on international market. Rubinetterie Bresciane had evolved at the time as an international player in manufacturing two-piece ball valves and fittings.”
Aldo and Carlo Bonomi
The next generation In 1978, Aldo and his brother Carlo founded Valpres, a leading company in the production of steel and cast-iron ball valves with a focus on industrial applications and in the last decade has started to serve also oil & gas market. In 1995, they established Valbia, manufacturer of electric and pneumatic actuators.
“Over the years, Bonomi Group had grown and started up various companies around the world to manufacture and distribute our products. They are Bonomi Germany, Bonomi UK, Bonomi India, Bonomi North America, Bonomi Brasil, Bonomi Russia and Bonomi China. In 2019 Bonomi Group completed the acquisition of Fra.Bo S.p.A., Italian leader manufacturer of fittings for plumbing and industrial installations. At the end of year 2020 the Group acquired the 70% of the shares of Quam S.r.l. – an Italian company specialized in engineering and manufacturing of choke valves, special valves and control systems for the Oil & Gas industry – as well as the 100% of the assets of Loclain S.r.l., an innovative startup, that developed the energy harvesting control valve”. In 2021, a recent new acquisition: Tecnovielle S.p.A., a company producing brass valves and fittings for polyethylene pipes. “Currently I am the President and CEO of Bonomi Group as described above, but willing to grow wider and stronger”, Aldo continues. “The next generation, my sons and nephews, have already joined the Group and will carry on this legacy.”
After the above formalities, we sat down to talk to Mattia Bocchi (Communication Manager), Giovanni Coombs (Area Manager North America), Luca Chiantore (Area Manager Asia) and Chiara Speltoni (Sales Department) about what makes OMAL so special. But first, a brief retrospect of the company.
In 1981, Mr Agostino Bonomi founded OMAL S.p.A in the city of Polaveno in Val Trompia (province of Brescia, Italy). The founder belonged to a family of far-sighted and successful entrepreneurs with diversified activities mainly in the production of Benefitindustrial valves. His vision was that growth of this sector would be mainly attributed to the implementation, research and development in the field of process automation.
Different world
As a seasoned veteran in the valve and automation business, Aldo has witnessed the evolution in the global sector first-hand. How does he view the changes of valve industry over the recent 50 years? “It’s completely a different world”, Aldo says. “First, manpower is substituted gradually by advanced technologies. Business is also much more about teamwork. People work together, think together and discuss together. Last but not least, with the development of automation, logistics and digitalization, the work mode has been changed all the time. As the industry is changing, it’s crucial for a company to develop and find new solutions and work with the world.
My family and I want to continue growing to be competitive in the world, this is our major challenge and dream at the same time. We aim to do it by setting ourselves ambitious goals, taking our responsibilities and working hard. It is not only meant to improve our business, but also to build a better world for the future generations.”
Italian engineering
As for product development, Aldo prides his company on Valbia pneumatic actuators and Valpres ball valves. “These pneumatic actuators are characterized by their patented design, which grants long service lifetime, highest ranking performance wise together with the advantage of lower air consumption.
As for the ball valves, the production, assembly and testing processes are highly automated. As an Italian company, we can set ourselves apart from the global competition by our innovate design and the ability to translate this design into high-quality products that are rigorously tested.”
“As for product groups that have the most potential for innovation, these are control/regulating valves for highly-demanding applications. Also, severe service applications will remain interesting because these require design, manufacturing and testing expertise that is not abundantly on offer in the global valve sector. This shall be the added value of us Italian manufacturers, who have very rich engineering design experience and very qualified technical teams.”
Changes
Another topic is the changing demands from end-users. Needless to say, these change according to economic times, changing regulations and market trends. “Compared with the past, end-users are more and more professional.
Therefore, they have higher expectations and requirements for their products, both quality and performance wise. Furthermore, with the rapid development of the internet, endusers now have easier access to information and are now more receptive to new brands.
In response to these changes, we have been constantly improving the expertise of our team and keep providing high professional technical support and services to our clients.”
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