The 20th anniversary of the company's foundation is an ideal occasion to remember the extraordinary professional and individual personality of Alberto Delfo Colombo, who sadly passed away a few months ago, and who was the real driving force behind the establishment and success of Johnson-Fluiten.

The Johnson-Fluiten project comes from the distinctive identities and features of the two companies that shaped it: Fluiten and Kadant Johnson.

Fluiten is a historic Italian company representing excellence in the precision mechanical industry. Since 1961 it has produced Mechanical Seals for rotating shafts for pumps and agitators used in the Chemical, Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical, Food, Energy and Oil & Gas industries.

Kadant Johnson  or rather, the historical company named The Johnson Corporation was founded in the United States in 1933 and pioneered the invention of the rotary pressure joint. Over the years, the company has grown to become a world leader in the production of steam rotary joints. In 2005, the company was acquired by the multinational Kadant Inc. and renamed Kadant Johnson.

Delfo Colombo; the man, the entrepreneur

In 1962 Alberto Delfo Colombo, known to all as Delfo, founded Fluiten, the mechanical sealing company for industry which just over forty years later would give life, along with The Johnson Corporation (now Kadant Johnson) to Johnson-Fluiten.

Fluiten represents excellence in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals. As the founder, who recently passed away, state:

"Fluiten's excellent results today are the result of more than 60 years of dedication, passion and achievements. Three elements were necessary to achieve these goals: technologies, investments, but above all, people who are the assets capable of making the real difference in business organizations. In fact, an organized team of highly qualified and motivated individuals is essential for the achievement of these goals".

Quality, at any cost

For Delfo Colombo, making quality products has always been a point of distinction. As he remarked, "My main focus was on mechanical seals, which had to perform well: they had to last, not leak, and be cost-effective."

Even today, these are challenges that Fluiten must continue to face because as time passes and technology evolves, market demands raise the bar higher and higher: seals that used to be good for certain applications and for certain limits now have to be reconsidered because the limits are being moved. Increasingly high operating conditions, certifications, safety and emission control are the factors to which much attention must be paid. Quality and the pursuit of excellence have become our trademark”.

The importance of education

"Today it is popular to say that we work as a team. We have always believed that in order to grow, a crucial aspect is to work together with a common goal, not ignoring the welfare and needs of those involved in achieving the goals.

This is because to achieve aspiring results, the same elements as always are needed: technologies, investments, but above all, people who, as such, are able to make a real difference in business realities. Fluiten knows this, prioritizes the growth of young people who are willing to learn by working, and through patience learn the knowledge of the different professional skills needed in the several departments in the company.

A life as an entrepreneur

Great entrepreneurial works can also be accomplished by producing things that no one sees. Have you ever seen a mechanical seal in everyday life? Yet, there are those who have dedicated their lives to it, like Alberto Delfo Colombo, the company's founder and president.

The results that most gratify him are in his products, in the meticulous care with which they are made, in the custom-made applications. And in being able to say that the Italian product is among the excellences in the market

The value of people

Delfo Colombo has always firmly believed that the ability to succeed depends on the coherence and expertise of the people who are part of a company. At Fluiten, the human element is crucial, and Fluiten is still a people-friendly company.

As he often remarked, "One index I am proud of is the very low turnover of our staff. Some employees have been with us for well over 30 years and, as in a big family, are involved on a daily basis in decisions that affect our market strategies."

The story continues

More than 80 percent of companies in Italy are family-owned: very often the founders leave no successors interested in continuing the business, and only 30 percent of these companies survive the generational transition.

Fortunately, this is not the case; with Delfo's recent passing, the torch has passed to the founder's son, Fulvio Colombo, who is determined to keep the company going and ensure that the Fluiten and Johnson-Fluiten success story can be renewed and continue to be told for a long time to come.