Arzignano’s Bergi, a leading manufacturer of machinery for the tanning industry, founded in 1965, will celebrate its historic milestone at Simac Tanning Tech in September. Three top-of-the-range products in a new color scheme will be showcased at their stand.
This year’s Simac Tanning Tech 2025 marks a significant and historic edition for Bergi, the Arzignano (Vicenza) based company that leads the way in producing machinery for the tanning sector. The Venetian industry was established in 1965 by Giovanni Bergozza, who passed away in 2018, leaving the reins to his three children who now head the company: Mauro, CEO and partner alongside his brothers Alberto and Federico, who are responsible for production and customer service, respectively. This is a beautiful and prestigious entrepreneurial as well as family story, as Mauro’s three children, Samantha, Nicola, and Leonardo, also form part of the staff, representing the third generation.
Giovanni Bergozza’s journey began with more than a few difficulties, coming from a humble family with limited financial means, which would have been necessary to start a company. His passion for mechanics and the hard work he put in over the subsequent years brought Giovanni great satisfaction as he saw his creation grow rapidly, thanks in part to important inventions and innovations for the tanning sector. These included the development of the first arm-type padding machine the first open-shoulder open-shoulder buffing machine and the press for stretching whole hides. The early 1980s saw the gradual entry of his children into the company. During this period, the company began to gain a stronger foothold in international markets, consistently focusing on construction quality and innovative solutions. From the 1990s, Bergi successfully penetrated the Asian market, establishing a strong position that further consolidated the brand, particularly known for its roller buffing machines and stretching and embossing presses. The 2000s saw the birth of the Bertech commercial brand, offering a range of specific products for hide handling during various processing stages. “Over the years, Bergi,” explains Mauro Bergozza, who since autumn 2024 has held the prestigious role of president of Assomac, the national association of Italian manufacturers of machinery for footwear, leather goods, and tanning, “has always maintained a high-quality standard to guarantee solid and reliable machinery, and above all, to ensure the client’s finished product is excellent. To this day, the company continues with this ‘mantra,’ adding many customization possibilities to better meet customer needs. The ability to produce most components internally allows us to be more flexible to requests, an aspect that is highly appreciated by the market.”
Looking ahead, the Arzignano-based industry, which expanded its premises a couple of years ago with the construction of an adjacent shed, is investing to offer even more solutions to its clientele. “A very innovative machine, or rather, a process,” Mauro Bergozza anticipates, “will be presented in 2026. Studies are also underway to further increase the automation of handling processes throughout the entire leather production cycle, also aiming to enhance machinery safety levels and ease of use for operators. Further investments are planned for the software component of the machinery, which is becoming more important every day.”
The September edition of the Milan exhibition will not only be celebratory but also feature significant innovations that will be implemented in the future. “A significant turning point,” anticipates Leonardo Bergozza, head of the marketing and communication division, “is the change in the color scheme of the machines we produce. We have decided to abandon the traditional blue and white, which characterized a long period of our history, to replace it with two shades of ‘brilliant’ gray, in line with modern industrial products. During the 2025 event, within our stand, we will present the consumption monitoring program (essential for companies that need to calculate emissions for sustainability reporting) and the maintenance program (which will be scheduled to ensure the operator always has the machine at peak performance), available for all company products. This ‘technological surplus’ will allow machinery to increasingly transform into genuine self-managing work processes.”
Here are the machines that will be on display at the Bergi stand during the three-day exhibition, from September 23rd to 25th. “We have decided,” Mauro and Leonardo conclude, “to exhibit three of the most significant and prestigious machines from our range. The first is the Starlux press, equipped with 3 rollers and automatic change. This model has been around for a few years, but thanks to recent innovations, demand has increased, especially from producers of leather for major luxury brands. The second machine is the Attiva belt buffing machine, highly sought after in both the Italian and international markets. It completes the range of buffing machines produced by the company, historically known for the Selecta roller model, which is still in production. Attiva’s success is, however, explained by the fact that it performs better for certain types of leather. The third is the Bertech brand Compact stacker, equipped with various safety solutions. Its three open sides are each equipped with a different protection system to show the public the possible solutions Bergi can offer in terms of safety.”
