Founded in 1908 near Bologna as an artisan paint brush workshop, SIT Società Italiana Tecnospazzole S.p.A. (“sitbrush”) has evolved across five generations into an international leader in engineered technical and industrial brushing solutions. Operating a 13,000 sqm primary facility with over 230 industrial machines in Casalecchio di Reno, alongside Spazzolificio Bustese and the 2,500 sqm Periks production plant in Năsăud, Romania, sitbrush manages over 3,500 SKUs and exports to more than 75 countries. As global manufacturing accelerates its shift toward Industry 5.0 and automated robotic deburring cells, the demand for precision-engineered, high-endurance brushes is rapidly outpacing standard commodity tools.
In an exclusive interview, Alessandro Acquaderni, CEO and Board Member at sitbrush, outlines the company’s in-house production of ceramic abrasive composite brushes, the 60th anniversary update of the iconic SPID hand brush, and positive market recovery indicators heading into late 2026.
A brief description of the company and its activities.
Alessandro Acquaderni: SIT – Società Italiana Tecnospazzole S.p.A., better known as “sitbrush”, is an Italian, family-owned company based in Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna. Our roots go back to 1908, when we started out as artisan producers of paint brushes. Today, five generations later, we design and manufacture industrial brush solutions alongside a broad catalogue of brushes for professionals and DIY users. With around 110 people, a 13,000 sqm production facility in the Emilia-Romagna region equipped with over 230 industrial machines and more than 3,500 SKUs, we export to over 75 countries and hold a leading position on the Italian market. Together with Spazzolificio Bustese, a historic Italian manufacturer from Arconate with nearly 60 years of experience in technical brushes, and Periks, our production site in Năsăud (Romania) — a 2,500 sqm facility that has been part of our manufacturing footprint for 22 years — we are creating a sitbrush business world for further strengthening our manufacturing capacity and enhancing our proximity to international customers.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
A.A: Our activity is organized around two main areas. The first is the production of industrial and technical brushes for professional applications, developed for sectors such as foundry, woodworking, pipeline and others, often engineered as custom solutions tailored to our clients’ specific processes. The second is the production of brushes for professionals and DIY users, designed for use with power tools as well as for gardening and general hand use.
What’s the news about new products/services?
A.A: We are now producing composite brushes directly in-house, a technology mastered by only a few manufacturers in our sector. These brushes use exclusive ceramic abrasive filaments, engineered to cut 3 to 5 times faster than traditional abrasive filaments while retaining more of the abrasive grain as the filament wears, making them ideal for use on robotic cells and CNC machines (automotive, medical, aerospace industries). Alongside this, we will be launching a renewed version of SPID, our historic and best-known hand brush, a product that has represented the company for decades and is now celebrating its 60th birthday!
What are the ranges of products/services?
A.A: Our product range covers both the professional/DIY and the industrial market. For professionals and DIY users, we offer brushes for angle grinders (including X-Lock mount by Bosch), drills, bench grinders, sanders, gardening tools and a wide selection of hand brushes. On the industrial side, our technical brushes are manufactured in different formats such as strip brushes, spiral brushes, master rolls, single-section wheel brushes, composite brushes and staple-set brushes all engineered for specific applications such as aluminium alloy treatment, rolling mills, conveyor belts, tyre retreading, woodworking, panel treatment, pipe deburring, pipeline industry and foundry, as well as brushes for photovoltaic and solar panel manufacturing. Beyond the products themselves, we also offer technical consultancy to help customers select or design the most suitable brush for their specific process, along with custom-manufactured solutions built around each client’s requirements.
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
A.A: The market for industrial and technical brushes is mature but steadily evolving, closely tied to the health of the broader manufacturing and processing industries we serve. Demand remains stable thanks to the essential role brushes play in production and replacement cycles, while at the same time the market is shifting from standardized, commodity-type products toward more engineered, application-specific solutions. Being present in both industrial and professional segments allows us to balance more cyclical industrial demand with steadier retail and professional-tool demand.
What can you tell us about market trends?
A.A: We see a shift toward automation and Industry 5.0: brushes are increasingly integrated as critical components within automated and robotic production cells, rather than used as standalone tools, which pushes the whole industry toward more engineered and application-specific designs. Sustainability is another growing driver, with customers looking for brushes that last longer, reduce material waste and support more efficient processes.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
A.A: Our composite brushes, recently introduced in-house, represent one of our most innovative developments, reflecting our ongoing investment in engineered solutions for demanding industrial applications. At the same time, we are renewing SPID, our iconic hand brush, with an improved design that stays true to what has made it a reference product for our customers over the years, while bringing it up to date with current needs and expectations. Looking further ahead, we are also preparing to launch an entirely new family of hand-held products in the course of 2027. And if you want more details, we invite readers to stay connected through our website and social media channels, where we’ll be sharing updates as the launch approaches.
What estimations do you have for the second half of 2026?
A.A: 2025 was a year of mixed signals for us, with a somewhat irregular pattern of demand that mirrored the broader uncertainty affecting much of our sector. As we move through the second half of 2026, however, we are approaching the coming months with a more positive outlook: we are already seeing encouraging signals of recovery across our reference markets, and demand appears to be gradually strengthening again. Building on this momentum, together with the ongoing launch of our new products, we remain confident in our ability to close 2026 with growth compared to the previous year, and we look at 2027 as an opportunity to consolidate this positive trend.
