Nordica (company)

Nordica is an Italian manufacturing company of winter sports products, focusing on skiing. Based in Giavera del Montello, Italy, Nordica is currently a division of Tecnica Group, after it was acquired from Benetton in 2003. The current range of products includes skis, boots, poles, and accessories such as sportswear, gloves, and bags.

History

In 1939, after years of experience as traders in hides, the brothers Adriano and Oddone Vaccari founded Nordica in Montebelluna, Italy, making casual footwear. In the post-war years, Nordica specialised in ski boots, although continuing to supply the market with cross-country ski shoes and climbing boots. Work was still seasonal and the equipment manual.

In 1950, the Italian skier Zeno Colò gave his name to a Nordica ski boot and to a revolutionary lining designed by Colmar. Zeno became World Champion with Nordica both in the downhill and the giant slalom of the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, Colorado, and gave his name to a ski boot made by the company in Trevignano.

The 1960s saw several new introductions: the buckle, a fastening system conceived in Austria and applied for the first time in Italy by Nordica, was introduced in 1963. Also introduced in that year was the all-polyurethane ski boot; specific molds (one for the right boot and one for the left) and injection presses were developed as well.

In 1968, the leather upper of the traditional models was plastic-coated externally using polyurethane or PVC, and the cuff was raised.

Nordica set up its first affiliate in the United States, which was the result of an agreement between Nordica and Rossignol. Other affiliates were opened in Austria, Japan, Switzerland, France, and Germany. In 1989, the Benetton Group purchased Nordica for US$120 million. By the time of the acquisition, Nordica reported sales of US$225 million (1.7 million pairs of boots).

In 2003, the Nordica brand was purchased again by the Tecnica Group, after sales had decreased to US$97.5 million on 730,000 pairs of boots plus 100,000 pairs of skis. The new corporate strategy was aimed at the ski sector with particular attention to racing products and the competition sector.

In 2006, Nordica introduced XBI, a fully integrated balance improvement system.

Products

Nordica's current product range includes skis, ski boots, poles, and accessories such as sportswear, gloves, and bags. The brand is particularly well known for its high-performance ski boots and has a prominent role in ski racing history, having reached the top of Olympics and World Cup podiums with skiers such as Pirmin Zurbriggen, Kjetil André Aamodt, Andre Myhrer, and Felix Neureuther.

Corporate Structure