MIVAR - 1945

#MIVAR is an Italian TV-set manufacturer.

Mivar 32LED1 100Hz black
Mivar 32LED2 100Hz white

It was founded by entrepreneur Carlo Vichi in 1945 in Milan. Mivar used to produce radios and CRT televisions, but now produces only LCD LED televisions. Mivar is the last Italian factory of televisions. Their factory is in Abbiategrasso (20 km from Milan).

Since the 80s until 2000 in Italy Mivar TVs have had a very wide spread, in fact these televisions were present in almost every Italian house, in the Italian TV Studios, in schools, hospitals, hotels and prisons, because these CRT TVs were good, cheap, robust and durable. When the market decided to focus on the LCD TVs, Mivar was unprepared and had serious difficulties. 

But thanks to the tenacity of the master Carlo Vichi, Mivar introduced in 2010 some new attractive and competitive LCD-CCFL TVs, and in 2011 some new LCD-LED TVs. The televisions made today by Mivar are also particularly simple and rational, with a particular Italian design and front speakers for better sound. Today's Mivar TVs are all made in Italy.

 — aAbbiategrasso.

CITTERIO - since 1878

#CITTERIO The Joseph Citterio S.p.To it is a working Italian firm in the food sector.

The society, founded in 1878 to Rho, it is one of the most ancient firms of the food sector in Italy. The firm was initially born for producing the salami in Milan, produtto with the exclusive recipe developed by the founder of the firm and destined to the export.

From halves the Nine hundred, the firm also expands then his/her own activity in the Italian market, extending the production of others affected and products of delicatessen.

The firm possesses eight establishments in Italy and one in the United States of America. The global work force is of around 1400 people. – a Rho.

MARZOTTO - since 1836

#MARZOTTO

The Marzotto Group is an Italian textile manufacturer, based in Valdagno.
Created in 1836 as the Lanificio Luigi Marzotto & Figli. In 2005 Marzotto Group's textile business separated from Valentino Fashion Group.
The Group manufactures woollen and cotton yarns for clothing, and through equity investments, woollen yarns for knitwear, linen yarns and silk.

The Group manufactures in textile sector with the brands
Marzotto
Guabello
Marlane
Estethia / G.B. Conte
Tallia di Delfino
Tessuti di Sondrio
Marzotto/Lanerossi Blankets

In the Linen yarns sector Marzotto Group manufactures through the Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale of which the parent company owns 100,0% of the ordinary shares.
The Woollen Yarns activity is manufactured through Filivivi. Activities are consolidated according to the proportional method; 50% owned by the parent company with Manifatture Lane Folco (Verzoletto Group).

History of Marzotto S.p.A.

Luigi Marzotto founded a wool mill in Valdagno in 1836, but handed the business to his son Gaetano, Sr. in 1842. After the unification of the kingdom of Italy in 1861, Gaetano took advantage of the company’s location (companies in northeast Italy were found to make the transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy more quickly than those in the south) by buying a spinning factory nearby Maglione. By then, the company’s payroll had risen to over 1.200 employees.
After Gaetano’s death in 1910, Marzotto S.p.A. split in two, so his son Gaetano, Jr. took over the Maglione factory and his grandson Vittorio Emanuele Marzotto, who has been credited with leading the company into the export business, took over the Valdagno operations. In the 1950s, Marzotto S.p.A. diversified in the manufacturing of private-label menswear, Principe by Marzotto. After going public in 1961 with a listing on the Borsa Italiana, the Milan exchange market, the company started exporting its products to the United States. To reduce labour costs, 40 percent of the clothing production would eventually be transferred there.
In the 1980s and 1990s, more and more companies were bought by Marzotto S.p.A.: Lanerossi in 1987, whose addition made Marzotto Europe’s first fully integrated wool producer, Hugo Boss in 1991 and Czechoslovakia’s Nuova Mosilana wool mill in 1994. The company’s grandest move came in 1997, when it announced that it would merge with HPI to form Gruppo Industriale Marzotto, the world’s largest designer clothing manufacturer. However, in May of that year, Pietro Marzotto (son of Vittorio Emanuele, so great-great-grandson of Luigi), abruptly stopped negotiations, which led to Pietro’s resignation of his function as chief executive and the take-over by Jean de Jaeger, the first non-Marzotto to be promoted to such a function. Pietro nonetheless remained the majority shareholder of Marzotto S.p.A. and he purchased Litekas and Calw, a Lithuanian wool garments manufacturer, in 2000, so that the company could shift part of its production to the lower-cost market. He also bought Valentino S.p.A., which had been struggling under HPI, in 2003, and the company has seen surging profits and gaining sales ever since.

