It all began in 1969 in the northern Italian city of Mezzago, in the heart of Brianza, with a small com- pany that manufactured doors, cars, and components for elevators to satisfy the needs of a merely local market. To grow and expand into new markets, the company would need to modernize its systems and processes.
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The turning point came in 1987, when Cesare Centoducati decided to completely renew the company's workspace and, above all, to mechani- ze production by introducing computer numerical control (CNC) machines: he aimed to turn his small, handcrafted business into a modern factory. His daughter Donatella and his son Stefano, who joined the company in 1990 and 1991, enthusiastically took up the challenge, and CMM (Costruzioni Meccaniche Mezzago) was born. From the very beginning the company was deeply committed to investing in tech- nological innovation to reduce costs while improving both material quality and energy efficiency, with the highest attention to customers' needs.
This drive to innovate resulted in the continual intro- duction of new components, such as different kinds of doors: automatic doors with one or more panels; doors with VVVF (variable voltage variable frequency) control; waterproof, round, or fire-resistant doors. Above all, though, it meant developing increasingly modern systems tailored to their specific purpose.
In 1996 CMM presented both the complete hydraulic lift and the traction lift, which have since evolved further in response to new requests from the market. In 2000 the company introduced the first modern MRL (machine room-less) traction elevators, and in 2004 the hydraulic Dreamlift was born, meant for preexisting buildings and characterized by reduced headroom height and pit depth.
In 2006 the company further improved traction elevators by widely introducing the gearless machine, which has the advantages of occupying even less room and significantly reducing energy consump- tion. The most recent evolution of this technology is represented by the MRL LIFT ME line, whose gearless machines can carry loads of up to 4,000 kg, making them perfect for any use: commercial, public, residential, or industrial. Additional change is apparent in the residential sector, where the new trend of installing home lifts has become increasingly popular in the last few years to meet the needs of the renovation industry.
After thirty years, the vision of Cesare, Donatella and Stefano still proves successful: their openness to the market's requests and their drive to innovate have promoted constant growth, allowing CMM to expand beyond its national borders. Exports today comprise 60 percent of production, and CMM elevators and components are installed in more than thirty coun- tries in Europe and around the world.