It was 1937 when Rodolfo Squinzi founded his building materials business in the outskirts of Milan with seven staff members and the support of his wife Elsa. That is how Mapei — Materiali Ausiliari Per l'Edilizia e l'Industria — was first established, setting off on a path that would lead it to become a multinational company championing Italian excellence all over the world.

85 years later, the facts and figures about Mapei tell the story of how it has evolved: Three generations of entrepreneurs with business operations in 57 countries, over 20 product lines to meet all the needs of the building trade, 84 production plants, revenue of 2.8 billion euros and about 11,000 staff members.

Mapei Mediglia plant in Milan, Italy. Photo: Mapei.

The farsightedness and passion of Giorgio Squinzi, at the helm of the company from 1984 to 2019; the constant support of his sister, Laura Squinzi; and the insight of his wife Adriana, head of marketing and communications strategy, have steered the way ahead, laying the foundations for what are now the Group’s pillars: Internationalization, Research & Development, Specialization and Sustainability. Support for culture and sport has also helped secure close ties between business operations, the surrounding region and the company itself. These bonds are still the company’s most distinctive trait worldwide.

Since 2019, Laura Squinzi has been Chairman of the Board of Directors, which also includes Veronica and Marco Squinzi as Group CEOs, and Simona Giorgetta.

"We are treating this important milestone more like a starting line. We are ready to face new challenges, knowing that we can count on a team of the highest caliber,” Veronica Squinzi stated. “Mapei is a company with its heart in Italy and its eyes looking out across the globe. Since our grandfather took that historic first step in 1974 and built the athletics tracks for the Montreal Olympics, we have never stopped investing in new markets. Today we have 91 subsidiaries in 57 countries, and we have no intention of stopping here. We recently acquired the French company Resipoly and we are currently building five new factories everywhere from the United States to China."

Marco Squinzi went on to add, "Our deep commitment to innovation and research is still a major part of the entire Group strategy. We are a chemical company manufacturing products for the building industry and the aim of our 32 research laboratories is to come up with cutting-edge products to make building increasingly sustainable by focusing on durability and quality. We believe that extending the life cycle of existing buildings is the best way to consume fewer resources and produce less waste for landfills. We are also committed to making increasing use of raw materials with low environmental impact or secondary raw materials to help boost the circular economy, simultaneously striving to reduce the use of hazardous substances to a minimum in order to protect not only the environment but also workers’ health.”

Luigi Di Geso, president and CEO of Mapei North America, stated, “Mapei is known throughout the industry for excellence – not only for excellent products, but also for the excellence of the philosophies and practices that lead to the creation of those products. That excellence is rooted in our firm connection to Italy and to the passion for innovation with which this company was founded. Mapei is an historic company with new ideas because of that passionate drive for innovation.”

There are countless projects and initiatives that have seen Mapei play a leading role in helping communities grow all over the world: From the upgrading of iconic buildings, such as the Guggenheim museum in New York City, La Scala opera house in Milan and the Colosseum in Rome, to the construction of large infrastructures like the Panama Canal and the company’s involvement in major futuristic projects such as the “Arena del Futuro,” an innovative green-mobility project – following the route of the A35 Brebemi motorway in Italy – that is based on dynamic-induction electric recharging.

As it blows out 85 celebratory candles, Mapei is retracing its own history but, above all, it is looking to the future, choosing to take on new challenges with the commitment, passion, high specialization and professionalism that have always distinguished the company and its people. 

For more information, visit mapei.com.