Sano (company)

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The current logo of Sano

Sano (Hebrew: סנו‎) is a detergent products manufacturer in Israel that was founded in 1959 by Bruno Landsberg. The Latin word sano means "to heal".

[edit] History of Sano

In 1952, Landsberg, immigrated from Romania and began working in the accounting department at Rafael. After a few years, he began working in sales at the Kadima Chemicals Corporation a cleaning products manufacturer. In 1959, Landsberg took advantage of a takeover of 'Kadima' to purchase the distribution line and founded the 'Southern Marketing Company'. The first year, the company distributed products of 'Vitco Fertilizers', but only a year after, Landsberg decided to bring independent production and a pioneering branding of all products under one name - Sano. The first 'Sano' product was toilet bowl cleaning powder.

After completing Economics and Commerce studies at Harvard University, Landsberg returned to Israel and opened a factory in Bat Yam. At the time, Sano had only 4 employees, one machine and 3 products. In 1963, Sano began selling 3M Scotch-Brite, a move that made the company profitable. In 1969, the company began producing mosquito repellant, cockroach control, and an air freshener named 'Sano Fresh'. In 1972, the company moved the factory to land in Hod Hasharon where it has since expanded and operates its main distribution centre.

In 1982, Sano made its first initial public offering on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and two years later Sano opened a new factory in Bnei Brak and started manufacturing disposable diapers named 'Litufim'. In the 1990s, began an overseas expansion by exporting to Europe and joining into a partnership to manufacture detergents in China. In 1996, Sano stopped marketing Vitco products and instead came out with a new line of its own.

[edit] Sano today

As of 2005, Sano has over 700 employees and markets over 500 products. Sano, as its site states, is the current leading detergent products manufacturer in Israel [1].