Top-tier suppliers to F1 and MotoGP
Top-tier suppliers to F1 and MotoGP. Leaders in metal treatment and coating. Technological innovation.
It is 1985 when the Bordiga brothers (Sergio, Aldo and Carla) found Micron Srl, a company specialised in electroless nickel plating for precision mechanics. Sergio Bordiga welcomes us in the offices of the company, born in Orzinuovi and moved to Soncino in 1992.
«From 1985 the company grew steadily, up to the present 70 employees. In 1992 we moved to Soncino because we needed more space to build the new plant. We now occupy 10 thousand square metres, of which 4 thousand are covered, and in the near future we will probably have to acquire more space.»
In 2000 the Bordiga brothers decide to buy Durox Srl, founded in 1973 in Remanzacco, in the province of Udine, one of the first Italian companies to supply hard anodizing of aluminum. From this union comes «Micron Coatings Group», which works in metal treatment and coating and is now an established name across Europe and the world. With steady growth, the Group has become a reference among the main companies in precision mechanics: automotive, pneumatics, medical, packaging, textiles, motorsport, bicycles, marine and aerospace.
What the two companies do
Mr Bordiga, could you explain what the two companies in your Group do specifically?
«Micron and Durox complement each other, which lets us carry out all the types of work our customers ask for. Micron has developed its own exclusive electroless nickel process, identified by the registered trademark Niplate. Thanks to research and development and to customer feedback, the Niplate process is constantly improved and optimised. This deep knowledge of the treatment and of the basic chemistry lets us guarantee the highest reliability. With more than thirty years in the sector, Micron stands out for the quality of the service and of the treatment, to the point of becoming the main Italian supplier of electroless nickel on precision mechanical parts. We serve both machine shops and the main Italian and European companies in automotive, pneumatics, hydraulics, textiles, medical, bicycles, machine building, marine and aeronautics.
Micron srl has a complete laboratory for surface characterisation: a scanning electron microscope with EDX probe for element determination, Vickers microhardness testers, optical microscopes, a salt-spray chamber, a Taber Abraser. The laboratory is used for routine checks, periodic validation of the group’s treatments, research and development of new treatments, and failure analysis in support of customers.
Thanks to several treatment lines we guarantee a fast and flexible service, for both high production volumes and small batches. We can also carry out an exclusive PEO anodizing treatment (Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation) of magnesium, called OX-UHA, which gives very good hardness and corrosion resistance.
Micron srl’s quality management system has been ISO 9001 certified since 1998, and in 2022 we reached IATF 16949 certification, the quality management system for the automotive industry.»
Durox
«Durox Srl is based in Remanzacco, in the province of Udine. It was born in 1973 as one of the first Italian companies to carry out hard anodizing of aluminum. Over the years we have developed an innovative hard-anodizing process, OX-W, which improves corrosion resistance, lowers final roughness and reaches higher thicknesses on alloys with a high silicon and copper content. We also carry out coloured anodizing of titanium, which creates a nanometric layer of titanium oxide on the surface, with anti-galling and colouring properties.
We have 3 hard-anodizing lines that are unique in Italy and, thanks to the technologies used, can work on large parts, up to 7.5 metres long. Durox serves industrial machinery, packaging, plastics forming, textiles, marine and automotive.»
In 2000 the union of Micron and Durox created Micron Coatings Group.
«The Group works in metal treatment and coating and is now an established reality at European and world level, with its own registered trademarks. Among our strengths are ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 certification, speed of service, the technical support we can offer, advanced plants and continuous innovation, because in our sector being the first to know, develop and use a new technology is not only important, it is fundamental. We are market leaders and what sets us apart from competitors is high quality and technological innovation.»
Customers
Who are your customers?
«We are class-A suppliers to all of MotoGP and Formula 1, and also to textiles, oleodynamics, hydraulics, pneumatics and precision mechanics in general. Our direct customers are almost exclusively Italian, even if the components we assemble and process are then sold all over the world. Ferrari, Fiat, Ducati, Aprilia, Brembo, Bialetti, GM, Leonardo, OMB, Mares, Scuderia Toro Rosso, SKF, Yamaha, Continental are only some of the major brands we supply. To be clear, the parts we make for Brembo are used by the most important car makers in the world: Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Toyota, Volvo and others.»
Pandemic and war
First the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine, which brought increases in raw materials and energy. What did these two events mean for your companies?
«The Covid period was complicated for everyone, but we handled it well. Turnover fell slightly, then recovered the following year. During the pandemic we worked for the health sector: valves for oxygen cylinders and components for masks. We had no problems with wages either, which were always paid on time. Even in this particularly delicate moment, we thought of benefits to help employees face the cost of living.
