The history of Sice Previt has distant roots. After the First World War, Giovanni Tonini, an engineer with origins from Trentino, worked as a designer and construction manager on projects for dams and hydroelectric power stations at the office owned by Engineer Omodeo, in Milan. The works carried out – both in Italy and abroad – were projects of major land transformation. These were the years of the first earthquake-proof dams, where innovative abilities combined with experience enabled the construction of grandiose works, with little machinery and many hard-working arms. Following his experience at SIAF, where he specialised in the design of aqueducts, Giovanni founded the first company in the history of the Tonini family, ‘Tonini & Colombo’, operating in the hydraulic works sector.
After the Second World War, in a country in need of reconstruction, Tonini founded a new construction company: ‘Ditta Ing. Tonini’. Tonini’s strength and determination are reflected in his great passion for the mountains (his commitment in life is similar to that required by a summit climb), in his sense of freedom and justice, and in his pride in belonging to the Alpine Corps. These values, together with honesty and seriousness, are those that still today represent the foundations of Sice Previt and guide it in an ever-changing world.
In 1961, Giovanni Tonini founded Sice S.r.l. (Società Italiana Costruzioni Edili) and Previt S.p.A. (Prefabbricati Vermiculite Italiana). His son Leonardo, a highly specialised engineer to whom we owe the development of the industrial prefabrication branch, also worked in these companies.
In addition to his work as a builder, Leonardo Tonini launched several entrepreneurial initiatives between the 1970s and the 1980s in order to disseminate new construction systems. Thus, together with other entrepreneurs, he set up numerous companies operating in Italy and abroad, spreading new ideas about construction that were the result of a dialogue between different professional skills.
The untimely death of Engineer Leonardo in ‘85 led his daughter, Arch. Monica Tonini, who took over from her father, to reorganise the company, focusing on the building construction and renovation sector. In order to strengthen the offer to the costumers, she started a collaboration with Programma Edile, an expanding company led by a young engineer, Arturo Caprio, son of two generations of industrial plant entrepreneurs. The professional and sentimental understanding led to the merger of the two companies under the name Sice Previt, with a total of 40 employees.
These early years were dedicated to the integration of the two realities and the expansion of customer base in the fashion sector, until the first wood carpentry workshop was established in the early 2000s. This new specialisation allowed Sice Previt to enter the sector of luxury retail shops supply, while also remaining in the construction sector and carrying on its traditional activities. This new stimulus, together with the far-sightedness of the owners, soon led to the creation of the metalwork department, which works on both construction and furniture, and later the Steelwork, Decoration, Marble and Glass departments, in order to offer a complete service to the customers.
The leading brands of the fashion and design sector have been joining Sice Previt’s traditional customer-base ever since, projecting the company abroad and into the future.
“The roots of the two families tell a common story of innovation, research and the valuing of the people who have made it possible to achieve great things. It is a gift that Arturo and I have received and that we try to pass on to future generations with the same enthusiasm.”
Arch. Monica Tonini and Ing. Arturo Caprio
A friend once compared the workers of Sice Previt to the tortoise of the Roman army. The tortoise was an infantry formation, designed for a squad of legionaries armed with the gladius and with a broad, sturdy square shield. The shields were raised above their heads to create a compact cover, which allowed the legionaries to advance while sheltering them from arrows and bullets and concealing their true number. The legionaries could thus march up to a minimum distance from the enemy lines and, when the deployment was broken, hand-to-hand combat began. Never was a definition more fitting and never was a compliment more welcome.
Describing Sice Previt and its corporate philosophy is not easy: what is certain is that the reason for its success lies in the mentality of the people who work there.
Thanks to its unique mindset, the company has overcome great challenges and earned a leading role in the high-end construction and shop-fitting sector. The legacy and all the lessons learnt are encapsulated today in the biographical books ‘Mano d’opera’ and ‘A regola d’arte’ available on the website. The main character expressed in these books, which represents all the employees of Sice Previt, is honesty towards oneself and others. Honesty is also an absolute prerogative of the owners of the company since its foundation. Honesty towards customers, but also towards employees and suppliers.
To create a company made up of people, not just capital and machinery, has always been the aim behind Sice Previt. The true assets of a company are the people who work there, they are the ones who really make the difference. This is the dream of the owners, Ing. Caprio and Arch. Tonini.
Besides, Sice Previt’s strenght also lies in its capital and machinery. Sice Previt is a solid company, which has always reinvested the profits generated by its business in the company, especially in research and in the constant renewal of its production lines, with the acquisition of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, to assure maximum safety and quality.
In 2013 Segrate Oggi dedicated an in-depth article to us, as an entrepreneurial reality rooted in the town for over 50 years and still in full development. We recognise ourselves in the fine portrait sketched by the author, Beppe Maseri, who not only presented our activities but also emphasised the...
In 2014 we had the opportunity to publish a first-person account of our company in Dedalo, the magazine of Assimprendil Ance (the association of construction companies in the provinces of Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza). Written by the architect Monica Tonini, co-owner of the company, the article briefly retraces the history...
In 2022, during a refresher course attended by Sice managers at Bocconi University, we attracted the attention of trainer and management expert Marina Puricelli, who decided to come and visit our factory. From that visit emerged a beautiful article published in the University's online magazine, SDA Bocconi Insight. Dedicated to the...
In this beautiful interview carried out by the editorial staff of Dedalo (the magazine of Assimpredil Lombardia, the sector association that brings together companies active in the building industry), the owner and president of Sice Previt Arturo Caprio outlines the guiding principles and entrepreneurial choices that have shaped the historic...