the italian Luigi Papaiz arrived in Brazil after the war to look for day. Built a brand of padlocks and locks relentless solidity.
He was born on September 27, 1924 in the city of Sesto al Reghena, which is in the province of Pordenone, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the northeast of Italy.
In your country, more precisely in Bologna, he attended the industrial technical course at a college for Salesian priests. After the end of Second World War, worked in machine manufacturing companies.
In 1947, still in Italy, Luigi Papaiz opened a pressure valve company for liquid gases, with resources borrowed from his brothers. However, the strong Italian crisis during that period did not allow the business success.
In 1952, the Italian Luigi and his cousin Giovanni Brunetta decided to travel to Brazil, looking for a chance to better employ their professional knowledge.
Arrival in Brazil and change of plans
The two disembarked at Port of Santos and arrived at the city of São Paulo, bringing a little money and some machines. Brazil was undergoing industrialization, but there was no market for pressure valves.
Therefore, Luigi Papaiz and Giovanni Brunetta spoke with compatriots who had been in the country for longer and ended up outlining new goals. The two started in the neighborhood of Vila Prudente a lock factory to supply parts to the furniture industry.
The initial production and the allocation of resources to invest in new technologies for the company allowed the rapid growth of the business, with the acquisition of state-of-the-art industrial machinery and equipment.
In 1967, Luigi Papaiz started the padlock production, a decision that would forever change the company's destiny, which ended up becoming a reference and one of the hallmarksthe leaders in the Brazilian marketeiro in the following decades.
New launches and new factory
At the same time, the company began producing standardized frames, with the launch of a collection of aluminum frames for doors and windows. Papaiz started to operate in this segment with the brand Udinese.
In 1970, the company began producing residential locks, with emphasis on the tetra lock, a high security.
In the following years, the company grew and added New releases to your production line. Business success led to the inauguration of new, modern industrial facilities in the city of Diadem, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, in 1982.
In 2000, the group created the Papaiz Nordeste, an industrial hub located in Salvador, in Bahia, where the manufacturing of the production lines was transferred padlocks and locks for furniture.
Farewell to Luigi Papaiz and second generation
Luigi Papaiz died in 2003, aged 79, in Bologna, Italy, leaving his wife Angela and three children, Sandra, Paolo and Roberta, representatives of second generation of the family. The three started to take charge of the business, together with Ricardo Franco, Roberta's husband.
In 2007, the company innovated by launching new packaging for its line of padlocks, with the aim of facilitating consumer choice at the time of purchase and making its appearance more attractive, modern and informative.
At the same time, Papaiz created new designs to strengthen the brand's visual identity, creating colorful padlocks and also differentiated lines, including padlocks with football team emblems, such as São Paulo, Flamengo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Grêmio and Vasco, among others.
In the following years, Papaiz continued to innovate its products, so that they became style accessories and not just in security items.
Thus, in 2009, the line was born Collection, made up of exclusive parts such as the door handle Maximum, the padlock Fashion and the padlock Fashion Secret, all with floral and colorful prints signed by the designer Adriana Barra.
Another novelty was the launch of the line's padlocks Comics, created for children and teenagers, which feature licensed characters, such as the Korean girl Pucca and the hero Ben 10.
Beginning of a new phase
In 2015, Papaiz was acquired by the multinational ASSA ABLOY, formed in 1994 from the merger of Swedish Assa and the Finnish Abloy, which comprises more than 400 companies subsidiaries in 70 countries and with global leadership in security and door opening solutions.
In the following years, the company continued to launch innovations, such as padlocks with rubberized finish (soft touch) and the lines of digital locks Smart Lock.
Papaiz also produces locks for homes and furniture, hinges and peepholes and is one of the brands Brazilian market leaders, exporting its products to more than 20 countries around the world and with estimated revenue of R $ million 230.
Luigi Papaiz's efforts recognized
Luigi Papaiz served as patron of several cultural events in the Italian community in São Paulo. In 2003, shortly before his death, he received from the Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi the commendation of Knight of the Grand Cross. He also received the title of Citizen of São Paulo da São Paulo City CouncilIn 1984.
The legacy of his work in Brazil is the reward for effort of an Italian who arrived in his new land with little money in your pocket and lots of hope to prosper.
By Roberto Schiavon/Italianism
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