| 1953 |
Vertex was founded in 1953 as a workshop to produce
spare parts for agricultural engines and pumps. The
Vertex name was chosen by a priest who gave his
blessing to the first facility. Vertex is a Latin
word that means, 'Top' or 'Summit'. In the
beginning, Vertex was a small company with eight
workers. The lead engineer was the headmaster of
IPSIA, a secondary technical school in Reggio
Emilia.
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| 1963 |
In 1963 there were two production lines for two
stroke pistons and the first engineering office was
established to produce the technical drawings.
|
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| 1972 |
In 1972 Vertex purchased technical information for
piston production from a famous Germany piston
company. This permitted Vertex to upgrade their
internal standards in materials, heat treatments,
and piston profiles.
|
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| 1980 |
Another milestone of our history occurred during
1980, when Vertex was purchased by the famous
Reggio Emilia Group. The new group partnership
immediately gave Vertex additional financial
capability to sustain its development. The Reggio
Emilia Group also introduced Vertex into the
gardening market.
|
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| 1982 |
In 1982 after a complete management reorganization,
piston production mainly concentrated on the supply
of OE gardening machines and mopeds.
|
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| 1984 |
Between 1984 and 1986 the building size doubled. In
the two years following, Vertex's production
capability increased. This additional production
capability was achieved by purchasing new CNC
equipment.
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| |
In following years, Vertex has become the leading
piston supplier for all European go-kart, scooter,
and motorcycle companies. Within that short period
of time, Vertex considerably increased its market
share.
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| 1992 |
In 1992, Vertex started heavily focusing on the
production of aftermarket pistons.
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Also during 1992, in collaboration with many famous
European motocross teams, Vertex technicians
started to release new pistons manufactured with
exotic materials and engineered with hi-tech
profiles. Success within the racing community came
immediately.
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| 1993 |
In 1993 a Yamaha official factory bike with a
Vertex piston won the 125cc Motocross World
Championship title. Engineering collaboration with
Official Top Teams resulted in a long series of
World Championship titles.
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| 1995 |
During 1995 Vertex started its relationship with
KTM, supplying them with the 125cc and 250cc two
stroke pistons for the official Motocross and
Enduro teams. Success came immediately with several
125cc and 250cc World Championship titles. Soon
following, Vertex became the OE supplier to KTM.
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| 1997 |
In 1997 Vertex received the DNV ISO 9001
certificate. This certification demonstrated
Vertex's high technical and quality piston
production capabilities. In 2003, the internal
quality standards have been upgraded to ISO
9001/2000 certifications.
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| |
Also in 1997, Vertex started its American adventure
in collaboration with the Kawasaki and Pro Circuit
race teams. This was another occasion where Italian
technology combined with US motocross teams,
resulted in the 1997-2004 two-stroke 125cc and
250cc AMA Motocross Championship titles.
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| 2000 |
On September 1st 2000, Vertex Pistons was purchased
by a US corporation and merged its Italian
division.
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| |
During the time spent with the US corporation,
Vertex's staff increased their personal knowledge
in international markets. They have also developed
their skills to maintain good business
relationships with people that have different
culture, education, and strategic views.
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| 2005 |
In 2005 and 2006, racing success continued with the
AMA Championship title in a 250cc four-stroke.
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| 2008 |
After almost eight years with the US group, on July
14th 2008 VP ITALY s.r.l., located in Reggio
Emilia, purchased Vertex Pistons. VP Italy s.r.l.
has the strongest intention to take the company to
the next level.
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VP ITALY s.r.l. staff, has demonstrated their
strong commitment to focus on customers, providing
exceptional support to overcome the many challenges
that the today's market faces.
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| |
Today with skilled employees and modern equipment,
Vertex Pistons, Inc. is a world leading company for cast and
forged piston production. Vertex Pistons, Inc. also supplies
pistons to the most significant European OE
Powersports companies. Additionally, pistons are
shipped through a global distribution network,
satisfying the needs of motorcycle enthusiasts and
professional racers all over the world.
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