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SAES Getters
SAES Getters formed in Florence in 1940 as Società Apparecchi Elettrici e Scientifici. Paolo della Porta became a partner in 1949 and assumed full leadership...
SAES Getters
SAES Getters formed in Florence in 1940 as Società Apparecchi Elettrici e Scientifici. Paolo della Porta became a partner in 1949 and assumed full leadership by 1952, converting a small scientific apparatus shop into a global advanced-materials manufacturer. Today massimo Della Porta, his son, serves as Chairman and CEO, while third-generation members Ginevra, Lorenzo, Livia, and Luigi della Porta sit on the board alongside representatives of the Canale and Baldi families — the other two founding families that co-own the group through S.G.G. Holding S.p.A. The group operates four product divisions — Chemicals, Packaging, High Vacuum, and Industrial — built on six materials platforms: Shape Memory Alloys, Specialty Zeolites, Getter Alloys, Capsules, Polymer Composites, and Advanced Coatings. Vacuum getters and dispensers serve the semiconductor, particle-physics, and defense sectors; shape-memory alloys appear in medical devices and consumer electronics; specialty zeolites target beauty and personal-care markets; active and barrier coatings enter compostable food-packaging films through subsidiary SAES Coated Films S.p.A. The firm deploys its manufacturing footprint across eleven facilities in Italy, Germany, and the United States, with direct sales and service operations in Japan, China, and Taiwan. Since 1980, SAES has supplied CERN's accelerator projects and more recently contributed to the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor program. Revenues remain consolidated on the Milan Stock Exchange (ticker unstated), while excess liquidity feeds SAES Investments S.A., a Luxembourg-domiciled securities portfolio. The group does not publish a separate asset-management AUM or deployment figure. Manufacturing subsidiaries span SAES Getters/U.S.A. Inc. in Colorado Springs, Spectra-Mat Inc. in Watsonville, California, Actuator Solutions GmbH (a joint venture with Germany's Alfmeier) in Gunzenhausen, and Rial Vacuum and Cinel in Italy. Corporate philanthropy flows to AIRC and FIRC, the Italian foundations for cancer research, and to FAI, the Italian environmental trust, through SAES's membership in the 'I 200 del FAI' circle. What separates SAES from a conventional conglomerate or family office is its structural integration: the families do not operate a distinct OCIO or pure wealth-holding entity separated from the operating company. Instead, the listed industrial group retains and invests liquidity through a subsidiary in Luxembourg, maintaining a hybrid posture where corporate treasury functions double as the family's principal investment vehicle. The supervisory board — chaired by Maria Pia Maspes, with board membership from Cecilia Braggiotti and Livia della Porta — reinforces the governance architecture that keeps the three-family coalition aligned across the fourth generation.
General information
Firm type
Corporate Investor
Year founded
1940
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Italy
City
Lainate
Corporate office
Viale Italia 77, 20045 Lainate (Milan), Italy
Additional offices
Colorado Springs, USA · Nanjing, China · Tokyo, Japan · Taipei, Taiwan · Gunzenhausen, Germany · Parma, Italy · Roncello, Italy · Vigonza, Italy · Watsonville, USA · Berlin, Germany
Principals
Massimo della Porta
Chairman, CEO & CTO
Gianfranco Baldin
Chief Executive Officer & Group CFO
Ginevra della Porta
Chief Innovation Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who controls SAES Getters, and how is ownership structured?
Three families — the Della Porta, Canale, and Baldi families — control SAES Getters through S.G.G. Holding S.p.A. The Della Porta family has led the group since 1949; Massimo della Porta is Chairman and CEO, while third-generation members hold board seats. The dual CEO structure adds Gianfranco Baldin as Group CEO and CFO alongside Massimo della Porta. The holding company consolidates the families' voting power, and SAES itself remains publicly listed on the Milan Stock Exchange.
Does SAES Getters operate a dedicated family office or investment arm?
SAES does not operate a standalone single-family office. Instead, it runs SAES Investments S.A., a Luxembourg-domiciled securities portfolio, funded by excess operating cash flow from the listed parent. This treasury function serves as the primary vehicle for the families' financial assets, distinct from the industrial manufacturing operations.
What industries depend on SAES Getters' products?
SAES materials enter semiconductor manufacturing, particle accelerators and synchrotrons, medical devices and life sciences, consumer electronics and OLED displays, aerospace and defense, automotive, food and beverage packaging, luxury, and energy applications. CERN has been a partner since 1980, and the company contributed to both the LEP and LHC accelerators as well as the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor.
How does SAES Getters source innovation? Where is R&D conducted?
The firm runs two internal labs: the Radical Research Division, focused on fundamental materials science at the nanometric scale, and the Consumer Innovations Division, which commercializes new applications. The labs develop hybrid technologies including getter materials embedded in polymeric matrices for organic electronics. Chief Innovation Officer Ginevra della Porta oversees this effort from the Lainate headquarters, with additional research supported at subsidiary sites in Italy and the United States.
Does SAES Getters invest in startups or venture funds, or is capital retained inside the group?
The group does not publicize direct venture investing or external fund commitments. The primary known financial investment vehicle is SAES Investments S.A., the Luxembourg securities portfolio, which suggests a liquid, marketable-securities posture rather than a startup direct-investment program. No external venture-fund LP commitments have been disclosed.
What philanthropic entities or social organizations is SAES Getters linked to?
SAES is a corporate donor to AIRC and FIRC, the Italian foundations for cancer research, and to FAI (Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano), where it belongs to the 'I 200 del FAI' group of corporate supporters. No separate family foundation appears to have been established; philanthropy flows directly from the operating company rather than through a dedicated charitable vehicle.
Are the operating company and the families' balance sheet effectively commingled?
Functionally, they are adjacent. The industrial business pays dividends and generates cash that SAES Investments S.A. deploys in marketable securities. The board's supervisory body — chaired by Maria Pia Maspes and including Livia della Porta — oversees governance, but because SAES Getters is itself the family's primary asset, the listed entity's treasury and the families' wealth pool blend at the Luxembourg level. This is a corporate-investor structure, not a ring-fenced family office.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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