Vertex was born in 1953 as a production workshop for spare parts for agricultural engines and pumps.
The name Vertex was chosen by the priest who gave his blessing to the building, it is a Latin word and means Summit, Summit.
Originally it was a craft business with 8 employees headed by the dean of IPSIA, the vocational school of Reggio Emilia.
In 1963, two machining lines were set up for the production of 2-stroke cast pistons and the first technical office was organised.
In the year 1972, Vertex purchased the know-how and technical support of a famous German piston company. This fact has improved internal capabilities on materials, heat treatments and shape profiles.
Another milestone in the history of Vertex was the year 1980, when the company was acquired by YAMA, the Italian group's leader in the field of gardening. The new owner immediately provided Vertex with the financial capacity to support its development.
In the year 1982, after a management reorganization, production concentrated on cast pistons for garden machinery, scooters and mopeds.
Between 1984 and 1986 the construction area was doubled and in the following two years the production capacity was increased with the purchase of several new CNC machines.
Subsequently, Vertex became the supplier of pistons to major European karting, scooter and motorcycle companies and its market share rapidly improved.
During 1992, Vertex technicians released new off-road pistons made of exotic materials with special HTs and designed with particular racing profiles: it was an immediate success.
Also in 1992, the AFTERMARKET activity began with the logic of providing end users with pistons made with the same technology applied to racing parts.
In 1994, an official Yamaha factory motorcycle fitted with a Vertex piston won the 125cc Motocross World Championship. This was the first step in a long string of world championship victories by top official teams using Vertex pistons.
In 1995 Vertex began their relationship with the orange company supplying the two-stroke pistons for their official motocross and enduro teams. Also with KTM success came immediately with the victory of several motocross and enduro championships.
In 1996, in addition to racing pistons, Vertex was chosen by KTM as the official supplier for its OE 2-stroke engines; this relationship of value continues in the same way also today.
In 1997, the Vertex company received the ISO 9001 certificate from DNV, a clear signal of the technology, quality and consistency capabilities for the projection, casting, forging and machining of pistons.
Also in 1997, Vertex began its overseas adventure by establishing a close relationship with the famous "Team Kawasaki-Pro Circuit". It was another occasion where Italian technology combined with American riders enabled official Kawasaki motorcycles to win the 1997-1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006 AMA MX championships.
On September 1, 2000, the Vertex Pistons company was acquired by DOVER US Corporation, brought into its PMI division and changed its name to Dover Italy.
In April 2006, when the crisis affected all European companies, Vertex decided to look beyond and planned the reorganization following the logic of "Lean Thinking" with the clear objective of increasing its level of competitiveness by concentrating efforts only on customer value.
In cooperation with Lean Organisation, a Lean Journey was therefore started which enabled the company to achieve the ambitious efficiency targets set for Aftermarket and OE productions.
On July 14, 2008 VP ITALY srl a company headquartered in Reggio Emilia, purchased Vertex Pistons by Dover Corp. with the firm intention of taking the company to the next level.
The staff of VP ITALY, from the first moment, has ensured financial resources and a strong commitment focused on motorsports activities, all with the aim of providing customers with valid support for the many challenges that the current market poses in front of all.
