Milestones

1978

A SUCCESS STORY BEGINS…

STALAM is established as a small, privately owned industrial enterprise, with focus on the development and manufacture of industrial RF equipment for drying applications, mainly in the textile industry.

1980 – 1983

STALAM ENTERS THE TEXTILE MARKET

STALAM successfully installs its first textile dryer in Italy and starts exports to Europe.

1984-1989

STALAM GAINS SUCCESS ACROSS EUROPE

STALAM becomes a renowned player in the RF drying technology for textile products and related applications in Europe.

1984: STALAM sells textile RF dryers totalling more than 1 MW (megawatt) output RF power in one year;

1985: STALAM sells its first multi-module dryer having an output RF power higher than 100 kW;

1986: STALAM sells RF dryers for more than 2 MW (megawatt) total output RF power in one year. For the first time, export exceeds domestic sales;

1987: STALAM sells its first RF dryer for women’s stocking & tights;

1988: STALAM sells its first RF dryer equipped with a fully robotised loading and unloading system for yarn packages;

1989: STALAM sells its first multi-module dryer having a total output RF power as high as 200 kW.

1990

MR. CAVESTRO BECOMES STALAM’S MAJOR STAKEHOLDER

Mr. Cavestro, STALAM’s Chairman until late 2016, enters the Company leading a group of industrial and private investors, and becomes its major shareholder. His clear entrepreneurial spirit paves the way to a steady growth process of the Company.

STALAM sells its first RF dryers for technical-textile applications (felts, latex foam).

1992

MR. ZANETTI JOINS STALAM

Mr. Zanetti (the current C.E.O.) joins the company and boosts STALAM’s development in the international markets.

STALAM exports for the first time to Africa, Latin America and the U.S.A.

1993-2001

STALAM BECOMES THE WORLD’S NO. 1 SUPPLIER OF RF DRYERS TO THE TEXTILE AND TECHNICAL-TEXTILE INDUSTRIES

STALAM introduces to the world markets the TCRF (thermo-controlled) and LTRF (low temperature) dryers, where the radio frequency technology is combined with air circulation through the product to increase the energy efficiency and improve the drying quality.

1993: STALAM starts exports to several countries in Asia;

1994: the TCRF (thermo-controlled) and LTRF (low-temperature) radio frequency technologies are introduced to the world markets;

1995: at the ITMA show STALAM presents the RF/T dryer for fabrics and the RFA/S technology (radio frequency assisted by hot air circulation); STALAM sells RF dryers totalling more than 3 MW (megawatt) output RF power in one year;

1996: STALAM sells its first RF dryer to the glass-fibre industry; RF equipment for more than 4 MW (megawatt) total output RF power are sold in one year;

1997: STALAM sells 20 RF drying modules to equip the largest yarn package dye-house in the world; yearly sales top 7 MW (megawatt) total output RF power;

1998: STALAM introduces its best-ever selling equipment, the 85 kW textile dryer (either water or air cooled);

1999: at the ITMA show STALAM presents the 105 kW, single-generator textile dryer;

2000: STALAM sells its 1000th textile dryer;

2001: STALAM’s yearly turnover tops for the first time 10 million Euro, and RF equipment sales exceed 9 MW (megawatt) total output RF power.

2002

NEW CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION

The Italian PE fund 21 Investimenti enters the Company with a minority stake. STALAM changes its legal status from limited liability company (S.r.l.) to private stock company (S.p.A.). The Company obtains the ISO 9001 quality system certification from TUV (Germany).

The 40th RF drying module is supplied to the world’s biggest dye-house. Yearly equipment sales top 10 MW (megawatt) total output RF power. In 2003 At the ITMA show STALAM presents the carousel-type RF/C dryer for yarn package columns.

2003-2004

STALAM STARTS TO DEVELOP NEW APPLICATIONS OF THE RF TECHNOLOGY IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Significant resources and R&D activities are allocated for the development of applications of the radio frequency technology in the food sector. RF pasteurisers and sterilisers become part of the Company’s product range, in addition to the post-baking RF dryers that are being marketed since the late eighties.

2005

STALAM ESTABLISHES ITS J-V COMPANY IN CHINA

STALAM establishes a j-v company in the P.R.C. acquiring the majority stake of a partially privatised, former state-owned industrial equipment manufacturer. Hydroextractors and yarn winders (under license) are produced there, other than textile RF dryers, for the domestic Chinese market. Meanwhile, STALAM exports its 300th RF drying module to China.

