Molteni Group - Furniture with the craftsman's tradition but combined with innovative technology
The company
The Molteni group is one of Italy’s leading furnishings companies. It consists of four companies, each one at the forefront of its sector: Molteni &C S.p.A. (home furnishings), Unifor S.p.A. (office furnishings), Dada S.p.A. (kitchens) and Citterio S.p.A. Molteni offer global furnishing in Italy and over fifty countries worldwide.
The group goes back a long way starting out in the thirties as a small craftsman’s business. From the fifties on Molteni grew considerably, taking the decision to move into industrial production. Today Molteni is one of the few groups guaranteeing an integrated cycle - it has total control over every aspect of production, from the choice of materials to the final definition of the product. The current four companies have developed an expansive synergy as regards technology, research, and development of new products in response to changes in the home and workplace.
The Molteni group has always worked in partnership with designers of note such as Foster and Partners, Jean Nouvel Alvaro Siza, Pier Luigi Cerri, Michele De Lucchi, Rodolfo Dordoni, Ferruccio Laviani, Luca Meda, Dante Bonuccelli, Bruno Reichlin, Aldo Rossi, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Hannes Wettstein, Patricia Urquiola, and YabuPushelberg. Molteni quality is well known in Italy, where the group has its headquarters, but is also internationally renowned; Molteni exports to the main world markets through a network of over 350 sales outlets, ten of which are single-brand stores dedicated to the Molteni&C and Dada brands. Although each of the designers who work with Molteni is highly individual, they all agree on the idea that furniture must be elegant and comfortable and at the same time strong and attentive to detail, created with the best woods and thoroughly tested materials. Over and above its aspect, each piece of furniture is part of a breadth of choice, however it is the uniform refined taste which makes it right for a Molteni lifestyle.
Molteni also works on large scale projects like hotels, museums, ships, chain stores, hospitals and theatres. Recent projects include the furnishings for cruise ships for important lines such as Holland America Line, P&O, Walt Disney and Cruise North Sea Ferries, built in the Fincantieri shipyards, or private yachts for the Benetti shipbuilders; furnishings for Cartier boutiques all over the world and the Cartier Foundation in Paris, the new interiors for the Fenice Theatre in Venice and the new Concert Hall in Athens. Molteni has also recently been involved in works for Harrod’s and for the new Hilton hotel in London, for the new Casino interiors in Campione d’Italia, and for the furnishings of Ron Arad’s Hotel Duomo in Rimini.
Why CMS
Molteni bought their first CMS machine, which is still in production for small components, in the early 70s. To the present date the group as a whole has 13 CMS machines: 7 at Molteni&C, 3 at Dada, 3 at Unifor. All of them have been perfectly integrated by Molteni’s engineers with their existing production and information systems. There are two reasons that have counted most in confirming the collaboration between Molteni and CMS over the years.
The quality of the mechanics which have always provided high machining standards and durability over long periods of time have allowed the electronic parts to be upgraded thus avoiding the requirement to purchase new machines.
The technical support of CMS has always provided for problem-solving, namely when a new product is being produced, when a new machine is needed or a new process for the existing ones is required.
Molteni and CMS have always shared a great mutual confidence, corroborated by the achieved results.