Magido

Italian company sees long-term growth in Wisconsin

International parts washer manufacturer Magido pursues expansion plans in the state

When Fabio Capra looks to hire new people in 2025, he won’t have to look far.

The company collaborates with Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant to hire people who have taken the advanced manufacturing class, and Capra—the president of Italy-based Magido—hopes these graduates will help him fill the additional positions being created through the company’s planned expansion of its Sturtevant facility.

Magido is one of the leading manufacturers of parts washers, a large piece of equipment that can clean components like dirt or paint; the company creates products including manual parts washers, top loader parts washers, and titanium pipes parts washers.

Planning to grow a presence

In 2023, Magido began investing in space in Wisconsin, and now they are planning to grow their presence beyond the 12,000 square feet they currently have, said Scott Morin, director of business development at Magido USA. The company has six employees and plans to hire another two for a total of eight.

“We see long-term growth here in Wisconsin,” Morin said.

At their facilities, employees receive shipping containers of the Milan-created unit frames and assemble components like pumps and heaters as well as certifying them to ensure that they match U.S. standards. Right now, they assemble about 60 to 70 machines a month.

They are looking for more space, still planning to be in the Kenosha area and keep adding specialized jobs like technicians, welders, and electricians.

Capra said he sees Wisconsin as the future of their U.S. operations, hoping to eventually match or even potentially exceed the number of employees they have in Italy, which is 50.

“We are really investing a lot of time in the U.S., because we still believe it’s the biggest industrial market in the world,” Capra said.

Company eyes U.S. expansion

After expanding in Europe, they decided to move into the U.S., realizing the market was growing fast, especially as customers concerned about environmental issues purchased water-based cleaning equipment.

“We were a little bit different than the other companies,” Capra said.

Morin added that because their parts washers can be used in so many different companies—aincluding the aerospace, shipbuilding, automotive, and mechanical industries—many different market spaces exist. Next year, Capra is hoping to create a model just for the U.S. market, based off needs from the automotive industry.

Capra said Wisconsin is a natural fit because many of their customers are in the northern parts of the U.S. Plus, he said, “Our major customer is coming from Chicago, so it’s not far away from where we are based now. It makes sense for us.”

With the area around Kenosha having a history of manufacturing companies, Morin said, “The labor force in Southeastern Wisconsin is more geared toward these types of jobs.”

Wisconsin’s collaborative business environment, including WEDC’s global trade and investment team, helped the company find its initial space, a real estate opportunity they would not have known about otherwise. “The networking has been wonderful,” Morin said.

Their Wisconsin facility makes three main parts washers and also assembles and certifies customized parts washers shipped from Italy. Morin said the company can tailor their stainless-steel industrial cleaning technology for specific customers.

The planned expansion will create as many as eight to 10 additional jobs.

Like any company with roots in Milan, Morin said, “One of the things I think that keeps everybody excited? We have espresso.”