How two family companies became Dolby Vivisol

The parent company in Europe: Sol

SOL was founded in 1927 by a small group of people in Monza, Italy, including the Annoni and Fumagalli families. They originally produced and supplied oxygen and acetylene for cutting and welding uses to shipyards in Leghorn and Ancona.

In the 1940's, the second generation of the Annoni and Fumagalli families acquired full control of the Company and in the 1960's SOL became one of the leading producers of Industrial and Medical gases.

Their first major Home Oxygen supply contract was awarded in the '80s to provide for patients in Grossetto, an area of Tuscany.

Also in the 80's a new therapy based on oxygen for patients with severe breathing difficulties was being developed in the United States. It prescribed the use of liquid oxygen in special containers delivered to the home of the patient. The therapy required a significant amount of oxygen and an accurate and extremely specialised home-care service. SOL was one of the first companies to introduce this equipment in Europe and to offer this service.

Remaining under the management of the Annoni and Fumigalli families, the company continued to grow and expand outside Italy. 

Vivisol was founded as an arm of the Sol group fully dedicated to Home Respiratory Care and all aspects of Home Oxygen therapy.

They now provide services to patients throughout Europe, improving quality of life both inside and outside their homes.

The third generation of the founding families continue to hold the posts of Managing Directors, Chairman and deputy Chairmen of the company and play significant roles within the Sol enterprise, which now operates in 20 European countries and India.

Dolby: Ralph Dolby founded the company as R. L. Dolby and Co Ltd. in 1963, and originally operated from Giffnock in Glasgow. They moved to Stirling in 1965.

In 1989 the Scottish Health Service undertook the management of the Home Oxygen Service throughout Scotland. Under the title of Dolby Medical, we then began working with them to provide Oxygen therapy solutions to patients across the entire geography, including the Highlands and islands.

At the same time the company extended their equipment sales and service efforts to cover England and Wales.

In August 2003 Dolby Medical were awarded a rolling contract to provide Oxygen therapy services in conjunction with SHS.

Dolby Home Respiratory Care have not only maintained the provision of the Home Oxygen Service within Scotland since, but widened significantly the scope and quality of the service.

This was done by introducing innovative new products to their portfolio, namely Liquid Oxygen (December 2007), Portable Concentrators (March 2008), lightweight cylinders (May 2009), specialized low flow and high flow concentrators (2008), the BabyOx service (Dec2007) and self-filling systems (May 2008).

The latest chapter of our family history opened in 2010 when Dolby Medical Home Respiratory Care became part of the Vivisol family of Companies.

Since then Dolby Vivisol have developed to cover new therapeutic areas such as Home Ventilation and deploying their infrastructure to the South of England.

We look forward to a long-term partnership with the NHS which will benefit our patients and all the stakeholders in the field of Home Respiratory Services.