In more than 60 years of its history, Abet Laminati has always given such a great importance to business requests and cultural changes and has continued to invest resources in technology and creativity, working on product image in order to offer original and different products, constantly enlarging its Collection.
1946
A.B.E.T. Anonima Braidese Estratti Tannici was founded on September 13 as a producer of some of the best tannins extracted from chestnut tree wood.
1957
The final conversion to ABET occurs on the strength of new products made of synthetic resin. The company starts producing high-pressure decorative plastic laminates.
1964
The PRINT trademark, Product Railite International, is launched on the market. It becomes a symbol of the excellent quality of Abet laminates.
1965
Giò Ponti describes Abet laminate as “extraordinary material for architecture, the first not linked to nature but developed by man”.
1966
The revolutionary SEI finish and Stratificato, the first self-supporting laminate, come into being.
1967
The silk-screen printing laboratory is inaugurated and the first customized laminates are produced.
1968
Mario Bellini, Enzo Mari and Joe Colombo start producing pieces of furniture for La Rinascente. The famous record player shelf by Joe Colombo starts to take shape.
1972
The MoMA of New York organizes an exhibition on Italian design “Italy: the new domestic landscape”, Abet Laminati is the first company to join the initiative.
1977
In collaboration with Andrea Branzi and Clino Trini Castelli, Abet Laminati fosters “Colordinamo ’77”, a research centre dedicated to the expressive potential of colours.
1978
Abet Laminati nurtures the birth of Alchymia, the avant-garde movement that will conceive Memphis.
1979
Great success for the Serie Misura, pieces of furniture realised with a special geometric silk-screen printing.
1981
Abet Laminati fosters the Memphis group of Ettore Sottsass. The new applications mark the history of contemporary design.
1984
The collections Decori Minimi, supervised by Paola Navone, Walkprint and Straticolor come to life.
1987
Abet Laminati is awarded its first Compasso d’Oro ADI for Diafos, to which the travelling exhibition “Material Lights” coordinated by Ettore Sottsass is dedicated.
1990
Abet Laminati is awarded the European Design Award and presents the Colori Uniti series, selected by Ettore Sottsass.
1992
Abet Laminati is present at the Louvre with “Technique Discrete” organized by Achille Castiglioni and Michele De Lucchi and in Turin with “Swatch Emotion” curated by Alessandro Mendini.
1993
The production plants for the new Tefor® product are enlarged. Alessandro Mendini chooses MEG to characterize the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands.
1996
The Bra factory is the first company able to produce laminates incorporating digital printing.
2000
Ettore Sottsass coordinates the travelling exhibition “Monitor Laminates” dedicated to digital print laminate and curated by De Rosso.
2001
Abet Laminati is awarded the Compasso d’Oro ADI as a Lifetime Achievement Award. The collection Colours and Textures curated by Paola Navone is created.
2003
In collaboration with Paola Navone and De Rosso, Abet Laminati organizes “DigitalPrint. A new generation of surfaces”: 21 young designers at the Triennale di Milano.
2004
Abet Laminati customizes the Centro Natatorio of Trieste with MEG in digital printing and the Proust pattern by Alessandro Mendini.
2005
The 40 years of collaboration with Ettore Sottsass are celebrated at the Triennale di Milano with a specialized exhibition.
2007
Abet Laminati celebrates 50 years of activity.
2008
Abet Laminati, in collaboration with De Rosso, presents “Kasa Digitalia” by Karim Rashid at the Triennale di Milano and “Next Floor” by Diego Grandi at Abitare il Tempo in Verona.
2009
The Mendini Atelier designs the new Korean building for the Triennale choosing MEG with digital printing.
2010
Abet’s laminate is Ugo Nespolo’s choice for the complex Città Ospedaliera di Avellino and Fabio Novembre’s for Shangai Expo. Konstantin Grcic creates the Crystaline collection.
2011
Abet Laminati stands among the leading companies of the fourth edition of the Triennale Design Museum in parallel with the exhibition “Le fabbriche dei sogni”.
2012
Abet Laminati presents Parade Collection by Giulio Iacchetti at the Triennale di Milano and Marcello Morandini’s sculptures at ArtVerona.
2013
The new Abet Laminati Museum located at its historical premises in Bra opens.
2016
The Teatro dell’Arte in Triennale di Milano hosts the “Dinner on Stage”: food is served directly on tables made especially for that evening with tops in Polaris.
2017
“An Imaginary City” at the Triennale di Milano: Paola Navone shows Abet Laminati’s 60 years.
Alessandro Mendini designs the Albero Stilematico with MEG for MUDEC in Milan and currently exhibited in Bra headquarters.
2018
The exhibition “Atelier Mendini. Le Architetture” hosted at the Triennale di Milano is a homage to the Mendini brothers, with whom Abet Laminati has enjoyed a working relation for almost 50 years now.
2019
Abet Laminati attends the Salone del Mobile di Milano for the first time.