Pompe Garbarino, at the ship’s heart
The company was founded in 1932 by Paolo Garbarino, then 28 years old, to build displacement piston pumps for the wine industry (Acqui is renowned for at least two local grape varieties, Brachetto, and Dolcetto) which were then patented in Italy and in several European countries.
Alberto Quarati
Acqui Terme - Just as the body relies on the heart, so ships depend on their pumping systems: these machines regulate the cooling and lubrication of engines, the bilge and ballast functions, the circulation of water, oil and diesel fuel, the air conditioning and boilers. Worldwide, there are fewer than twenty companies specializing in this sector, and one of the most important ones is the Italian, Pompe Garbarino, located in Acqui Terme, Piedmont.
The history of this company is a perfect paradigm of the small-medium enterprise: 120 employees with a turnover of 27 million in 2015. The company was founded in 1932 by Paolo Garbarino, then 28 years old, to build displacement piston pumps for the wine industry (Acqui is renowned for at least two local grape varieties, Brachetto, and Dolcetto) which were then patented in Italy and in several European countries.
In the aftermath of World War II, a patented system of rotary piston pumps led to Garbarino winning an international tender for fuel-pumping systems. The success opened the company to commissions from both maritime and military industries, and it became official supplier to the Italian navy.
Like many Italian companies, Garbarino found its niche in the global business market, and chose to remain medium sized thus avoiding constraints and unnecessary costs, without sacrificing their commercial and organizational dynamism. In the 80s, Garbarino acquired Rapetti Giuseppe & C, a highly regarded company in Acqui specializing in building cleaning machines for the construction industry: Rapetti is where Garbarino now outsources the production of several equipment components, alongside the company’s own line of work. Garbarino started as a family business and has remained so.
The only major structural change in the company’s history came in 2006, when a stake in the company was passed on to a new generation of family members, which led to the current structure with Carlo Garbarino (Chairman and son of the founder) and to his two sons, Paolo and Danilo (Managing Directors) at the helm.
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