From garage to global manufacturer; see the trajectory of the company that is a member of BMS
Romi, a manufacturer of machine tools and plastic processing machines, celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2020. Despite the change of plans by virtue of the pandemic, the company commemorates on its social media by means of videos recorded by its employees, a commemorative seal and even signs promoting #romi90anos. The signs can be seen in front of the company’s units.
With over 160 thousand machines built during nine decades, 30 thousand of which exported to all continents, the company has internationalization in it core business. Since 2002, Romi is a member of Brazil Machinery Solutions — a partnership between the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Machinery Builders’ Association (ABIMAQ) —, and it currently has 13 manufacturing units in Brazil and Germany.
“The BMS Program is important because it helps increasing company’s visibility in several countries. The collective sense among its members makes possible for all of us to participate as exhibitors in many events we probably couldn’t participate alone”, says Fábio Almeida, sales manager for Latin America.
Exportation began in 1944, when the first model of IMOR turning center was sold to Argentina. Today, Romi is known worldwide for the manufacture of machine tools such as D series machining centers, GL series turning centers and Centur series CNC lathes. The plastic processing machine is also among the main products, in addition to the casting and machined parts it supplies.
The company currently has branches in markets like the United States, Italy, Spain, England, France and Mexico. “In Latin and Central Americas, we have local distributors who have a close relationship with the Brazilian company, and many of them have been working with us for over 20 years. Like other representatives around the globe, they have a strong connection with Romi’s culture”, says Almeida.
Rogério Bosco, manager of institutional and governmental affairs of the company, says about such aspect: “Innovation is something very strong in our company”. He mentions Romi-Isetta, the first Brazilian car, manufactured by the company in 1956, which is still an automotive icon today.
From Emílio Romi’s garage to the world
Located since its foundation in Santa Bárbara D’Oeste, in the countryside of the state of São Paulo, Romi began as a garage in 1930. “At that time, Santa Bárbara was already a city with many sugar mills”, says Rogério. The heavy work developed in such mills resulted in damaged equipment, and the region didn’t have repair shops.
In 1938, Emílio Romi expanded his services to meet that demand and founded Máquinas Agrícolas Romi. “The lack of products for such industry was so huge that in some years the company went from a repair shop to a manufacturer of agricultural implements”, says Bosco. Expanding in the Southeast and South regions of Brazil, Romi captivated the national market with its machinery, diversified its portfolio and went overseas, being now a company known worldwide.