History

It is 1956 and Luciano Sileoni, still very young, is gaining experience at the Farroni carpentry workshop: by day he does as the owner tells him; by night he works on his own account.

One of those jobs is for his mother, Giuditta, who needs a kitchen. Money is tight and Luciano has to choose the most economical materials, using laminate only for the outside of the doors and not the inside. The result is a preview of what would become the Lube style: a well-thought-out, functional and very durable kitchen.

So durable that Giuditta only decided to replace it in 1990, almost 35 years later. Even now this kitchen works perfectly.

In Italy it is a time of ferment and great ideas. Luciano Sileoni, a young carpenter, supplements his wages by assembling furniture after dinner. One day he proposes to his friend and local barber BENITO RAPONI that they join forces to make furniture.

That is how, in a garage in Treia, the artisan kitchen workshop that is now the Lube company was born. On 1 May 1967, the name SIRA was chosen (the first two letters of each of the founders’ surnames, SILEONI and RAPONI).
Fundamental to this growth is the collaboration of the greatest sales representative in Lube’s history, MARIO GRILLI, who manages to take the first retailers beyond the city’s borders, giving the small business room to breathe.

Even then, Luciano’s imperative was to satisfy the customer.

The small business was growing and the premises were no longer enough; a new workshop had to be found. In 1973 the Via Fontevannazza factory was opened and the company adopted the name Lube (this time, the first two letters of the names LUCIANO and BENITO).

That same year, in September, Luciano’s brother-in-law FABIO GIULIANELLI joined the company. The product is sound and orders multiply, a proper sales network is organised and the first collaborations begin with representatives from all over Italy, many of whom are still with the company today.

The kitchens have not yet crossed national borders because production is entirely absorbed by domestic demand.

The Via Fontevannazza factory is no longer enough to meet production demands.

An industrial area was found in Passo di Treia to move to and, in August 1993, an incredible move took place. The company adopts the name Cucine Lube Over and the new structure would expand over the years: each new industrial warehouse would quickly fill up. In a historic era marked by globalisation, the Lube brand begins to move beyond national borders and starts to conquer the world market, increasingly drawn to Made in Italy quality.

What was once a small provincial workshop is definitively transformed into a large company, still based in its territory of origin.

2003 is the decisive year for the group’s fortunes, led by four partners: SILEONI and GIULIANELLI decide to secure the future by acquiring the entire share package.

At this point begins the process of bringing the sons into the company’s organisation, giving a clear and strong sign of continuity. Lube currently has 150,000 m2 of covered area where 650 employees work, producing 75,000 kitchens a year for a total of 76 countries. A photovoltaic system of more than 15,000 panels has been installed on the factory roof, producing approximately 6 million kilowatts of clean energy per year. Investment in technology and computerisation are the pillars supporting every strategic decision.

Quality, service and customer care are always the absolute priorities of the marketing strategy.