Mivar

Last updated
Mivar
Company type Società in accomandita semplice
Industry Consumer electronics and furniture
Founded1945 (1945)
Founder Carlo Vichi
Defunct2021 (2021)
Headquarters
Abbiategrasso, Lombardy
,
Italy
Area served
Italy, liimited exports to neighboring countries
Products Radios, Television sets, Tables, Chairs
Website mivar.it
Mivar Egadi radio turntables Egadi Mivar.JPG
Mivar Egadi radio turntables
Mivar 32LED2 100 Hz white Mivar 32LED1 100 Hz bianco.png
Mivar 32LED2 100 Hz white

Mivar (Milano Vichi Arredi Razionali, formerly standing for Milano Vichi Apparecchi Radio, and previously trading as Radio VAR), [1] was an Italian factory of consumer electronics and furniture. The brand has since been relaunched by the owner's heirs (see below).

Contents

Location

It was founded by then-22-year-old entrepreneur Carlo Vichi in 1945 in Milan, moving multiple times over the years, but since circa 1968 [1] [2] the company headquarters is in Viale Dante 20, Abbiategrasso ( 45°23′33″N8°55′31″E / 45.39261°N 8.92518°E / 45.39261; 8.92518 - 20 km from Milan).

In the 1990s a larger and architecturally ambitious factory was built nearby ( 45°23′53″N8°55′46″E / 45.39809°N 8.92946°E / 45.39809; 8.92946 ), however following its completion in 2000 it never was put into service due to downsizing business, primarily attributed by Vichi to increasing Turkish and Asian competition. [1] [2] [3]

Products

The company was initially best known as a distributor of parts and contract designer for other radio companies; only in 1956 industrial tube radio production started; production later expanded to models with a built-in record player, as well as to CRT televisions for which the brand is still best known.

Between the 80s and 2000s Mivar TVs were a significant success in the Italian retail and commercial (TV studios, schools, hospitals, hotels, and prisons) markets; despite having few convenience or novelty features and sometimes dated designs they were competitively priced, durable, and easily serviced (thanks to included schematics and PCB annotations in Italian language, widely available and affordable spare parts, as well as lists of common faults and their causes for some models). Another iconic Mivar feature is the design of their older remote controls, such as the TC and X series, with thin buttons made of hard plastic.

By the mid-2000s Mivar had modernized their range by adopting fully electronic service adjustments and offering in their range models with flat-screen tubes, 100 Hz scan-doubling, DVB-T IDTVs, front RCA inputs; as well as having a wider range of stereo sound models. [4] Their reputation for reliability was however partially marred by higher failure rates on certain models, such as the 14/16/20P1 employing the DS19 flyback transformer prone to internal arcing, EEPROM corruption due to bugs in the ST92195B5B1/MOH microcontroller, or non-user-upgradeable early DVB-T modules incapable of handling over 255 channels (a limit which was easily exceeded in some regions at the peak of digital TV).

As a conservative company not focused on the leading edge of the market, Mivar initially ignored then-expensive LCD technology and was unprepared to react to their popularity. Yet, before LCDs outsold CRTs, [5] Mivar introduced between 2004 and 2010 some new attractive and competitive LCD-CCFL TVs, [4] and in 2011 a range of LED-backlit TVs, [6] culminating in an Android smart TV. [7] Their design was still simple and rational, with front-facing speakers for better sound, and despite market-mandated increasing reliance on non-European component and LCD suppliers (some of whom vertically integrated competitors of Mivar), case manufacturing and assembly was still carried out in Abbiategrasso.

CRT TV production ended in June 2008. [2]

With the bankruptcy of the Friulan domestic competitor Formenti (Sèleco, Stern, Imperial, Brionvega, Phonola, ...) in 2004, of SEI-Sinudyne in 2006, and of foreign-assembling Q.Bell in November 2013, Mivar was the last Italian factory and for one month the last active Italian brand of televisions: by the end of the year, manufacturing was terminated, [8] [9] with the last unit being signed by the six remaining assembly line workers, and the television division remaining in business to offer after-sale service to date (mid-2020), with plans to continue doing so until 2023. [10]

The then extremely downsized company nominally became a manufacturer of rational furniture, offering table and chairs combinations for commercial use, with their design loosely based on those designed in-house for the comfort of assembly line workers; [8] [11] it is however doubtful whether said products actually made it to the market.

In 2017, Vichi daringly published an open letter to Samsung and other former rivals, declaring his willingness to grant free leasing of the new plant (except ordinary expense management) to anyone who wants to produce TVs, high tech products, household appliances or electronic equipment. [1]

Management

The company has for its entire existence been owned and managed by its founder, Carlo Vichi (1923-2-5 - 2021-9-20). [12]

As a stubborn anti-unionist [13] workaholic and supporter of fascism, [9] [14] he had a very strong influence on the company's actions and attitude, to a degree rarely seen even in small family-run companies.

