Fifty years in air filtration means having witnessed a profound transformation of the industry. Technologies have evolved, standards have changed, market requirements have become more demanding, and awareness of the role air quality plays in the environments where we live and work has grown significantly. Over the same period, General Filter has evolved too, expanding its expertise, production capabilities and international presence.
The company’s roots go back to before 1976 and are closely linked to the story of its founder, Odone Polin. In the 1950s, he left Italy for the United States in search of new opportunities. It was there that he first encountered the world of air filtration, at a time when the industry was still relatively undeveloped in Italy. When he returned to the Veneto region, he brought with him the experience he had gained abroad and an idea that would gradually take shape over the following years. In 1965, he launched his first business venture, and in 1976 General Filter was founded.
Since then, Paese, in the province of Treviso, has remained the company’s home base. From here, General Filter has built its journey, steadily expanding its expertise, technologies and markets while developing an increasingly international presence.
Today, General Filter has six sales offices in Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Finland and Greece, and operates in a total of 61 countries through an international network of distributors and partners.
Expanding into different markets has meant far more than geographical growth. It has meant engaging with different requirements, applications and ways of working—bringing the expertise developed in Italy to customers around the world while, at the same time, gaining new knowledge and perspectives. This ongoing exchange has shaped the company’s evolution and continues to influence the way General Filter approaches an industry in constant transformation.
Staying rooted. Going further.
Over these fifty years, however, it is not only the company’s markets that have grown. General Filter has progressively broadened its offering and today designs and manufactures complete air filtration systems for a wide range of industries and applications.
This evolution has been supported by continued investment in research, production technologies and performance testing. General Filter operates a Test RIG for testing in accordance with EN ISO 16890 and participates in the Eurovent Certified Performance programme, under which the declared performance of its filters is independently verified against internationally recognised standards.
The company’s commitment to quality extends to its internal processes as well. General Filter has been ISO 9001 certified since 1999 and also operates an environmental management system compliant with ISO 14001.
General Filter therefore reaches its 50th anniversary at a time of continued investment and development. Among its most recent projects is a new cleanroom production area dedicated to high- and ultra-high-efficiency filtration. This specialist field includes EPA, HEPA and ULPA filters designed for particularly sensitive applications, such as cleanrooms, the pharmaceutical industry and controlled-contamination environments. Relevant standards include UNI EN 1822-1:2019 and EN ISO 29463.
General Filter’s growth has always been guided by a clear principle that continues to define the company today: 100% of profits are reinvested to drive further innovation, growth and the development of new capabilities.
After 50 years, the experience we have gained is not something to simply preserve, but something to continually put to work: in developing new technologies, entering new markets and responding to increasingly specialised air filtration requirements.