The Company

Founded in 1987, STEM S.r.l. began its production activity by building magnetic proximity sensors and magnetic units. Over the years, the range of products has expanded with the introduction of level switches for industrial applications, sensors and control units for lifts and systems for machine safety designed to integrate sensors and coded magnetic units capable of transmitting signals to special safety control units.

The use of new and increasingly advanced equipment has led to a constant increase in production capacity and ever greater control of all the production steps – critically important to guarantee the highest product quality.

STEM product quality is guaranteed by the achievement of the ISO 9001:2015 system certification (First quality certificate issued by DNV in 1997) and by the product approvals granted by TUV, IMQ, UL.

STEM’s factories, which have grown in size over the years, include an R&D laboratory for fast development of new products by using sophisticated design tools and other equipment to perform reliability, durability and safety tests. The workshops meet all the requirements of the applicable European Community directives.

STEM s.r.l.’s target market mainly consists of national and foreign companies operating both in the industrial sector and the lift manufacturing industry. STEM product export figures have reached a record share of 55% of the turnover with more than 70 countries currently served around the world.
Today, the company can offer to its customers a wide range of products capable of meeting a huge variety of needs and is able to come up with customised solutions, from product design all the way to industrialisation through quick prototyping with 3D printers entirely managed internally.

STEM products are built according to the needs of each individual customer and may require such a high degree of customisation to be easily definable tailor-made products. “STEM, tailor made sensors”

Stem History

1987

Company Establishment
Piero Giuseppe Moro and his wife Ernestina Castoldi founded STEM S.r.l, specialised in the sale of electrical components for machinery engineering – such as mechanical limit switches, transformers and control buttons.

1988

Production of magnetic sensors
The considerable industry-specific expertise gained suggested to the owner, Mr. Moro, that magnetic sensors with reed contact could be introduced as an alternative to traditional mechanical limit switches. The application of a magnetic sensor allows electrical parts to be protected from dust and humidity, simplifies the assembly and calibration of the machines and leads to aesthetics and functionality improvements.

1990

Relocation of the headquarters from Pavia to Cura Carpignano
Relocation to a larger production site capable of meeting the growing demand.

1991

Production of Electromagnetic Level Switches
Thanks to the technical experience gained in the field of magnetic sensor construction, the company began producing electromagnetic level switches, designed to check liquid levels in a simple and cost-efficient way.

1992

Production of Magnetic Sensors for Lift Control
Thanks to the collaboration with an elevator manufacturing company, STEM S.r.l. began to produce magnetic sensors for cabin position control, which quickly became a top seller in STEM’s product range, marking the beginning of a successful export business.

1997

ISO 9000 Quality Certification
Securing new international customers and multinationals, combined with the manufacturers’ objective of continuous improvement, resulted in the choice of applying for a quality certification according to ISO 9000 standards. The certification was granted by the DNV Italia body on 13 October 1998.

1999

Relocation to a new factory in PRADO
The ever increasing production figures made it necessary to build a new site which could guarantee a more rational allocation of space and the use of new and more advanced equipment.

2000

Production of safety systems
The diffusion of new technical regulations on safety created new market prospects and the possibility of developing safety systems using magnetic sensors. The experience gained in the field of standard sensors and the new resources available resulted in the creation of contactless magnetic safety systems, enabling the manufacturers to offer alongside coded sensors also their respective electronic control units.

2002

Expansion of the headquarters by doubling their surface
The constant growth trend made it necessary to expand the factory to accommodate the increase in production; this led to doubling the production surface area and to the construction of a two-storey office building.

2007

20th anniversary
The twentieth anniversary of the foundation saw STEM S.r.l. celebrate a sound, healthy company, with a steadily growing and well-balanced turnover. STEM product export figures have reached a record share of 50% of the turnover with more than 70 countries served around the world.

2010

Construction of a second production plant
The economic crisis of 2009 forced some subcontractors and subsuppliers to close down. STEM decided to invest in a new plant suitable for producing all the sub-assemblies necessary for the production of sensors. The new facility allowed STEM to be more flexible in dealing with product customisation requests and guarantee top production efficiency and more rigorous quality control.

2012

25th anniversary
STEM S.r.l. celebrated its first quarter of a century; the company managed to fend off the dangers of the economic crisis, while still increasing its sales. The policy of offering customers not just a product but also service proved successful.

2014

First automatic vertical storage units
Installation of two automatic vertical storage units allowing material to be stored dynamically, in order to be able to constantly monitor both the stocks and the scheduling of incoming material batches – for a more accurate and straightforward FIFO management.

2015

Internalisation of marking by pad printing
In order to be more and more responsive to customer personalisation requests, pad print marking was integrated in the STEM production cycle and carried out internally, leaving only some specific product codes to be processed by historical subcontractors.

2017

30th anniversary and first resin finishing island with collaborative arm
STEM S.r.l. celebrated its first thirty years of activity. The strategy of offering customers one-stop service proved successful, leading to increases in sales and to an expansion of existing markets. STEM also added to its product range a set of ATEX approved magnetic sensors that further boosted sales leading to the opening of new markets. Introduction of a first resin finishing island with collaborative robotic arm.

2018

Expansion of the second production plant and introduction of laser marking technology
The continuous growth trend made it necessary to expand the second facility in order to increase the manufacturers’ production capacity; the available surface area was increased by 50%. In the same year, laser marking technology was introduced in order to obtain indelible marking. This technology cannot be used on all STEM products and therefore it is intended to complement but not replace traditional pad printing.

2019

Introduction of a second resin finishing island with collaborative arm
The considerable advantages obtained with the first resin finishing island with collaborative arm led to the decision to double the island unit with a new collaborative arm, in order to increase the production of two-component epoxy resin items.

2020

The year of COVID
The pandemic forced everyone to make considerable efforts to adapt to the new rules for sharing a workplace. The provisions implemented, updated to reflect government decisions and the epidemiological trend, and the virtuous behaviour and lifestyle choices of all workers, have made it possible to minimise the number of infections. The decrease in turnover by only 7 percentage points should be considered an excellent result and a starting point for the quick recovery to be experienced in the following year.

2021

The year of record sales and new automatic vertical storage units
Although the pandemic continued throughout the year, we experienced a major economic comeback reaching unexpected levels. During the year not only did we recover from the losses suffered in 2020 but the company’s highest sales figure ever was also achieved. At a time characterised by hard to procure components and materials, no STEM customer was ever left without the products they needed, thanks to a well-stocked warehouse and very careful order planning. Given the strategic importance of warehousing facilities, 5 new vertical storage units were installed, as already planned at the end of 2020. And now, bring on new challenges!