History - Cariboni Group
History

History

1881

Osvaldo Cariboni

Osvaldo Cariboni was born in Colico, between Lake Como and the Orobie Alps. Osvaldo is the eldest son of Elisa Belatti and Giovanni, owners of the Sport Hotel and the workshop belonging to it, which repairs bicycles and coaches, and sells petrol and electrical equipment. This workshop is to become the company’s original core.

Osvaldo Cariboni

1902

Ganz di Budapest

Osvaldo graduates as chief mechanical technician and works in the family workshop while the managers of Ganz of Budapest, the multinational entrusted with electrification of the Lecco-Colico railway line, are staying in the Sport Hotel. A lucky meeting leads to Osvaldo being hired by Ganz.

Ganz di Budapest

1904

the American experience

Osvaldo proves to be a particularly valuable technician and Ganz offers the young man a chance to move first to the United States and then to Canada for important electrification work. This experience is a success and allows Osvaldo to gain valuable knowledge about the technological innovations in the sector.

the American experience

1908

Cariboni is founded

Osvaldo returns to Italy and Ganz has finished the work. The Lecco-Colico railway line is the first in Italy to use three-phase electric power to drive trains. Osvaldo takes on the maintenance work; he leaves Ganz, with which he will maintain an important collaborative relationship for years, and founds Cariboni based in his father’s Colico workshop.

Cariboni is founded

1915

Milan

Cariboni starts producing accessories for electric lines and Osvaldo’s experience ensures that it immediately becomes renowned for making innovative and well-designed products. Colico, however, is too far from the main trade flows of the time, and the headquarters in Milan are inaugurated in 1915.

Milan

1925

Pescate

Osvaldo and his wife Cina Manzi leave Milan to move with the whole family to Pescate, a small town near Lecco, surrounded by green areas, lakes and mountains. Here the new Cariboni workshops are created. In the meantime, the second generation joins the company.

Pescate

1945

the post-war period

In the period immediately after the war, Cariboni is among those involved in reconstructing the railways and electricity distribution plants throughout Italy damaged by the events of the war. Osvaldo Cariboni retires in 1950 and his children transform the company into a limited company.

the post-war period

1965

Cariboni Illuminazione

This is the year in which the third generation join the company and F.I.R. is acquired. Fabbrica Italiana Riflettori di Francesco Gariboldi, a leader in the production of projectors. The F.I.R. factories are in Milan, and it is therefore here that development in the lighting sector begins.

Cariboni Illuminazione

1986

Osnago and Rovereto

Cariboni Illuminazione moves its headquarters to Osnago (LC), a small town halfway along the road connecting Lecco to Milan. A few years later, in 1990, the factory in Rovereto (TN) is added. Osnago and Rovereto are still the two Italian sites of the Cariboni Group.

Osnago and Rovereto

1993

Fivep

Cariboni acquires Fivep, one of the main Italian companies in the street and urban lighting sector, created when Fidenza Vetraria and Finch Illuminazione merged. The following year, Cariboni acquires Soldi & Scati, a company specialising in production of tunnel lighting equipment.

Fivep

2001

LED technology

Cariboni is one of the first businesses to believe and invest in the use of Light Emitting Diode technology. In 2001, after a long period of research and development, it launches the first lighting products with LED sources and optical systems designed in-house: LEDLITE and ONE4TWO. The use of this technology will be extended to the entire catalogue in just a few years.

LED technology

2018

Cariboni Group

Cariboni consisted of Cariboni Lite, specialising in architectural lighting, and Fivep, dedicated to street and urban lighting. From March 2018, the two brands are united under Cariboni Group. Cariboni Group has a subsidiary in France, Cariboni Lite France, and is present throughout the world with a series of widely distributed sales representatives.

Cariboni Group

2022

today

Today, as in 1908, Cariboni stands out for its entrepreneurial culture oriented towards innovation and quality. It continues to form solid and synergetic relations in the same local area in which it was founded, and exports Italian know-how worldwide.

today