News archive
FABER AND FRANKE: A SYNERGESTIC PARTNERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE
10/08/2004On August 9th, Franke purchased a 49% share of the Faber group, a global leader in rangehood manufacturing. Under the terms of this agreement, Franke purchased the 29% share owned by “3I”, our investment fund partner, as well as a 20% share held by various minority equity holders.
The company’s current share structure is 51% owned by the Galassi family, the Group’s founders, as well as the Ridolfi and Calzaccia families, who have been historical owners of the goup. Mr. Abramo Galassi remains President, and Mr. Alvaro Galassi CEO and long time leader of the Faber Group. In addition to three Faber members on the Board of Directors, there will be also two representatives of the Franke Group. Faber CEO, Alvaro Galassi, is extremely excited about the partnership of these two companies, and looks forward to strong synergies between the two groups. “Both of the companies have followed identical business strategies characterized by a strong orientation towards global expansion. (Faber currently has 14 foreign subsidiaries, while Franke operates through 72 subsidiaries). Both companies take pride in their regard for high manufacturing quality, care for the customer, and emphasis on both the branded and OEM businesses. There are strong synergies between Faber and Franke in terms of company structure, manufacturing locations and strategic future development. We are excited about the excellent prospects for our joint collaboration.
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Faber model Company at the Symposium "Economical and Entrepreneurial Opportunities in India"
29/06/2004Faber has been invited as testimonial to the Symposium "Economical and entrepreneurial opportunities in India" organised in Rome the 2nd of July to raise the awareness and build further contacts in the field of business between India and Italy.
This invitation demonstrates how Faber is considered the most representative company of its sector in the field of internalisation and how Fabe rplays an official primary role. At the symposium, organized by the Embassy of India in Rome together with the European Academy for Cultural Relations will participate : Dr. Giancarlo Cennini, Faber General Manager; S.E. Himachal Som, India Ambassador in Italy; Margherita Boniver, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Dr. Ernesto Carpintieri, AEREC President; Dr. Sergio Rodda, Confai Vice President and API President; ICE; Unioncamere; Assocamerestero Coordinator: Arch. Vincenzo Valenti, Ispri Vice President
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The news is false!
09/04/2004The weekly magazine " Il Mondo" published on 9th April 2004 at page 24, an article about Faber (Leader Company in the hood's manufacturing), where it is written that Brigepoint leading provider of private equity has subscribed 73,5 % of FinFaber holding.
Bridgepoint and Faber Group advise that the news is false.
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Faber sales reached historic levels in 2003
12/02/20042003 consolidated turnover grew 6% to 190 million euros, up from consolidated turnover of 181 million euros in 2002, and profitability improved dramatically. Several financial factors contributed to the strong performance. The gross operating margin grew 18%, cash flow improved 10%, and at the same time group indebtedness fell 5%.
Group performance in Italy and abroad has been very strong. The Italian market grew 5%, with Faber selling one out of every two hoods sold. Growth was driven by the introduction of new products, in combination with a renewed partnership with the kitchen manufacturer customer base. Subsidiary activity was also excellent. The investment in Russia has been completely repaid through this division’s local market success. Argentina has recovered and is rebuilding its historically strong results. North America, Sweden, Spain, France, India and Turkey all enjoyed the same positive trends. “The main aim for 2004 is to develop even further”, Alvaro Galassi explains despite the diffused pessimism in the sector. Faber’s efforts in Asia and Eastern Europe will contribute to the year. China will be particularly interesting with improvements in the product range, as well as the development of a new commercial network. Faber will also focus on its long tradition of technological excellence. The company will have several new mid and high price products incorporating innovative design, noise reduction, and automatic ventilation options. Many additions will leverage the Concept design, selected by ADI in the ADI Index Design 2003, and a selection for the 20 Golden Compass awards this year. These exciting new products will also be presented during the Euro-Kitchens trade fair in April.
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Faber “clears the air” for Fabriano’s greatest artist.
05/11/2003Gentile da Fabriano’s masterpiece painting “The Three Magi Adoration” is currently undergoing restoration. Thanks to financing from Faber and promotion by lawyer Teodori Alessandro, restoration will be executed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation and is expected to be completed by September 2004.
The painting was originally commissioned to Gentile da Fabriano by Palla Strozzi, the richest merchant of Florence, for his family’s chapel altar (which corresponds to Santa Trinità Church Sacristy in Florence.) Until now, the masterpiece by Fabriano’s greatest artist has been displayed in the Uffizi museum in Florence. Because of the poor condition of the painting, restoration will not be easy. The painting is covered by a layer of oily and sticky varnish, already oxidized and delustered. Restoration technicians report that the golden and silver parts sometimes depreciate because of the dirtiness around the corners which often hides the picture underneath. In addition, sometimes the glue inside the varnish causes many small colour raisings, making restoration necessary to preserve the painting. Faber’s goal is to protect and preserve the image of a great artist in the cultural, local, and national panorama. Mr. Abramo Galassi says, “It is very important for Faber to habitually take part in cultural and social initiatives. In fact we believe that companies should contribute to improving the fundamental structures of the society. In order to create faith, satisfaction and wellbeing in the neighbouring environment. Faber carries on this proposal , above all to sustain the young generations which must have the chance to grow in a genuine environment, characterized by strong values.
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Smau 2003: Faber Introduces Magica
29/09/2003Milan, 02/10/2003. Magica as a new hood concept of Comfort in the kitchen which responds to the idea of “ intelligent house ”. The hood made by Faber lands at 2003 Smau edition which will take place in Milan, from 2nd to 6th October in the special area dedicated to the “Digital Home” in which the most innovative technologies for the home automation are proposed.
