April 13, 2026 14:56

One of the very few Italian companies still independent in the manufacture of plastics injection moulding machines, BMB has been charting its own course for almost 60 years under the watchful eye of founder Egidio Bugatti (left in the photo), alongside his son Marco (right), now at the helm of the company and the driving force behind its growth and international expansion in recent years.

The opportunity to visit the Brescia-based manufacturer’s plant and meet its management – usually far from the spotlight (people from Brescia work hard, but seldom seek public attention) – came during the international press tour organised in recent weeks by Promaplast, organiser of Plast  in Milan.

As founder Egidio Bugatti recalled, one of the keys to the company’s success is its strong local roots, in that “ironworking district” which, especially in the past, played a major role in the rise of Brescia’s metalworking industry.
It was in this fertile environment that BMB was founded in 1967: a small mechanical workshop that grew over the years to establish itself in the high-performance injection moulding machine segment, without losing its two main distinguishing features: family ownership and a strong engineering-driven identity.

Bugatti recalled that he started the business out of a passion for mechanics and with a strong focus on design, putting technology first from the outset before turning to the commercial side of the business. That philosophy is still reflected today in the configuration of the machines and, above all, in the care with which they are built.

Its ties to the local area ensure a short, local supply chain involving castings, metal fabrications, and iron and steel components, with direct benefits for both lead-time management and quality control throughout the production cycle. This makes it possible to internalise only the activities needed to guarantee quality, while keeping know-how in-house.

During the plant tour, we were able to observe the different stages in machine manufacture, from machining the platens through to assembly and final testing.

Annual output stands at around 400 machines, according to sales director Lucio Strappazzon (pictured right). For a standard press, around four months are required from order to delivery, although this can take longer in the case of special or heavily customised machines, such as twin-injection configurations for automotive applications.

From a technological standpoint, the cornerstone of BMB’s offering remains the tried-and-tested KW clamping system, patented by the founder and still regarded as the Brescia-based manufacturer’s main distinguishing feature.
The solution is based on a toggle kinematic system in which, during opening, the links unfold outwards. This makes it possible to achieve longer opening strokes, for the same clamping force, than with traditional configurations.
Because the clamping force is applied closer to the centre of the moving platen, deflection is reduced. In industrial applications, this translates into a twofold advantage: less flash on the moulded part and reduced stress on the moulds, which therefore last longer even under intensive use.

The company places strong emphasis on the structural robustness of its machines, designed to run over multiple daily shifts for many years. For this reason, the tie bars are roll-threaded rather than machined by material removal, while the nuts are made of bronze up to certain sizes and in a steel-bronze mixed configuration on higher-tonnage machines.
These may seem like minor choices, but they are not. BMB explains that details such as these – together with others that form part of the company’s know-how – ensure the long-term reliability of the clamping unit, even under heavy-duty operating conditions or after prolonged shutdowns.

In terms of product offering, BMB continues to maintain a presence in both the electric and hybrid machine segments, with application-specific positioning that Strappazzon describes as an integral part of the company’s portfolio.

In the company’s historic department, presses from 100 to 650-700 tonnes are assembled, while since 2020 a new building of around 7,000 square metres has been in operation, dedicated to medium- and large-tonnage machines from 700 to 4,800 tonnes.

The investment, the sales director explained, was driven by the need to adapt space and logistics to rising demand for more powerful machinery, now required even in applications that until only a few years ago were handled with smaller presses. The trend is especially evident in packaging, driven by the increasing number of cavities in moulds and the progressive reduction in part thicknesses. Moulding parts with thicknesses in the order of just a few tenths of a millimetre requires not only clamping force, but also injection speed, in order to complete filling before the material cools.

Against this backdrop, BMB continues to back accumulator-based hybrid solutions for the most demanding high-speed applications, while also recording a growing trend towards full-electric machines, now expanding into larger sizes as well.

One final chapter concerns investment. While not believing in growth at any cost, and focusing more on financial solidity and production control than on sheer volumes, in 2024 BMB acquired a covered area behind the plant that had been vacated by the previous tenant.
It will soon be brought into use, Strappazzon explained, to synchronise and optimise production phases to the benefit of quality and delivery times and, in the longer term, to increase production capacity.

In a sector shaped by technological transformation and growing competitive pressure, BMB continues to follow a philosophy that runs against the grain: not chasing volume or trying to match the bargain pricing of Asian competitors, but strengthening expertise, organisation and manufacturing capability. An approach that reflects the character of the company and, ultimately, of the industrial environment it comes from.

© Polimerica -  Reproduction prohibited, all rights reserved