Senigallia marbles manufacturing

The History

In 1959, Dino Bigelli establishes the "Rosati and Bigelli". He is nineteen years old: he is still a boy, if we think according to the modern standards, even though he has an associate, which is thirty-seven years old. Five years later, in 1964, he founds Bigelli Marmi, that is born as a small company: Dino Bigelli has indeed the characteristics of the entrepreneur who prefers to work on his own accepting the risks; he is indeed a true entrepreneur who faces the enterprise's risks.

At that moment, Bigelli faces the task to apply to a new level what he has learned during his working experience, first as apprentice then as a company's associate. Until 1977, he works for building enterprises that are mainly local, and then he gradually succeeds in obtaining marble supplies assignments for residential or summery blocks of flats under construction, in the growing town of Senigallia. We assist at the growth of the enterprise, side by side to the growth of Senigallia, as a town and as a resort. Since the '77, the factory grows in more steps until it reaches the actual dimension, doubling its actual extension in square meters. From the early '80, his son Luigi learns how a factory works: after his first school graduation he spends the summer holidays working in the factory, while he continues to carry on the studies for achieving the degree of surveyor.

A first significant change happens in the mid of the 80'. Various factories are here interweaved. The production of kitchens has developed in the area nearby Pesaro, thanks to important companies, such as Scavolini. The kitchen producers are facing a growing market, where the concept of home and the lifestyle is evolving: With the new lifestyle, the kitchen is having a role different from the traditional one. By now, the kitchen is composed by units, furniture bases, hangings, and it is characterized by the presence of the enclosed electric household appliances and for the running length worktops. After the laminated, the kitchen producers propose granite or marble tops. Bigelli promptly answers to the incoming orders, so that in few years his company invoices more than 50% to the kitchen producers, even keeping and working mainly on the building sector.

Bigelli Marbles develops itself: in the '88 the plant becomes larger, after a first enlargement in 1982. The market is transforming. The market of the marble is complex, it goes through various phases and Bigelli Marmi, still maintaining its core production for the building sector, finds several directions for increasing. The changes are noticed with opportune timeliness, perceiving that, while the job for the building sector remains the core business, the collaboration with the kitchen companies is slowing down. The steel, composite materials and tiles for worktops are replacing the use of the marble and granite. Leaded by the intelligence that he will demonstrate in several occasions in understanding the market processes, Dino Bigelli decides to open other foreheads. He is in touch with a designer about forty-years old but already strong in intelligent experiences not only for projects.

Enrico Tonucci becomes art director of the company: it starts a new field, the one of the tables and marble furniture's production, and for this reason it starts the relationship with appreciated designer. The company meets the design, starting a road that in few years will lead to notoriety among Italian and foreigner architects and designer, also because it starts to show its products to the exhibitions in Bologna and Milan. All this represent a change in Bigelli Marmi history: it becomes from a factory that works for the buildings and kitchens companies to a brand with diversified productions. Its prestige takes off considerably. It arises the idea of a collection entrusted to several architect of international reputation. Designer and architects from various countries are invited to design furniture and objects in marble for the house, the garden, and the communities. It is a wide and articulated choice, aimed to involve in the project various personages and sensibility, with the technologies and artisan skills presents in Bigelli. The choice of the designer is accompanied to the project of the event, which is conceived for their presentation to the press and the world of the design. From this moment, Bigelli Marmi becomes a famous company worldwide appreciated. Its Core business is related to the stones and marbles for the building sector but it involves also the kitchen to the marble furniture.

And with the 90' it is ready to pick the new developments of the life styles. The cooperation between Bigelli and Tonucci, realizes that something new is arising in the organization of the house of the Italians, in their lifestyle and in their way of living. If in the 80' the kitchen becomes not only a space of service but a place to live and share, in the 90' is the bathroom that becomes not only a space of service but a place of wellness and fitness where one desires a new environmental pleasantness also from the aesthetic point of view. While the production of baths for the house is developing, one realize that the field which is growing is the yachting, and that important yachting companies are located not far from Senigallia. A particular technology that allows to apply thin marble layers to light aluminium structure is developing. In this way, starts the production of marble bathrooms, from the walls to the flooring and furnishings, for boats: Italian and foreign yachts are furnished with baths that are projected and produced from Bigelli.

Today in the years 2000 Bigelli Marmi works for Italian companies, produces for US companies and, thanks to the architects, supplies marble for hotel in Paris, villas in south Africa, it exports in Russia and many other countries, while it plans to build a factory in Kurdistan. It is the actuality of a company born in 1964, that therefore is forty five years old , tied to its territory, which conquered an operating dimension on the global markets. A company that is part of the patrimony of the production of excellence of our country and that has a familiar management.