Established in Verona in 1945 to trade ferrous materials and recovered metals, today Manni is an international steel industry player.
In that period of my childhood, one of my favourite toys was Meccano, which I spent many afternoons creating complex constructions with… However, I would have never imagined that this way of assembling prefabricated metal elements could be applied in the real world of construction.
This boy with a Meccano box and post-war Italy had one thing in common, an unrestrainable desire to build.
And so began Giuseppe Manni’s adventure alongside his father Luigi, the Group’s founder, then faced with the poverty of the post-war period and inspired by the idea trading ferrous waste and scrap. His firstborn Giuseppe gradually transformed this small business into a leading European industrial group, his added value being those very skills he had learned at home and in his father’s workshop, where life and work blended into one. A story of passion and hard work, dotted with milestones and successes destined to be remembered, not only by the company but by the community in general: a brilliant, representative heritage, epitomised by the steel Star, produced by Manni Group for its city , that every winter since 1984 “arises from within the age-old Arena of Verona and lands on Piazza Bra”.
Giuseppe Manni has been at the helm of the Group for 60 years now, and always with the same forward-looking inquisitiveness he had as a child 60 years ago, when his future was a blank page waiting to be filled.
The 75th anniversary undoubtedly represents a historical moment of rethinking towards new sustainable goals, as has already happened several times in its history. This moment coincides with Francesco Manni's inauguration as President of the Sub-Holding Manni Group, already ready and prepared to receive the baton, and facilitated by the twenty-year experience lived alongside the previous Presidency. The new Presidency is supported by the proven and valid presence of the CEO Enrico Frizzera capable of guiding management towards new opportunities. In fact, this situation certainly stimulates us to rethink the model and the very concept of sustainability where man has a central position.
Enrico Frizzera graduated in Economics at the University of Verona. He has acquired technical and organizational skills in the field of financial institutions. Specifically, he deals with insurances and reinsurances by collaborating with the main international consulting companies. After being general manager of the Cattolica Group, he has become Manni Group’s CEO. Manni Group is a company mainly dealing with B2B. It is a leading company in the field of steel products, insulating panels, energy efficiency and renewable sources (industrial, commercial and residential segments).
The Company was established after the War, in 1945, when Luigi Manni (who was later knighted) leveraged that determination, resourcefulness and desire to start again that characterised the new entrepreneurial fabric of the time to invent a trade entailing the recovery of metal waste and scrap.
The business thrived, and when in 1960 Luigi’s son Giuseppe joined the family business, a nation-wide steel product trade began, with some of his brothers also playing a role as they helped run the business.
The industrial turning point came in the early 1970s: starting off with the simplest steel product processing works all the way up to the more complex works completed nowadays, allowing prestigious steel constructions to be built. Worth noting is the steel Star, produced by Manni Group for its city , that every winter since 1984 “arises from within the age-old Arena of Verona and lands on Piazza Bra”. This architectural sculpture, admired all over the world, was the greatest tribute paid to Luigi Manni and his son Roberto.
As the business grew, metal construction knowledge improved and new companies were established: the stainless steel service centre, research endeavours on renewable energies that led to the construction of photovoltaic systems and, more recently, light steel constructions integrated with insulating panels.
The panel production business first started in the 1980s, developing quickly in Italy with two major plants. Later on, it was enhanced with several innovations that allowed the first phase of internationalisation to be launched in the 2000s with two companies in Spain and Romania.
The crisis in 2008 resulted in further investments being made abroad, reflecting the co-leading position achieved in Europe and Central America in the production of metal insulation panels.
Today, after three generations, Manni Group is ready to pass the baton to a new, highly qualified administration, enriched by its 20 years of close contact with its predecessor.
The new crisis we are seeing in 2020, the evolution of which is still difficult to make out, has not found the Group unprepared. This historic time requires setting new sustainable objectives, as has been the case on several occasions during our company’s 75-year history.
Indeed, the current situation will most certainly encourage a review of the model and of the very concept of sustainability, with mankind playing a key role. In line with this objective, we will not be holding any celebration, which such an anniversary would indeed deserve, so that the relevant funds may be fully allocated to BRFVr - the Brain Research Foundation of Verona - following the Coronavirus pandemic.
I would like to express my full appreciation to all the collaborators and stakeholders who have contributed to making Manni Group’s 75-year history. Until we meet again at our next anniversary.
Luigi Manni starts a company for the trade of ferrous materials and recovered metals.
Industrial development begins under the direction of Giuseppe Manni.
1960 - Establishment of Manni Prodotti Siderurgici (Verona, IT).
1969 - Establishment of Manni Siderurgica (Verona, IT).
1972 - Establishment of Sipre in Mozzecane, the first pre-processing service centre for steel beams in Europe (Verona, IT).
1980 - Acquisition of Officine Riunite F.lli Lancini (Crema, IT).
1982 - Opening of the Palazzetto headquarters in Verona (IT).
1987 - Establishment of the second Sipre centre for the pre-processing of beams (Crema, IT).
1988 - Acquisition of Isopan and production of insulating metal panels marks the start of strong growth (Frosinone, IT).
1993 - Acquisition of Commerciale Siderurgica Veronese.
1995 - Establishment of Gruppo Manni S.p.A. (Verona, IT).
1996 - Establishment of Icom Engineering for the design of metal structures and consulting services
2000 - Establishment of Gruppo Manni HP, the new industrial holding (Verona, IT).
2001 - Establishment of Isopan Iberica (Tarragona, Spain). Equity investment in Malavolta S.p.A.
2002 - Establishment of Isopan in Trevenzuolo (Verona, IT).
2007 - Establishment of Isopan Est in Bucharest (Romania).
2008 - Establishment of C.S.I. - Centro Servizi Inox (Verona, IT).
2014 - Isopan grows its international presence with two new plants Isopan Rus (Volgograd, Russia) and Isocindu (Guanajuato, Mexico)
2015 - Manni Sipre and Isopan are suppliers of Expo Milano 2015 and Manni Energy participates in the Demo Field project of the Parco Tecnologico Padano sponsored by Expo.
2016 - New global brand image for Manny Energy, inspired by the architecture of the Verona headquarters.
2017 - Start-up of Manni Green Tech and Digital Marketing & Communication
Development of the partnership with Rebuild.