Vichi eschewed the stereotypical managers' life, choosing to have his workplace in the same room as the assembly line, having the same office hours as other employees, owning an older modest car, and not having a personal computer or cell phone. [10]

Mivar always rejected public funding and plans for a national association of electronics manufacturers. [15] On the other hand, Vichi did not hesitate to use his personal money to subsidize the company in its later unprofitable years (100 million Euros since 2000), allowing the company to not resort to outsourcing or licensing their brand yet exiting the market debt-free, comparably to Atwater-Kent in the 1930s and unlike most of their European competitors. [10] He has not involved his children, with whom he doesn't have successful family relations, in the business; the company in its original form ceased trading shortly before Vichi's death. [16] [10] [15]

Due to these atypical practices often prioritizing employment and long term reputation against the profit motive of most businesses, Mivar has been the object of academic case studies. [17] [18]

New company

Mivar
Company type Società a responsabilità limitata
Industry Consumer electronics
Founded2021 (2021)
Headquarters
Abbiategrasso, Lombardy
,
Italy
Area served
Italy
Products Television sets
Website mivar.it

Some time after the demise of the TV manufacturing business, former employees constructed the Bolva Italia company in Abbiategrasso in late 2019, [19] manufacturing webOS-based televisions in Poland using oriental assemblies while still offering domestic servicing.

In the meanwhile, Mivar became a limited liability company under the ownership of Luisa and Valeria Vichi [16] and re-entered the trade on January 20, 2022, by establishing a joint venture with Bolva - as well as a shared service department in Mivar's facilities. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Milan</span> Italian association football club

Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is the only Italian side to have always competed in the top flight of Italian football since its debut in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plasma display</span> Type of flat panel display

A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display that uses small cells containing plasma: ionized gas that responds to electric fields. Plasma televisions were the first large flat panel displays to be released to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat-panel display</span> Electronic display technology

A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment.

A television set or television receiver is an electronic device for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or as a computer monitor. It combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers. Introduced in the late 1920s in mechanical form, television sets became a popular consumer product after World War II in electronic form, using cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. The addition of color to broadcast television after 1953 further increased the popularity of television sets in the 1960s, and an outdoor antenna became a common feature of suburban homes. The ubiquitous television set became the display device for the first recorded media for consumer use in the 1970s, such as Betamax, VHS; these were later succeeded by DVD. It has been used as a display device since the first generation of home computers and dedicated video game consoles in the 1980s. By the early 2010s, flat-panel television incorporating liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology, especially LED-backlit LCD technology, largely replaced CRT and other display technologies. Modern flat panel TVs are typically capable of high-definition display and can also play content from a USB device. Starting in the late 2010s, most flat panel TVs began to offer 4K and 8K resolutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp Aquos</span> Product brand name for televisions and screens

The Sharp Aquos is a product brand name for LCD televisions and component screens, originally sold by Sharp Corporation of Japan and also used by licensees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Emilio Gadda</span> Italian writer and poet (1893–1973)

Carlo Emilio Gadda was an Italian writer and poet. He belongs to the tradition of the language innovators, writers who played with the somewhat stiff standard pre-war Italian language, and added elements of dialects, technical jargon and wordplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TCL Technology</span> Chinese multinational electronics company

TCL Technology Group Corp. is a Chinese partially state-owned electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. It designs, develops, manufactures, and sells consumer products including television sets, mobile phones, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and small electrical appliances. In 2010, it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer. It became the second-largest television manufacturer by market share by 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La7</span> Italian television channel

La7 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned by Cairo Communication. Until 2013 it was owned by Telecom Italia Media and operated by Telecom Italia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lega Basket Serie A</span> Top mens basketball league in Italy

The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier level of the Italian league system. The LBA plays under FIBA rules and currently consists of 16 teams, with the lowest-placed team relegated to the Serie A2 and replaced by the winner of the play-offs of that tier.

