AVE

AVE Heritage

Founded in 1904 at Vestone, in the province of Brescia, AVE is historically the first Italian manufacturer of electrical equipment.

Initially engaged in woodworking for electricity, in 1930 the “Società Anonima Valsabbina Elettrotecnica” was entrusted by the founder Lorenzo Bonomi to his son Casimiro. The succession also marked the change of designation: on July 31, 1920 the Company became “Anonima Vestonese Elettrica” ​​(A.V.E.). It already had 40 employees, all from the surrounding Val Sabbia, suggesting a strong link with the territory and local human capital, which has continued over the years to the present day.

The 1930s marked the arrival of plastics. From the Far East, Cavalier Casimiro Bonomi brought the formula to produce bakelite, the forerunner material of the most modern plastic, to Italy. In 1930 the Company assumed the commercial name “AVE” and the following year it declared the manufacture of electrical material in general, plastic printouts and small metal parts. In the 1940s, the moulding of synthetic resins was added and the market expanded to Asia and America at the same time. In 1944, when Bonomi died, the Company passed to his wife and daughters Elena and Clara.

After the Second World War, the transition from a semi-artisan dimension to a more industrial one gradually took place, reaching the number of 600 employees. In 1952 with Andrea Belli, son-in-law of Casimiro Bonomi, AVE defined its vocation in the field of switches. In these years it collaborated with the designer Gio Ponti inaugurating an innovative conception – which had become constant – between aesthetics and function. At the end of the 1950s, the production of built-in switches and industrial switchboard equipment also began.

The Company grew in Italy and abroad, but it was especially in the 1970s, with the arrival of electronics, that the expansion became clearer. Alessandro Belli, Andrea’s son, confirmed the vitality of AVE with a new corporate reorganization that penetrated the whole Italian peninsula. In 1979 a new commercial and administrative office was opened in Rezzato, in the province of Brescia and in 1984 there is the birth of “AVE S.p.A.”. In the 1980s AVE received the Compasso D’Oro for the first 45 mm modular switch of the Habitat series (designer Andries Van Onck).

The 1990s and 2000s marked an important evolution. In 1993 Alessandro Belli became the Company President. Gradually Rezzato headquarter welcomed also production department, which covered almost all the articles dedicated to electrical, ventilation, fire detection, anti-intrusion and home automation systems. The arrival in the Company of his sons Emanuele and Tommaso coincided with a new impetus to the industrialization, marketing and sales strategies, as well as for the revaluation of the Made in Italy as a national and international heritage.

After launching the first “touch” switch of the Ave Touch series in 2010, in 2016 AVE is included in the book “100 Italian excellences” by the publisher Riccardo Dell’Anna. Between 2017 and 2018, the Company reinterprets the switch through the toggle collections New Style 44 and England Style 44, available for different international standards. At the dawn of 2020, AVE launched DOMINA Smart, an IoT-ready platform that consolidates home automation, anti-intrusion, and video intercom systems into a single, large integrated one. In 2022, AVE introduced various innovations dedicated to the professional smart home. In 2023, it earned the recognition of the “Historical National Interest Brand” and “Historical Enterprise of Italy,” acknowledging AVE’s centuries-old activity and its significant entrepreneurial contribution. In 2024, AVE celebrates the 120th anniversary of its foundation and launches Whitek 44, the integrated wiring system, with a new collection in matte white, many designs and various technological innovations.