Digital Home is an itinerant exhibition started in Naples last May. Next steps will be Smau Milan (2-6 October) for ending with Smau Sicilia (Catania, 13-16 November). The main object of Digital Home is to appear as a model of advanced technological house, but concretely realizable: the house gathers the dining room, kitchen, telework corner, bathroom and fitness, underlining the security aspects, energy saving, comfort, distance control system with the functioning integration.. So, a set of new solutions which correspond to an integrated thought of behaviours, technology and spaces. The architectural quality of the environments and the house elements, their organization, their perceptibility is pursued starting from the complex services system. The model Magica, by the exclusive and elegant design with stretched and rational lines but in the meantime loose-fitting, fits well in this context as a product technologically advanced, result of a working equipe represented by Faber research &development sector and Carlesi Design Office. In fact we are speaking about the last novelty of the sector, founder of a new hoods generation tied to kitchen Comfort, so much to have been the only hood chosen for taking part in the Digital Home. Its plus are the possibility of automatic functioning through sensors which regulate the suction according to the effective current requirements, the change of air system 24 hours a day thanks to the Button 24, which transforms it in a precious purifier. Finally, the Comfort Panel and the Silent Kit, a combination of perimetric suction aspiration system and special sound absorbent panels, which permits to reach extreme silence levels, 50% less compared with the hoods with the same motorization, maintaining unchanged the efficiency suction standards, with only 40 dB (A) to the first speed. A noise level which would not disturb the library readers.
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Lights, Camera, Faber!
11/09/2003A film’s Art Direction arranges the overall “look” of the film and brings out the film’s mood. We visit the sets of two recent movies “starring” Faber rangehoods to see how our hoods help evoke the mood of the film, further reinforcing our philosophy that rangehoods define the “look” of the kitchen.
The Academy Award and Golden Globe winning drama The Hours draws on the life and work of Virginia Woolf. Meryl Streep’s character is a present day New Yorker residing in a typical Greenwich Village apartment where the Faber Perla rangehood commands center stage. Director of Photography’s Seamus McGarvey comments, “For the modern day New York sequences, we went for a very contemporary realism. We aimed for a very modern feel in these scenes, with a lot of veracity and tangibility, a more present quality.” The contemporary sculpture of the Perla represents the creative energy and intellectual climate that is present day Greenwich Village, precisely what McGarvey was looking for. Hovering behind Meryl Streep in the kitchen scenes, the Perla has no lines, but says much. Turning to the science fiction Solaris starring George Clooney, director Steven Soderbergh wanted to keep the film's look rooted in the worlds of today or the near future. "We didn't want to be specific about how far in the future the story takes place, but we didn't want it to feel like the distant future.” The Axia Isola perfectly embodies Steven’s vision, with its sleek profile which is both forward thinking, yet accessible. The Axia Isola represents a futuristic touch in the classic kitchen of a New York City brownstone, owned by George Clooney’s character. A continuing creative process: starting with Faber designers who so precisely communicate the essence of each rangehood; next, a film’s Art Director who recognizes this essence and uses it to evoke a certain look; and finally the audience, who can not only appreciate this look in the film, but can also have it star in their own kitchen. (Sorry, we cannot promise that George Clooney or Meryl Streep are available to assist you in your Faber rangehood installation.)
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CONCEPT the essential is invisible to the eyes.
28/08/2003CONCEPT the essential is invisible to the eyes
"ADI indication, of the CONCEPT model, represents a further recognition which certifies Faber Design as the first promoter of new tendences". With these words, Alvaro Galassi,Chief Executive Officer of Faber group, describes the excellent results obtained by his team. It is not the first time that Faber enters the volume ADI Desing Index: the Master model had already been included in the volume 98-99 and then selected, among more than 700 products, at the 19Th Golden compass. Innovations both in design and in technology, are the characteristics which led to ADI Design Index indication of the Concept model. The hood as a result of the cooperation between Faber style center and BCF Design office, is built in the wall in a very original way,that is with a vertical installation. This is a project licenced by Faber, which arises from the specific idea, of creating a new way of living the kitchen environment, leaving the user completely free in his movements on the cooking plan, favouring an easy vision of the dishes and avoiding the risk of hitting the head. This is possible thanks to the built-in solution. With its powerful, but noiseless motor, and its nearness to the vapours and smells emissions, Concept has also a great suction capacity. Finally,the lighting separated from the hood and without the usual links imposed by the device dimensions, can be adapted to the user needs. Never as in this case, the essential is invisible to the eyes.
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"EXCELLENT" FABER!
07/02/2003Faber is a society in which high product qualitative standards, working safety and environment respect, coincide.
This commitment has found, during time, tangible acknowledgments: Faber’s Quality System has been the first one in hood sector which has been certified as corresponding to ISO 9001 (ed. 1994) rule. Today, Faber, still once more among the first industries in the world and unique in its sector, reaches another important and prestigious supremacy: INTERGATED SYSTEM OF QUALITY, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT certificate given by SGS body according to ISO 9001:2000, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 rules. It is for this reason that on Friday the 7th of February 2003, in Fabriano’s headquarter, Mr. Pineschi, Chief Executive Officer of Italy’s SGS srl society, will give personally to Faber’s President, Mr. Abramo Galassi, THE EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATE SGS, absolutely the first one in the world: number 001. SGS society, which has given to Faber this important acknowledgment, is the undiscussed world leader and innovator of verifying services, tests and certification. After the last award given to Mr. Galassi as Entrepreneur of the Year, such certification represents Faber’s umpteenth “certification” as leader on the market for quality and innovation capacities.
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