Article first appeared in Il Corriere di Novara on Monday 6th, 2022.
Founded in 1997, at the Via Prati Nuovi industrial site in Cerano, under the name of Garbo Servizi S.r.l., Garbo S.r.l. is a pioneer in the recovery of silicon carbide and polyethylene glycol, products used in the abrasive mixtures employed in the cutting of silicon wafers destined for the semiconductor or photovoltaic panel industries.
A step back…
In 1999, Garbo Servizi S.r.l. installed the first pilot plant for abrasive mixture recovery at a major silicon wafer producer in Novara, Italy, while in November 2000 Garbo inaugurated SiC Processing GmbH, thanks to the signing of a joint-venture agreement with a German chemical processing machine design company.
In a world facing the growing risk of resource depletion, however, renewable raw materials play a primary role. In this context, Garbo rises to the challenge and its technology is replicated around the world: in 2001, SiC Processing GmbH opens its first plant in Germany, while in 2005 it arrives in China, Norway and the United States.
The adventure with the German partner closed, since 2006 Garbo has continued its mission in the development of innovative technologies for the regeneration of materials, eventually coming to the recovery of PET plastics. Finally, in 2020, Garbo s.r.l. expanded once again through the acquisition of PPT Abrasives, introducing diamond powder among its processed materials.
… then always moving forward!
To date, Garbo boasts more than 10 proprietary patents filed and has founded its business on the circular economy. Sixty-five people are employed at the historic Cerano site with employment growth projected in the years to come.
Not only that, Garbo is also active in regional R&D chains as the lead partner in the Reciplast project, co-funded by the Piedmont region and the European Union, which involves leading companies in the food industry and the automotive sector and is aimed at expanding the possibilities of reuse of plastics from food packaging and automotive components that have reached the end of their life. The ChemPET technology developed by Garbo will be applied in order to increase the sustainability of the entire supply chain.
As further confirmation of Garbo’s commitment to establish itself among the Italian excellences that have adopted a sustainable production system attentive to the environment and the health of workers, in 2021 the renovation of the Cerano plant was completed: thanks to funding received from the Isi Inail notice, Garbo built a new roof for the plant, reclaimed from materials that contained asbestos residues.
The roof of the Cerano production site also houses one of the largest photovoltaic systems near Novara capable of providing clean energy for Garbo Srl’s production processes.
The technologies and recovery processes developed by Garbo are the result of investments that have allowed the company to be constantly one step ahead of its competitors. Keeping one eye always open on the past, but the other fixed on the future, Garbo S.r.l. continues its search for innovative solutions in the identification of new technological processes that allow it to for- nish the market with unique or distinctive products. Regenerating raw materials with high added value means first and foremost making the concept of sustainability possible.
For Garbo, sustainability is not just an idea, but a real philosophy.
Article first appeared in Il Corriere di Novara on Monday 6th, 2022.
