1956

Our first kitchen

It is 1956 and a still very young Luciano Sileoni is gaining experience in the Farroni carpentry workshop: during the day he did what his boss told him to do, during the evening he worked for himself. One of these jobs was for his mother Giuditta, who needed a new kitchen. There wasn't much money and Luciano had to choose cheap materials, using laminate only for the outsides of the doors and not for the insides. The result is a preview of what would become the Lube style: a well-designed, functional and very hard-wearing kitchen. So hard-wearing in fact that Giuditta only decided to change it in 1990, almost 35 years later. This kitchen is perfectly functional even now.

1967

A dream is born

In Italy this was a period of transition and of great new ideas. LUCIANO SILEONI, a young carpenter, supplemented his salary by making furniture after dinner. One day he asked his friend the local barber, BENITO RAPONI, to become his partner and start a furniture making business. Thus, in a garage in Treia, the kitchen workshop of what is now Lube was opened. It was the first of May 1967 and the two partners chose to name the new company SIRA (taking the first two letters of their surnames, SILEONI and RAPONI). MARIO GRILLI, a sales representative for Lube, was instrumental in its initial growth, taking the "cupboards" out of the confines of the village and breathing oxygen into the small company. Customer satisfaction was Luciano's imperative right from the beginning.

“I didn't leave the workshop even to eat, we worked day and night with three or four employees, even working on Sundays.”

Luciano Sileoni

1973

From a dream to reality

The small business was growing and needed more space, a new workshop had to be found. In 1974 the factory in via Fontevannazza was opened and the company changed its name to Lube (again using a play on the owner's names, but this time on their first names LUCIANO and BENITO). In September of the same year Luciano's brother-in-law FABIO GIULIANELLI joined the company, fresh from his high school studies. He became a key figure in the company's future growth. Their products were good and demand for them increased. A suitable sales network was set up and collaboration began with sales representatives all over Italy, many of whom are still with the company today. The kitchens were yet to cross national borders because production was completely absorbed by internal demand.

1993

The dream goes global

Lube was by now a consolidated and growing business. The factory in via Fontevannazza was no longer suitable for manufacturing requirements. Passo di Treia was identified as a suitable industrial area to move to and in August 1993 the big move took place. The company changed its name to Cucine Lube Over and the new factory was enlarged even further over the years: each new building that was built was filled almost instantly. In a historical context characterised by globalisation, the Lube brand began to exceed national boundaries and conquer the global market, which was increasingly interested in "Made in Italy" quality. What was once a small provincial workshop had been transformed into a large company that was still firmly rooted in its birthplace.

2003 to now

We never stop growing

2003 was a decisive year for the group, which was by now run by four partners: SILEONI and GIULIANELLI decided to ensure the future of the company by purchasing all the shares. From that time on the founders' children were employed by the organisation to create a strong message of continuity. Lube now occupies 100,000 m2 of covered manufacturing sites and employs 550 workers that produce 50,000 kitchens per year, reaching 76 countries worldwide. The roof of the factory has been fitted with a photovoltaic system with over 15,000 solar panels, which produces around 6 million kilowatts of clean energy per year. Investment in technology and computer systems is the cornerstone of every strategic decision the company takes. Quality, service and customer care are still the absolute priorities of our marketing strategy.

“Lube has made customer service its calling card. It is a basic element of our marketing strategy. Our customer service has always been an absolute and fundamental value in many years of activity in taking us to a position of market leadership.”

Fabio giulianelli