The Bianchi family journey spans over 230 years and has evolved over centuries into the company that it is today. Although the company has changed and grown with mergers and acquisitions, the dedication to quality, innovation and technology has remained unchanged and this is what separates us from the rest.
To explore our rich history, select an era below:
1700's
Over the centuries, civilizations have produced increasingly complex lock systems. They evolved from wood to bronze and then to iron; from clay keys to real forged ones.
In 1770, in the Cadore valleys of Northeastern Italy, a land of great work ethic and geniuses, Prospero Bianchi founded an artisan workshop for producing wrought iron keys. A pioneer in his field, Prospero Bianchi paved the way to a tradition of locksmiths in my family which has been passed down from father to son for five generations up to our present time. If it is true that each person is born with a predetermined destiny, then in the Bianchi family our destiny is the key.
1800'S
Over the years, the need for protection grew increasingly in industrialized societies. Worldwide, locksmiths and apprentices were developing increasingly sophisticated security systems which differed depending on their location.
A key as a common denominator is like an invisible thread which has tied the various members in the Bianchi family together over the years. A thread that led Prospero Bianchi followed by Celestino, to continue producing iron keys, developing this expertise until he was able to make copies from originals. During the same period, at the height of the 19th century, Prospero created the first key catalog, which was printed and distributed throughout Europe.
Early 1900's
The beginning of the 20th century was a period of great upheaval in key manufacturing throughout the world. New technology was just around the corner and communities had more exact security needs.
In the fifties, Prospero II's son Camillo began working in his father's workshop as an apprentice. He was a locksmith's son, with his father's passion in his blood, and did what came natural to him: he excelled in the world of keys. He invented the key duplicating service which allowed cutting a duplicate key immediately without having to contact the lock manufacturer, which was the usual time- consuming method.
The enormous step that transformed the Bianchi families' activities from artisan to industrial is due to him, as is the subsequent transfer of the company from the small mountain village of Cibiana di Cadore to the industrialized city of San Vendemiano in the province of Treviso.
In the early sixties, the idea of duplicating keys spread considerably. In communities where the concept of private home ownership was firmly established, the ability to duplicate a key in any ironmonger's store produced a revolution in the field. A new era was approaching in the world of keys built on new technology, research, advanced methods of study, and scientific analysis.
From then on the rise of the Bianchi family was constant and rapid. In 1963, Camillo founded the firm "Italiana Chiavi e Affini". Mass production of keys began for door locks and cars, together with mechanical cutting machines.
The advent of the key machine lead to an ingenious invention that revolutionized the key industry; now, any shop could cut any key immediately. This meant expansion was possible throughout the world.
Late 1900's
The eighties saw the technological development of the family company increase as key cutting systems rapidly evolved and improved to meet the ever-changing needs in the market place. In 1988, Camillo's son, Massimo created the first electronic key-cutting machine. This opened an even wider horizon for market and product development. An individual no longer needed the original key to cut a copy, a key code was adequate.
Electronic keys appeared in the eighties. This marked the beginning of a new era, developing the key market even further with the marriage of the key to this sophisticated electronic technology and the moving of the Bianchi family destiny to the forefront of this technology.
In 1997, Massimo Bianchi, Chairman of the large family firm, signed the merger of the company with the Unican Group, making it a multinational leader of which he served as Vice Chairman. A subsequent merger with the Kaba Group consolidated even further the group's leading position in the world. It was a strategic decision that took the family to the top of the world in the key market.
Present
Following the mergers in 1997 and 2001, Massimo Bianchi left the organization to return back to his roots. In an era of the global market and unbridled innovation, Massimo re-emerged with the acquisition of Key Line, an Italian manufacturer of keys and key cutting machines as well as several other small manufacturing companies to form the Bianchi 1770 Group. In 2003 the Bianchi 1770 Group established its first North American company, Bianchi USA, Inc.
Bianchi USA, Inc. is the North American division of the Bianchi 1770 Group and opened its doors in February of 2003. Bianchi USA, Inc. sells both Bianchi and private branded products including keys, key cutting machines and transponder servicing tools.
Since opening its doors in 2003, Bianchi USA has experienced tremendous growth and will play a vital role in shaping the security industry. The company prides itself on a long standing tradition of innovative, quality-oriented and heavy duty products and has positioned itself for sustained growth in this rapidly changing marketplace.