Negri Bossi celebrates 70 years in injection moulding

Injection moulding machinists Negri Bossi, based in Milan, are celebrating 70 years trading. 

Negri Bossi was formed in 1947 by Pietro Negri from nearby Como, and Walter Bossi from Besozzo, with their accountant Marco Giani. 

The three men had previously worked together, from 1943 to 1947, at Giani’s General Company of Machines and Equipment for Plastic, where the first injection moulding machine was produced.

Starting Negri Bossi, Bossi was technical designer and Negri, with mechanical engineering qualifications, took charge of production, while Giani provided commercial support.

They took on 10 employees in their first headquarters on Corso Magenta in Milan. Later in the same year, there was a move to a bigger facility in Via Bazzini as the company experienced rapid growth.

Negri Bossi’s first machine was the NB 28, which had a 15 tonne hydraulic clamping unit with two tie bars. The mouldings produced were buttons in a polystirol material with a weight of 28 grams. The customer was from Bergamo and the machine was sold for 450.000 lire (€232/£196 today).

The NB 28 had a hydraulic pump from Vickers, found in American camps after the War. Post-war there were limited manufacturers of hydraulic equipment in Italy, so Negri Bossi produced a lot of their own actuators.

In 1948 Bossi started working with Gianni Bodini who became the Technical Director and the manager of design and projects. In 1964 Negri Bossi moved permanently to its present location, Cologno Monzese, near Milan.

Negri died in 1970 and Bossi remained with the company until he retired in 1979.

As Negri Bossi celebrates 70 years it says it has always maintained the founders’ vision. The company has always developed machines that contributed to the history of the injection moulding machine market, whilst anticipating technological trends