Committed to sustainable component precision

Sabaf is a global leader in the development and manufacture of key components for household appliances. The company’s success is based on its strong commitment to innovation and technological excellence. Philip Yorke reports on a company that continues to set new industry standards in order to meet the changing and challenging demands of this fast evolving consumer sector.

Founded in Italy in 1950, Sabaf has grown steadily to become Europe’s leading household appliance component manufacturer and is a major player on the global stage. The company produces thermostats, gas cooker burners and taps, as well as special hinges for dishwashers, ovens and washing machines. Sabaf is the supplier of choice for many of the world’s leading appliance brands.

The company’s exceptional technical know-how, production flexibility and its ability to offer of a wide range of components keep it ahead of the competition. All its products are designed according to the needs of its individual clients and markets, which adds to the strength of the Sabaf Group. With a turnover of over €130 million in 2016, the group is currently estimated to hold more than 50 per cent of the European market and over 10 per cent of the global market in this sector.

Driving technological evolution

A lifetime of commitment to quality and innovation has paid considerable dividends for the Sabaf Group. For example, a continuous programme of product optimisation has allowed the company to create not one but three versions of its famous triple-crown burner, thus setting new standards for the industry in the process. This has resulted in the company being at the forefront of the 4kW DCC market with millions of these components being produced every year at its state-of-the-art facilities worldwide.

Being acknowledged as the undisputed technological leader in its field, its capacity for technological innovation is valued at both the product level and that of the machinery it makes to manufacture and assemble them. The company’s significant annual investments in R&D has made it possible for it to evolve strategically in order to meet the global demands for increasingly more efficient, sustainable and safer products.

Broad high-tech portfolio

Sabaf’s extensive product range includes gas burners for ovens and grills, as well as thermostats, taps and hinges for a range of household appliances. Recently the company created a burner that guarantees continuous optimal performance with excellent flame distribution. Thanks to their special electrodes, thermo-couplings and innovative positioning systems, the burners are able to obtain performances identical to those of uncovered burners, with flame lighting and safety activation times reduced to less than 1.5 seconds. This represents an unprecedented improvement compared to what has been available on the market to date and has revolutionised this home appliance sector.

For almost 70 years Sabaf has designed and manufactured a wide range of thermostats for gas cooking appliances. These gas thermostats are used in free standing cookers and built-in ovens. They are available in one or two-way versions and with or without a flame failure device. In terms of quality and safety, they are considered to be the best on the market and have been approved by the most stringent international quality certification bodies including European (CE) USA (CSA) and SASO (Saudi Arabia). Sabaf thermostats can also be used to activate other built-in devices including timers and micro-switches to operate fans, and oven lights.

Another Sabaf product that continues to set new standards for the industry is its range of taps for household appliances. These can be configured in brass or extruded aluminium alloy and can be used in free-standing cookers or in built-in hobs. These are all available with or without a flame failure device. Sabaf’s taps can also be fitted with a variety of micro switches and the company has recently developed a patented micro-switch harness that offers a unique rapid-lock assembly system.

Focus on sustainability

Sabaf’s mission is to guarantee sustainable development through the balancing of economic and financial requirements relating to those connected with the design, production and distribution of its extensive range of components for domestic gas cooker appliances. Therefore the company is constantly engaged in making decisions based upon ethical values and a respect for its social

and environmental responsibilities. The company’s manufacturing sites in Italy and elsewhere are designed to ensure that its products are not only based on the highest technological standards, but also created with the environment and sustainability in mind.

Further attention to environmental issues can be found in Sabaf’s manufacturing processes, which are constantly lowering energy consumption during manufacturing and in the development of more eco-efficient products.

Underscoring its focus on the environment yet further, Sabaf has become an advocate, together with the Brazilian Regulatory Authority, to uphold the ban on the use of Zamak, a zinc and aluminium alloy for the production of gas cooker taps, due to its inherent health risks. n

For further details of Sabaf’s innovative range of household appliance components and services visit: www.sabaf.it