The latest acquisition dates back to last April 28, when Smeup – a Brescia-based company specializing in supporting businesses in their digitalization paths – acquired 100% of Informatica Centro, a small company from Jesi (Ancona) very active in the distribution market with, in particular, consolidated experience and specific products for sectors such as spare parts, plumbing and heating, and electrical materials.
First steps: a garage in Franciacorta
The latest of over 30 acquisitions made since 2014, when it marked the first turning point in its history, which began in the late 1980s in a garage in Franciacorta. “I was born in the same year as Steve Jobs,” jokes Smeup’s founder and president, Silvano Lancini, who before becoming an entrepreneur was a mathematics teacher and an IBM systems engineer. “At the time, in this sector, it started like that, in a pioneering way. Today it’s much harder for young people who want to enter the sector.”
The turning point, as we were saying, came for Smeup (which was called Smea) in 2013, after the creation of a shared platform with another company in the sector, Query. Growth has been dizzying: 30 acquisition operations have allowed the company to go from 10 to 100 million in revenue in ten years (98 million in 2024 and 100 in 2025). Today, the Erbusco-based company – which has 21 offices distributed between Northern and Central Italy, over 700 professionals, and over 2,600 clients in 29 countries – is preparing for a new turning point, detailed in the new industrial plan to 2030.
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“We have dedicated the last two years to reorganizing and streamlining the group, after all the operations carried out,” explains Lancini, proud of the results achieved and, above all, of the governance model adopted: “We have 60 shareholders, and this makes us like a public company, even if ownership remains with my family.” The generational transition has also been prepared in advance: Lancini’s children are already operational in the company, in managerial roles, but supported by other executives who, in the future, could also acquire the top roles currently held by Lancini himself (chairman and CEO). “The important thing is that my children will guarantee the continuity of values and entrepreneurial financial support. Then it will be decided, based on skills and aspirations, who will cover which positions.”
The new Industrial Plan to 2030
The new industrial plan marks a change of pace: “We no longer need exponential growth,” explains Lancini. “In the past, we doubled our revenues twice in a few years. Now we want to grow more gradually: the goal is to reach 130 million by 2030, focusing on a few acquisitions, four, to further consolidate ourselves in terms of intellectual property and market verticalization.”
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