The hot-melt adhesives supplier was founded by a chemist focused on innovation and quality. Over 100 years later, its products have changed but its values haven’t.
Family-owned Savaré, with global headquarters in Milan, celebrated its 100th anniversary in January, joining a club of companies in the bedding industry that have survived wars, a global depression, a pandemic and countless shifts in the mattress market. And that makes it an excellent subject for our Companies With Staying Power series focusing on manufacturers and suppliers that have been in business for a century or more.
“A century ago, our founder, my grandfather (Biagio Savaré Sr.), embarked on a visionary journey to establish a legacy defined by quality, innovation and unwavering dedication. (What began in 1924) as a chemical synthesis lab has evolved into a leading force in adhesive production, making significant contributions to the early developments of hot melts in Europe in the ’70s. Today, as we joyfully celebrate this significant milestone, we do so with profound appreciation for the enduring partnerships that have shaped our narrative in this industry over several decades,” said CEO Biagio Savaré at a celebration earlier this year. The company has global headquarters in Milan; Savaré Specialty Adhesives LLC is based in Delaware, Ohio.
The mattress industry may know Savaré as a supplier of hot-melt adhesives used to assemble mattresses and pocketed coil units but, like many companies that have been in existence for 100 years or more, the business had, as Biagio Savaré indicates, a different focus in its early days.
Biagio Savaré Sr. earned a PhD in chemistry from Bologna University in 1903 and began work in the university’s chemistry department, publishing papers on colloidal solutions, the nature of starch iodide, hydrazine and levulinic acid, says Paolo Campitelli, Savaré assembly industry manager for North America. Biagio Savaré Sr. next got a job in the Chemical Investigation Office in Dresden, Germany. He later returned to Italy and, In 1924, he founded his own company, Dr. Savaré – Industrie Chimiche, specializing in the production of colloidal products, starch derivatives and emulsifiable products for the paper, textile and tanning industries.
The company began producing latex and synthetic dispersion glues in the 1960s and, in a portentous milestone in the 1970s, started manufacturing thermosetting adhesives, better known now as hot melts. In 1993, the company opened a plant in Cerro Maggiore, Italy, dedicated to the production of hot-melt adhesives. In 2007, the company built a facility in Ohio to service the North American market.
We asked Campitelli to tell us more about the company’s history and how it has endured for a century.
BedTimes: How has your company’s focus changed since the company’s founding?
Paolo Campitelli: Savaré’s focus shifted in the early 1970 when innovative feedstocks drove the development of a new technology, thermosetting adhesives (or hot melts). As one of the early adopters and developers of a successful technology, Savaré has adjusted its strategy to become a global leader in hot-melt applications, serving specific selected markets, such as hygiene, medical, mattress, building and construction, tape and labels.
BT: Do you think Savaré’s founder would recognize the company if he walked through the doors today?
PC: One hundred years later, our founder would recognize the same values, corporate culture and principles, the passion for innovation and technology, and he would be amazed at the results Savaré has achieved in the world of adhesives.
BT: What core value or business practice has your company maintained since its founding?
PC: Savaré’s 100-year history has been constantly supported by the commitment, passion, dedication and direct involvement of several family members and long-term employees that have contributed to creating a distinctive company profile. We have grown to be a midsize, responsive, agile company, focused on the needs of specific customers and markets, always standing by the quality and consistency of our products.
BT: What advantages does Savaré’s long history give you in the marketplace?
PC: Today, Savaré is led by Biagio Savaré, our founder’s grandson, and his son Pietro. The family’s presence and continuity has guaranteed a unique know-how consolidation and built long-term personal relationships, not only with customers but also with many suppliers, co-suppliers and machine manufacturers. As we stay loyal to our core values, our customers stay loyal to us.
BT: Does your company’s long history affect how you view the business or make decisions for the future?
PC: Yes, absolutely! I joined the company 25 years ago, a few days after the 75th anniversary. I could not imagine back then, at age 24, what kind of amazing journey I was about to embark on. I was given many opportunities to gain experience and learn, and eventually, the possibility to move to the U.S. to participate in the startup of our plant in Ohio. I still remember Dr. Biagio’s words before I left for Italy: “Paolo, you will not just represent Savaré, you will be representing me personally.” To this day, I continue trying to live up to that expectation on every decision I make and action I take.
Read the first installment in our “Companies With Staying Power” series: How Gold Bond Lived To Be 125.
