International Chips, founded in 1975 in Domodossola (Verbania), leader in the production of consumables for the vibro-finishing of light and ferrous alloys, joins the Surfaces Group.

Thanks to this acquisition, the Surfaces Group extends the range of high-end tools and consumables for the ceramics, stone, glass and mechanical industries, with the resin-bond diamond tools of International Chips, and enters the finishing and super-finishing sectors of the fashion accessories, small metal parts and aeronautic metal components.

International Chips, always on the cutting edge of environmental issues, has established itself in the vibro-finishing market, inventing the ECOS system in 2006, which allows to obtain previously unattainable dry finishes, without the utilization of water, compounds or chemicals. International Chips is still the only player on the market that can provide a real dry solution for these processes.

The production facility of International Chips (Domodossola, Verbania), where wet and dry abrasive plastic media, resin-bond diamond tools and elastic wheels for super-finishing will be produced, is added to the ones of Surfaces Technological Abrasives (Cenate Sotto, Bergamo), ADI (Thiene, Vicenza), NoCoat (Monteveglio, Bologna) and RBM (Baldichieri D'Asti, Asti).

The International Chips range of diamond tools will be distributed through the sales and technical assistance organization of the Surfaces Group. The abrasive plastic media and the ECOS vibro- finishing systems will still be marketed by the International Chips distribution network with the help and support of the Surfaces Group branches in the world.

"The aggregation of International Chips to the Surfaces Group will create important synergies and new developments", say Claudia and Paolo Besati, Alessia and Davide Sarazzi of International Chips. "We are thrilled to be part of a large company like Surfaces, which thanks to its organization and extensive sales network, will give us the opportunity to better express our potential in the market".

"It is a pleasure to welcome International Chips into the Surfaces family" added Gaetano Maffei, Pierluigi Dinelli and Dino Zandonella Necca from the Surfaces Group. "Making our platform available to a historical and successful company, encouraging its generational change and contributing to its further development, adding innovation, technology and new products are all elements that fuel us to achieve our own growth goals."

The founders of International Chips have been assisted by Ethica Corporate Finance as a financial advisor; the legal aspects have been entrusted to Studio Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Surfaces Technological Abrasives was assisted by Ernst & Young for financial and tax due diligence; the legal aspects have been entrusted to the Studio Pavia and Ansaldo.