2006

MICROWAVE AND INFRARED TECHNOLOGIES BECOME PART OF STALAM’S PRODUCT RANGE

STALAM introduces the MW (microwave) and IR (infrared) technologies in its product range, mainly for small size production machines and lab equipment.

2007

STALAM SETS NEW STANDARDS IN THE RF DRYING TECHNOLOGY

At the ITMA show STALAM presents the RFA/HP model equipment, performing RF drying assisted by the heat-pump technology, and the 150 kW dryer, the world’s biggest single-generator textile RF dryer. In the same year, STALAM delivers its 300th RF drying module to the Turkish market, and manufactures its first-ever 6-module RF dryer.

2007-2009

STALAM INTRODUCES TO THE WORLD MARKETS ITS STATE-OF-THE-ART RF DEFROSTING EQUIPMENT

STALAM presents a new generation of RF equipment (patented) specifically designed for tempering and defrosting frozen food commodities and products, as well as the RF baking ovens for white-crust bread.

2007: STALAM sells to a leading European fish processor the first RF tempering equipment for packaged seafood products; a few months later the first RF equipment to defrost meat blocks is supplied to a major Italian customer;

2008: STALAM builds and installs successfully the first and biggest-ever RF oven (450 kW output power, 6-module, 32 m long) specifically designed to bake white-crust bread loaves with a capacity of 2,000 kg/h; in the same year, STALAM delivers its first ARF series pasteuriser for packaged toast bread;

2009: a few RF defrosters for frozen fish are supplied to leading European companies

2010

2012-2014

FURTHER INNOVATIVE RF APPLICATIONS ARE DEVELOPED BY STALAM IN DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIAL SECTORS

STALAM diversifies further the application range of its RF equipment, supplying innovative dryers for nutraceutical products, wound management foams, inorganic and mineral substrates.

2012: Sales in the food sector top 30% of the company’s turnover.
Stalam delivers 12 additional drying modules to the 2nd biggest producer of glass-fibres worldwide.

2014: The world’s no. 1 producer of glass-fibre products becomes STALAM’s customer.
The first “two-in-one” dryer-pasteurizer RF equipment for organic cereals is successfully installed in Italy.
Equipment sales in the food sector exceed for the first time 40% of STALAM’s turnover.

2015

STALAM’S RF TECHNOLOGY TO PASTEURISE ALMONDS ACHIEVES TERP VALIDATION

The first ever pasteurizer for nuts (almonds) ensuring 4log salmonella microbial contamination reduction is delivered and then TERP-approved in the USA according to the USDA / Almonds Board of California protocols.

STALAM’s j-v company in China delivers its 500th textile RF dryer manufactured locally.

2016

IDEA EFFICIENZA ENERGETICA E SVILUPPO SOSTENIBILE ACQUIRES STALAM

IDeA Efficienza Energetica e Sviluppo Sostenibile, the Italian private equity fund specialising in the environmental sustainability sector and controlled by IDeA Capital Funds SGR (DeA Capital Group) acquires STALAM in a management buy-out operation, to further boost the company’s growth.

Sales of STALAM’s RF equipment, either for food or textile products, reach the most remote areas in the world, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Papua-New Guinea. RF equipment for processing medicinal herbs and nutraceutical products are successfully installed at leading companies worldwide.

2017

STALAM GROWS FURTHER

STALAM records the highest turnover in its history and the group revenues exceed EUR. 20 million.

2018

STALAM CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Stalam celebrates the 40th anniversary with a significant expansion of its production facility in Italy.

2023

A CLUB DEAL MANAGED BY DEAL SOURCE ITALIA ACQUIRES STALAM

A club deal of private investors organized by Deal Source Italia has acquired 100% of Stalam’s share capital from the IdeA Efficienza Energetica e Sviluppo Sostenibile fund.

In may 2023 a private investor club deal, organized by Deal Source Italia, has finalized the acquisition of 100% of Stalam’s share capital from the IdeA Efficienza Energetica e Sviluppo Sostenibile fund managed by DeA Capital Alternative Funds SGR in partnership with the company’s management.

Deal Source Italia will support Stalam in a further phase of expansion, supporting it in organizational development and economic growth activities, in the belief that there is still ample room for growth and diversification to be seized in order to create value for its investors.