A handheld television is a portable device for watching television that usually uses a TFT LCD or OLED and CRT color display. Many of these devices resemble handheld transistor radios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metz (company)</span> German manufacturer of consumer electronics

Metz-Werke GmbH & Co. KG was a German consumer electronic manufacturer, Besides Loewe and TechniSat, Metz was the only remaining TV manufacturer which developed and produced their devices in Germany. Its head office is in Zirndorf, Bavaria. The company filed for insolvency in 2014 and backed up by new investors now reformed as two independent companies Metz Consumer Electronics GmbH and Metz mecatech GmbH since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onida Electronics</span> Indian multinational electronics company

Onida Electronics is an Indian multinational electronics and home appliances manufacturing company, based in Mumbai. Onida became well known in India for its colour CRT televisions and smart TVs. Other appliances manufactured by the company include flat panel TVs, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, DVD home theatre systems, mobile phones, projector systems and LED lights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natuzzi</span> Italian furniture company

Natuzzi S.p.A. is an Italian furniture company founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, the group's executive board of directors' chairman. The company designs sofas, armchairs, living room accessories, and bedroom furniture. It is headquartered in Santeramo in Colle, Apulia, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Savona</span> Italian economist, professor, and politician (born 1936)

Paolo Savona is an Italian economist, professor, and politician. He was the Italian Minister of European Affairs from 1 June 2018 until 8 March 2019, his second stint in government after 1993–1994. During the 2010s, Savona became one of the most fervent Eurosceptic economists in Italy.

TPV Technology Limited is a Fortune China 500 multinational electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, and incorporated in Bermuda. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of computer monitors with a 33% market share. TPV designs and produces a full range of CRT and TFT LCD monitors as well as LCD TVs for distribution globally. It owns brands such as AOC, Envision, and Philips for some products. It is also an original design manufacturer for other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TIMvision</span> Telecom Italia video service

TIMvision is an Italian Internet video on demand service by Telecom Italia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elodie (singer)</span> Italian singer (born 1990)

Elodie Di Patrizi, known professionally as simply Elodie, is an Italian singer, actress, and model. She first rose to prominence as the runner-up of the fifteenth season of the show Amici di Maria De Filippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Askoll</span> Italian electric vehicle manufacturer

Askoll EVA S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of two-wheeled electric vehicles for urban mobility. The Dueville based company produces e-bikes, electric scooters, components and kits. Askoll EVA is a subsidiary of Askoll Group, an Italian corporation specialized in manufacturing electric motors and drain pumps for washing machines, heating systems and other domestic appliances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Film Festival Milano</span>

Fashion Film Festival Milano is an international fashion film festival and cultural event that takes place annually during Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy in collaboration with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. Founded in 2014 by Constanza Cavalli Etro, Fashion Film Festival Milano presents fashion film as a cinematographic product realized by the fashion industry as a communication and marketing tool. Since 2017, Fashion Film Festival Milano takes place as a hybrid event with digital screenings and in-person events that introduce fashion film to a global audience.

Carlo Francovich was an Italian politician, partisan and literary historian.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Home page Mivar" (in Italian). Mivar. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 ""BROCHURE_MIVAR_ITA28523.pdf"" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mivar". Archivio Storico (in Italian). Fondazione Fiera Milano. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Catalogo/archivio" (in Italian). Mivar. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Rusconi, Gianni (2008-02-22). "I Tv Lcd sorpassano i Crt: il tubo catodico alza bandiera bianca" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore . Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Televisori LED" (in Italian). Mivar. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Faggiano, Roberto (2013-06-02). "Mivar resiste e presenta la sua prima Smart TV Android". DDay.it (in Italian). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 Maria Fagnani, Giovanna (15 October 2013). "Mivar, addio alla tv made in Italy Carlo Vichi: "Produrremo mobili"" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 Azzimonti, Michele (2013-10-11). "Televisori Mivar: fine dei programmi il 30 novembre" (in Italian). Il Giorno. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Tv Mivar: Sono Ancora In Produzione?". PLC Forum (in Italian). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "Arredi razionali" (in Italian). Mivar. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  12. ↑ Piccone, Beniamino (21 September 2021). "Addio a Carlo Vichi, fondatore geniale della storica azienda di televisori Mivar". Forbes (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  13. ↑ Noto, Sergio (17 October 2013). "Carlo Vichi, la Mivar e la dura vita di un imprenditore-contro" (in Italian). Il Fatto Quotidiano. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Piromallo, Janauria (20 March 2014). "Carlo Vichi: 'Hitler è il mio eroe'" (in Italian). Il Fatto Quotidiano. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  15. 1 2 Leone, Angelo (2017-08-08). "Eppure lo diceva anche Rocky. Mivar da leader di mercato in Italia a "Regalo la mia Fabbrica". Meglio cambiare o fallire?" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  16. 1 2 "MIVAR S.r.l." (in Italian). March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Il caso Mivar - Le strategie di costo". SlidePlayer (in Italian). Università La Sapienza di Roma. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Maggi, Francesco (2016-05-16). "La coerenza delle politiche di gestione delle risorse umane: il caso Mivar" (in Italian). Università di Pisa. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  19. ↑ "Bolva Italia". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Aziani, Marco (21 January 2022). "Bolva Italia (che ha sede ad Abbiategrasso) fa rinascere il marchio Mivar". Ordine e Libertà (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.