Officine Meccaniche Porro was born from the genius and the foresight of Mr. Alfredo Porro, who in 1946 puts to good use his two inventions: the machine for keys replication and the “shell foundry”, turning a laboratory for small hardware in a company with a strong artisanal vocation.
The commitment and the involvement of three generations materialize the experience of the Founder, creating a perfect synergy between industry and design and combining the projects and the art of the Masters engravers with the engineering precision of modern technology and the refinement of Italian taste.
In 1946, Alfredo Porro transformed his craft laboratory into a corporate endeavor, also
inventing and patenting two machines: one for the fast duplication of keys, and the other called “foundry shell”, to speed up production and reduce costs.
That is how Officine Meccaniche Porro took its first steps, quickly becoming a company,
without ever losing its artisanal roots, which lend high quality to its products.
Alfredo’s son, Giuseppe, joined the family company introducing the idea of two-tone
combinations for metal products. This innovation was to become a trend in the 1970s,
contributing to the further expansion of Officine Meccaniche Porro.
The Porro Family’s third generation joined the company: Fabio, Paola and Donata.
Following their father and grandfather’s philosophy, Fabio, Paola and Donata made sure that every production process, from the selection of high quality raw materials to precious finishing, could always guarantee craftsmanship quality in order to create products which are not only beautiful, but also technically perfect.
The original workspace was no longer sufficient to set up a new production process that could follow Porro’s philosophy: a sequence of “artisan workshops” that could work with each other. Under the supervision of Giuseppe Porro, the new corporate facilities were inaugurated in the town of Cucciago.
Officine Meccaniche Porro acquired the historic Enrico Cassina brand, thus accessing an
impressive handle model catalogue that was in danger of being lost forever.
Combined with OMP’s technical expertise, the Cassina brand, once a style trendsetter, could shine again, becoming an object of worship for discerning connoisseurs and perfectly embodying the essence of “Made in Italy”.
Officine Meccaniche Porro is evolving. In order to satisfy its pool of customers, now spread across 80 countries, the Porro family’s third generation has given new impetus to the company, by creating the Alfredo Porro brand.
Named after the company founder, the new brand aims at streamlining and expanding its home furnishings catalogue.
At the same time the Enrico Cassina brand enlarges its catalogue with new eye-catching handle models and the “Ad-Hoc Division”, whose Research & Development team, produces items customized in accordance with the client’s unique specifications.