Smeg Group S.p.A.
TypePrivate
IndustryHome appliances
Founded1948 (1948) in Guastalla, Italy
FounderVittorio Bertazzoni
Headquarters
Guastalla, Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Vittorio Bertazzoni, Roberto Bertazzoni, Vittorio Bertazzoni current Chairman
Revenue€906 million (2021)
Number of employees
2,600 (2021)
Websitesmeg.com

Smeg (an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla, Italian for Emilian Guastalla Metallurgical Enamelling Works) is an Italian home appliance manufacturer.

History

Founded in 1948[1] by Vittorio Bertazzoni as an enameling and metalworking company, the Smeg company preserves the memory of the activity originally carried out in the acronym Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla ("Emilian Metallurgical Enamelling Works Guastalla").[2]

During the 1950s the company’s metalworking background was accompanied by the production of its first cooking appliances. In 1956, the company presented "Elisabeth", one of the first gas cookers equipped with automatic ignition, a safety valve in the oven and a cooking programmer.

In the 1960s, Smeg introduced its first ever washing machine, the Leda, and then introduced the 60 cm Niagara dishwasher, known for its unprecedented load capacity of 14 place settings.

In 1971, the company began the production of built-in hobs and ovens.

Other activities

Having started in the residential sector, Smeg later entered the commercial market. Smeg Foodservice manufactures appliances for the hotel, restaurant and catering market and Smeg Instruments supplies disinfection equipment to hospitals and dental surgeries.

Business

The design and manufacture of Smeg appliances is concentrated in four factories based in Northern Italy, each specialising in a specific type of appliance. Smeg has subsidiaries worldwide, overseas offices and an extensive sales network. Smeg has developed a product collection in collaboration with architects and designers, including Guido Canali (who also designed the company headquarters in Guastalla), Mario Bellini, Renzo Piano, Marc Newson and deepdesign.

FAB retro-style appliances

Smeg refrigerators with a retro style.

In 1997, Smeg released their retro-style refrigerators. Produced in several colours, the FAB28 bore the distinctive SMEG lettering, deep curved doors and a chunky handle evocative of the 1950s.

Fridge-freezer versions followed and colour options expanded to include pink, yellow, orange and lime plus special editions, including a Union Jack door.

In 2014, Smeg extended the FAB 50s style range further, with a collection of small domestic appliances such as toasters and kettles.

Awards

  • 2010: Good Design Award granted by the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, for their FP610SG oven and the P755SBL hob from the innovative Newson product line.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sassall, Yeong (6 Oct 2022). "How Smeg is passing the baton of excellence to another generation". Vogue.com.
  2. ↑ SMEG History
  3. ↑ "Good Design Awards". Chi-athenaeum.org. Archived from the original on 2002-08-11. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smeg.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.