Founded in 1970 in Fiorano Modenese by Franco Stefani, the current President of the group, System S.p.A. developed its core business in the ceramic sector, specialising in the production of machinery for decorating tiles and for the automation of end-of-line systems and storage. The first division of the Group, System Ceramics, quickly proved itself as the world leader for decorating systems, with products such as Rocket and subsequently Rotocolor, of which over 15,000 installations have been made to date world-wide. To these decorating systems, over the years highly innovative technologies were added such as Rotodigit, a digital printing system for ceramic decoration which can be assembled on the Rotocolor decoration lines and the sorting line 4Phases, designed for sorting and packaging medium and large sized tiles. System’s strategy soon became a winner also in the sectors of logistics, electronics, photovoltaic technology and packaging. The history of the group is strictly linked to its innovative systems and technologies which it knowingly developed and proposed to the market.
   
1970 – System SpA is established in Fiorano Modenese by the initiative of the young entrepreneur Franco Stefani. Strategically located in the heart of the ceramic district between Modena and Reggio Emilia, the company develops its own core business in the sector of industrial automation.
1971 – System’s interest in tile decoration processes results in the introduction on the market of Rocket, the first rotary silk-screen printing machine.
1972 – The quality control of the tiles becomes a primary objective and Planar is launched on the market, for tile planarity control.
1974 – Outliner is introduced, for tile size control.
1976 – The second division of System created. System CMA becomes subsequently System Logistics, an autonomous public limited company, specialized in the creation of solutions for the logistics supply chain in various industrial sectors.
1977 – System presents Wrap Around, the first automatic packaging machine for finished product boxes with flat cardboard layers.
1982 – Falcon was introduced on the market and for the first time an automatic palletizer with controlled grips became part of a ceramic plant.
1987 – System Logistics launches Modula on the market, the first vertical automatic warehouse.
1994 – Franco Stefani presents Rotocolor, destined to become the world’s most widespread rotary machine for decorating and enameling ceramic tiles.
1996 – The Quality System developed by the youngest of the System divisions, System Electronics, receives international recognition as UNI EN ISO 9001 certified company.
2001 – Laminam S.p.A. is founded: the inspiring idea is to “produce the largest and thinnest ceramic plate ever seen”, a brilliant intuition translated into one of the most innovative projects of System Group.
2004 – Cube is launched, a revolutionary automatic warehouse/self-service distributor with horizontal structure.
2005 – The merger of System and Nuova Era, a company already established in the sector of industrial automation, makes it possible to reach significantly high levels of production of end-of-line and storage machinery.
2005 – System acquires Ftp, a strategic decision allowing the company of Fiorano Modenese to unite its own know-how with high customer management capacity, design and continuous development of the plants.
2007 – System acquires the majority shareholding of Serigrafica Tosi, a company with confirmed experience in the sector of graphics and design for ceramics, the production of flat and rotating screens, laser incision and the supply of silicon rolls, a network which was successfully founded by Serigrafica Tosi in 1969.2008 – Rotodigit is the new digital printing system which allows the decoration of all types of ceramic surface with outstanding results. It can be easily assembled to the Rotocolor decoration lines.2008 – 4Phases is created in the R&D department and represents a ground-breaking system in the packaging of larger tiles. It is the top of the range, automatically adjustable sorting line suitable for tiles with a medium-large size of 300x600mm to 1,200x1,200mm and over.
2009 – The System group acquires Micromax, through which its own system of palletization, handling and storage is brought to perfection, thanks to decades of experience gained in the packaging and end-of-line sector of this company. This new synergy results in compact, versatile machinery which is capable of absorbing productions from several lines.
2009 – System Photonics is created, a unit which develops an exclusive technology for the creation of photovoltaic roofs and façades which are perfectly integrated from an architectural point of view.
2009 – The acquisition of the Micromax Group leads to the creation of the sixth division: System Packaging, a breeding ground for patents and innovative ideas for packaging machinery and palletizers.
2010 – Franco Stefani celebrates the fortieth anniversary of System S.p.A. with his 1,200 employees.
2011 – At Ipack-Ima 2012, the Packaging division presents Freebox™, a secondary packaging system for all areas of logistics and packaging. It requires just 28m2 and assembles boxes which are tailor-made for each product, in real time, without any wastage of raw materials and a reduction of around 40% of cardboard. Freebox™ can be used in all commodity sectors and is particularly suitable for companies with a wide, differentiated range of products such as e-commerce companies.