Founded in 1928, Valli Zabban has been the first Italian company producing bitumen emulsions. In 2008 it’s celebrating its eightieth birthday. A unique history, that deserves to be recounted in its most significant stages.

The Company. Modern roads and Valli Zabban were born together. Idrobitumi Zabban was founded in Bologna in 1928. A pioneer Company, since methods were still rudimentary. At that time the production, the transport and the laying of bitumen were far from present standards. It was sufficient to lay, even manually, the multilayer made of bitumen emulsions and grits on the roadbed to obtain a synthetic asphalt paving. The Road Building Contractor Valli Giulio & C. instead, was born in Florence in 1945. The two Companies merged in 1981, giving birth to Valli Zabban, the main Italian production pole specialized in bitumen transformation for road pavings and for waterproofing of buildings.

The group. In the scenery of the ’80s, corporate development was requiring new partners and new strategic synergies. The challenge of the market was soon accepted. In 1982 Valli Zabban joined the Pontello Group, then supported by Calcestruzzi SpA. In 1995 a minority share was sold to Api. Then, in 1998, the majority share was acquired by Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Capital Italy. Since 2004 the 10% of Valli Zabban’s capital belongs to General Beton Triveneta, a Tonon Group Company.

The factories. Valli Zabban’s general administrative office is located in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), while the production facilities are located in Vercelli, Salzano (Venezia), Bologna, Firenze, Arezzo, Perugia e Monterado (Ancona). Right the factory in Monterado, set up in 1983, has given a strong boost to the corporate growth. The fire that destroyed it in 1990 was a hard blow, yet has been able to rise from those ashes, thanks to the united will of directors, managers and workers. Today the factory of Monterado has become again what it was the flagship of a company that has been reaching out for excellence for eighty years. Its two production lines dedicated to bituminous membranes are totally computer-based and able to produce up to 4.000 sq.m./hr. In the factory of Monterado there is also the laboratory devoted to research and development of the membranes, that assures the qualitative standard of the product, while the head laboratory of the road sector, which is one of the most equipped in Italy, is situated at the factory in Bologna.