I like to point out that turnover of staff is low: almost all our workers start and end their careers here. That is because we have managed to create a calm environment, in which everyone feels part of a sort of extended family, with suitable pay. Building a close-knit team is fundamental. We have invested a lot in young people, encouraging the older ones to pass on the knowledge and skills acquired over many years, because in our field the human component is still central to the production process.»
Being an entrepreneur
For you, what does it mean to be an entrepreneur today?
«Once it was enough to be a hard worker and to have a lot of goodwill. Today that is no longer so. To run a company you need an entrepreneurial mindset, because you have to deal with international realities. When, as in our case, you work with large multinationals, you are obliged to invest constantly in new technologies. The company must draw up the budget well in advance and with maximum precision, work on data analysis to reduce the margin of error to a minimum, know the dynamics of the financial world and be ready for any event, with strategies that let it face the unexpected and the volatility of the markets. Management too must be increasingly prepared and qualified. Certifications are also fundamental for working abroad and with customers of a certain level: they let you stay one step ahead of competitors.»
The future
How do you see the future of Micron Coatings Group and, more generally, of the sector you work in?
«The future is still to be understood and will probably be decided by the technologies that are used. We work in a niche. As for engines and automotive, I do not believe the future (at least not in the short term) can be electric, but rather hybrid and hydrogen, which are simpler to manage and faster to refuel.
According to the data, if thermal engines were to disappear overnight, about 800 thousand jobs would vanish in the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo alone. That is why I believe a stop to production from 2035 is a path that is hard to follow.
Most of our competitors have been acquired by large investment funds, also because of the difficulty of generational handover. We are one of the few family businesses left in the sector and, at least for the near future, continuity is guaranteed by the entry of children and grandchildren into the company. For me, my brother Aldo and my sister Carla, this is a reason for joy and pride. The company is ready for the generational handover, which has already partly begun.»
Sites
MICRON SRL, ELECTROLESS NICKEL: Via dell’Artigianato, 42 - Soncino (CR).
DUROX SRL, ANODIZING: Strada Oselin, 18/20 - Remanzacco (UD).
Company figures
MICRON: 70 employees, turnover 10 million euro.
DUROX: 40 employees, turnover 5 million euro.
MICRON COATINGS GROUP: 110 employees, turnover 15 million euro.
2022 TURNOVER: +25% compared with 2021.
Technical sheet of the treatments
Niplate electroless nickel. A metallic coating with high resistance to corrosion and wear, applicable to precision-mechanical parts with complex geometries. A protective layer of nickel-phosphorus alloy, with high hardness, chemical resistance and high thickness uniformity, is deposited on the part by a chemical reaction. Niplate electroless nickel treatments can be applied to all metal alloys commonly used in mechanics. Thanks to its surface characteristics, electroless nickel is the first-choice treatment to protect the surface of precision-mechanical parts.
Anodizing of aluminum. Also called anodic oxidation, it is a treatment of aluminum alloys that forms a protective layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of components. Anodizing is an electrolytic process by immersion in sulfuric acid solutions. After a suitable preparation cycle, the aluminum parts are immersed in the anodizing electrolyte. A direct current produces a controlled oxidation of the surface that forms a compact aluminum-oxide layer. The treatment is divided into two main types: low-thickness natural anodizing and high-thickness hard anodizing. The main characteristics are corrosion resistance, hardness and wear resistance, thickness uniformity, dielectric insulation, and the possibility of colouring with pigments that penetrate the oxide layer.
Titanium anodizing – OX-TI. A surface treatment of titanium alloys that creates a thin, compact layer of titanium oxide. It is done by immersion through an electrolytic process. Depending on the treatment parameters, the surface colours itself. Different thicknesses of titanium oxide give different colours. Because the layer is titanium oxide, it has high durability and very good chemical resistance. That makes it suitable for medical parts and implantology. In motorsport it is used as an anti-galling coating and as a decorative coating.
Magnesium PEO – OX-UHA. Micron has developed an innovative PEO anodizing treatment of magnesium (Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation), called OX-UHA. It gives outstanding corrosion and wear protection, better than any other chromium-free magnesium coating. Because of the health and environmental problems of hexavalent chromium, OX-UHA has become the main alternative treatment. It is applied successfully on many automotive, aerospace and motorsport components. The process converts magnesium into a dense, compact layer of magnesium oxide, with uniform thickness on the whole external surface. It has a light colour and can be used as it is or as a primer for a subsequent paint that further increases corrosion resistance.