SMARTMATLAB industrial partner (SME)
Petroceramics S.p.A. was founded in 2003, as the first spin-off from Milan State University, with a view to making the most of the results of the University’s scientific research into materials engineering, in order to transform those results into industry-ready technologies and to develop state-of-the-art products.
The mission of Petroceramics is to develop advanced ceramic materials, as well as the processes and equipment associated with those materials. The company operates in a number of sectors, including: friction materials for brake systems (a field in which it works in partnership with Brembo S.p.A. and Brembo Ceramic Brake Systems S.p.A., as part of a joint venture with the Daimler Chrysler Mercedes Group); bulletproof materials for the armoured protection of persons and vehicles; and, last but not least, ceramic components for manufacturing industry and the aeronautical sector.
Petroceramics is a small-scale, dynamic company that currently has around 10 employees, the vast majority of whom are researchers. The company has an annual turnover of around €1 million.
The business model deployed by Petroceramics is based on establishing strategic partnerships with customers and providing them with valuable support throughout the development of new materials and processes, right up until the start-up of manufacturing operations.
The company also provides materials analysis services and consultancy services on ceramics and petrology.
The transfer of the headquarters to the Kilometro Rosso Science & Technology Park in Stezzano (Bergamo) is an important element in the company’s expansion strategy, because the new site not only offers excellent, fully equipped facilities but also benefits from being located within a highly innovative, interdisciplinary, multi-industry environment.