Rescaldina – a location with a long history
In April 2013, POMINI Rubber & Plastics srl moved into its new office building in Rescaldina, Italy. This new site stands in stark contrast to the age of POMINI’s historical roots in this region north of Milan, which go back to the end of the 19th century. Let’s take a closer look at the company and at the history of POMINI Rubber & Plastics srl along with the origins of the INTERMIX® VIC and CONVEX™.
Rescaldina, the home of POMINI, is situated in Lombardy, in north-western Italy. The nearest major city is the business metropolis Milan – known the world over for fashion and football. A major trade fair destination, it will also host this year’s EXPO 2015.
The municipality of Rescaldina, the name of which derives from the Latin word ‘robur’ (oak) and the Lombardic word ‘scalta’ (forest), has a population of 14,000. Due to the growth of that figure over the centuries, however, not much remains today of the oak forest that gave the town its name. Rescaldina’s history can be traced back to the first century of the Roman Empire. The oldest documented commercial product is alabaster, which was already in use in this region but in the time of the Etruscans. During the Middle Ages, monks from Chiaravalle Abbey began to turn the heavily forested area into farmland. This is where the town later developed. The oldest buildings still standing in Rescaldina date back to the fourteenth century. Many legends from the region survive to this day. One such legend is the story of a squire named Lupo da Limonta, who fled from a castle. That’s why the municipal coat of arms of Rescaldina still features the image of a wolf jumping from a tower.
The roots of POMINI’s production operations lie nearby in the town of Castellanza, where POMINI has been producing a broad range of machinery and equipment since the second industrial revolution. The company’s founder, Luigi Pomini, began in 1886 with the maintenance and repair of machines used to process cotton. The company soon employed nearly 100 people. The founder’s sons, Ottorino and Egidio, expanded the company’s field of activity and also sold their products beyond the borders of Italy for the first time. POMINI began with the production of high-performance gearboxes for the cotton industry. In 1950, the company was licensed by David Bridge and by FARREL and McNeil to manufacture machines for the rubber and plastics industry. The company experienced steady growth; in 1960, POMINI Spa employed more than 1,000 people. They worked in two factories in the town. Products for the rubber and plastics industry included batch mixers, continuous mixers, single-screw extruders with both hot feed and cold feed hoppers, pin-type extruders and presses for tyres. From 1960 to 1985, all products were manufactured under the brand name POMINI FARREL. In 1985, the Pomini family withdrew from the business and sold their shares to investors.
The following years proved very productive, and the company generated many new ideas and products. The VIC (Variable Intermeshing Clearance Mixer), the LCM (Long Continuous Mixer) and not least the TDE (Twin Dump Extruder) were developed and patented during that period.
In 2007, after nearly 20 years in the Techint Group Spa, POMINI’s rubber and plastics division was acquired by Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH. The TDE, POMINI’s most successful product, was redesigned and since 2009, after a best-of-best optimisation process, it has become the CONVEX™ Extruder.
Both Rescaldina and Castellanza are situated near the world’s first toll highway, today’s A8 Motorway, which links Milan with Varese. It was inaugurated on 21 September 1924 by Italian King Victor Emmanuel III travelling in a Lancia Trikappa.
In the new office building in Rescaldina, the staff have been able to grow together as a group. The new offices are attractive and modern, thereby perfectly reflecting the philosophy and outlook of POMINI. The new Italian-style building houses a canteen and a fitness centre – a further expression of the POMINI culture and the lifestyle of the employees. From this building, POMINI Rubber & Plastics srl will proceed to operate as the Business Unit for the CONVEX™ Business Unit in the HF Mixing Group.
