URI was founded in Trento on August 25, 1925 by count Giannantonio Manci and Luigi Battisti, son of the World War I hero Cesare Battisti. The two partners had a modern vision of the company where the value of consultancy and problem solving were essential. The supply of materials and products, combined with expertise and logistical support, were fundamental elements in participating in the development of Northeast Italy, which was in recovery after the war.

Mario Agostini left his job at the State Railways in Venice to join URI. He was contacted by his friends, Manci and Battisti, who needed his help in managing the company’s growing business. URI’s clients were major groups involved in developing infrastructure in the Alpine regions, such as quarries, roads, tunnels, and hydroelectric power plants. To accomplish these tasks, explosives were necessary to conquer the mountains.

At the beginning of the year, URI opened its branch offices in Udine and Gorizia, expanding its presence in the North-East region of Italy. This allowed URI to reach a wider market and become the representative for companies such as Società Dinamite Nobel, Consumatori Esplosivi, and S.A.I. in the region.

During the German occupation of Italy in World War II, Giannantonio Manci emerged as the leader of the resistance movement in Trentino. The availability of explosives from URI in the context of war drew the attention of the Gestapo. After the tragic death of count Manci, the Gestapo ordered the liquidation of the company.

With the end of the war and the departure of Luigi Battisti, Mario Agostini became a shareholder of the company for the first time.

Agostini bought out the remaining partners and led the company through the economic boom of the 1950s and 60s. URI took part in the major construction sites of post-war Italy, such as the Autostrada del Sole, the Adige-Garda tunnel, the large dams of the North-East, and the Milan metro.

Alberto Agostini takes over the leadership of the company after the death of his father Mario in 1965. As the “Architetto”, Alberto guides URI through the competitive challenges of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, expanding the company’s product range with new international brands such as Boehler, Sandvik, Rockmore, and Stanley.

URI begins to market the first machinery for rock drilling, participates in the construction of the Brenner highway, and in a context of development of all Alpine areas, begins to offer expertise and materials designed for the specific characteristics of the territory.

URI obtains representation of Boehler products at the Italian level, the need to reach the entire territory in a capillary way leads to the creation of a solid network of representatives at the national level.

Starting from the 1990s, rental becomes central to the company’s business, an activity linked to a consultancy relationship characterized by trust and rigor. The same spirit that had animated the founders.

In an era of globalization and integrated economy, the move to the new structure in Lavis, where offices coexist with the machine park and maintenance workshop, certifies URI’s position as an all-services operator in the construction world.

With the death of Alberto, his son Silvio takes over the leadership of URI. An era comes to an end and the nearly century-long experience in the trade of explosives is over.

From the historic headquarters in Trento, URI moved to Lavis on a 10,000 square meter area, where the administrative offices, workshop, spare parts warehouse, and machine park are now located.

Thanks to its organizational skills, reliability, and extensive distribution network, URI has developed into a company capable of serving a global market, from Scandinavia to South America.

URI is a growing company that looks to the future with constant investment in human and material resources. It aims to be a reliable partner in the international market for the quality of its products, the expertise of its technical and commercial staff, the punctuality of its shipments, and the efficiency of its service and maintenance assistance, the same values that inspired the founders in 1925.