From 1889: two employees and no warehouse

Chun & Vollerin was born in 1889 from the meeting of a family of German origin and one of French origin, both settled in Italy in the closing years of the nineteenth century. It started as a commercial and distribution business working on three fronts: special metals, paper and trimmings, and industrial representation.

Two employees, no warehouse: pure representation. For many years the company established itself as an intermediary, in particular as the Italian distributor of a German steelworks.

From the 2000s: from representation to service center

The transformation began in the 2000s. With targeted investment the company built its own warehouse, brought in technology and put together a service offering, specialising in metal cutting.

That was the shift from a representation business to a structured service center. Paper and trimmings were progressively left behind in favour of cutting bars and sheet metal, while the representation side opened up to work with global players.

Cusago 2020: the metals boutique

In the period before the pandemic came new management choices, built on merit and on more current governance. Since 2020 the new site in Cusago, with more than 4,000 m² of plant, has improved logistics and production space: on one side the commercial soul with stock ready to ship, on the other the engineering capacity for large installations.

The specialisation is in processing and distributing high-performance materials: nickel alloys, duplex and superduplex, copper and other special alloys. An offering aimed at sectors where the margin for error is close to zero: chemical and pharmaceutical, aerospace, energy, shipbuilding, motorsport.

The choice: a 40 kW FHD in place of plasma

The plasma cutting system used until then on sheet metal was no longer enough. Not because it is a weak technology, but because customer demand had moved on: precision and edge quality on difficult materials, with less rework after cutting.

The choice fell on the FHD system from Cutlite Penta at 40 kW, the highest power available at the time, to cover the full range of services with a single machine.

What changed on the shop floor

The improvements showed up on four fronts, all of them measurable on the part and on the cycle time:

• Precision on thick material too: clean edges, clean surfaces and minimal need for downstream work.
• Production speed: much shorter cycle times, on thick plate as well.
• Lower energy consumption than plasma cutting, with the corresponding effect on running costs.
• Flexibility: a wide range of metals on the same machine, so customisation without changing equipment.

A hybrid industrial model

The investment in fiber laser is not an isolated episode: it is part of a path in which Chun & Vollerin combines tailored service with an industrial outlook. With 40 kW the company does not only sell metals, it sells tailored technical solutions for people who need reliable components. Around the machine sit the services that make it useful:

• Warehouse that is large and traceable, with fast delivery of bars, sheets and tubes cut to size.
• Integrated service center, with customised laboratory testing.
• Technical consultancy with engineers and surveyors, for complex projects.
• Logistics with packaging, traceability and turnkey shipping.

The stated goal is to combine the reliability of large industry with the flexibility of a craft workshop. It is a model we share, and the reason this partnership works.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Chun & Vollerin?

An Italian company founded in 1889, based in Cusago near Milan, specialising in processing and distributing metals and special alloys. It began as a commercial representation business and from the 2000s turned into a service center with its own warehouse and cutting department.

Which materials does Chun & Vollerin work with?

Nickel alloys, duplex and superduplex steels, copper and other special alloys, as bars, sheets and tubes. These materials go to sectors such as chemical and pharmaceutical, aerospace, energy, shipbuilding and motorsport.

Why did Chun & Vollerin replace plasma with fiber laser?

For the precision and edge quality on thick material, which cut down the work needed after cutting, for shorter cycle times, and for the ability to cut a wide range of metals on the same machine.

Which machine did Chun & Vollerin choose?

A Cutlite Penta FHD system at 40 kW, the highest power available at the time of purchase: the fiber laser cutting system for high power and large formats.