 – a Valdagno.

TOD'S

#Tod's Group is an Italian company which produces luxury shoes and other leather goods, and is presided over by businessman Diego Della Valle.

Dorino Della Valle started the shoemaking business out of a basement in the late 1920s. Diego Della Valle, Dorino's elder son, expanded the workshop and turned it into a factory that started manufacturing shoes for American department stores in the 1970s.

Diego brought in innovative marketing strategies in the early 1980s, kept the handmade manufacturing process and went on to create brands of lifestyle named Tod's, Hogan and Fay. Roger Vivier, maker of high luxury shoes was acquired in the mid–1990s and developed starting the beginning of this Millennium. In 2003, Italian designer Bruno Frisoni was hired as Roger Vivier's Creative Director.

The Della Valle family, which owns a vast majority of the luxury maker also has stakes in RCS MediaGroup, the football team Fiorentina and other companies. All members of the family were born in the middle Italian region of Marche, and many of them continue to reside there.

Tod's has numerous stores around the world, including large flagship stores in Europe, US, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia.

 — a Sant'Elpidio a Mare.

POLTRONA FRAU - since 1912

#Poltrona_Frau is an Italian furniture maker located in Turin, Italy. They are recognized as designing chairs that are both modern and contemporary, using leather on most of their products. 

They have designed interiors for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia, and Infiniti. Poltrona Frau leather is also used by Audi, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Maserati, Lexus, and Mini Cooper as well as Fiat 500 (2007). The new top of line Chrysler 300 Luxury Series features also Poltrona Frau interior. In addition, Poltrona Frau seating was used for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles CA.

From the company's website introducing themselves.
"Since 1912, the general public has always and immediately associated the name Frau with the idea of quality and design furnishing and seating in particular. A name that is so characteristic and instantly linked to German sounds, but which is, in fact, simply that of the company’s founder, Sardinian-born Renzo Frau, who, over time, has successfully taken the 'Made in Italy’ style and quality beyond national confines.

There have been a great many important moments in the history of Poltrona Frau, and they have all contributed in some way to creating the legend of this company that was founded in Turin and is today a citizen of the world."

In 2013, it was announced that the company will produce 600 seats for the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil. It will be the first time the Italian company Frau produce seats for a football— a Torino. stadium. 

LA RINASCENTE

#LA_RINASCENTE

La Rinascente (derived from Rinascita - means "rebirth" in Italian) is a Thai owned Italian retailer operating upscale department stores in the area of clothing, household and beauty products, founded in Milan in 1865 by Luigi and Ferdinando Bocconi.

On May 27, 2011 Central Retail bought a 100% stake of the 150-year-old store firm for 260 million euros. "Our ultimate goal is to take it global and to be recognised all across Asia, be it in Thailand, China, Japan or Hong Kong," Chief Executive Officer Tos Chirathivat told reporters. Central Retail also planned new Rinascente stores in Italy and expected the takeover to break even within eight years.
La Rinascente was the first department store to open in Rome in 1887.

Currently La Rinascente owns a chain of 11 department stores located in Italian major cities: two in Rome and one in Milan, Genoa, Turin, Florence, Palermo, Catania, Cagliari, Padova and Monza. The flagship concept store is La Rinascente Milano Piazza Duomo, in Milan.

The historical La Rinascente buildingin Milan, to the left of the Milan Cathedral.

The Bocconi brothers opened a first clothing shop named Aux Villes d'Italie in Via Santa Radegonda (next to Piazza del Duomo, Milan) in 1877, inspired by Le Bon Marché - probably the first modern clothing store - which had been successful in Paris for some decades already. The business grew very quickly and within few years they opened stores in several more Italian cities. People were attracted by the then-new concept of exposing the clothes in plain sight and allowing customers to walk around the shop and "watch and desire". The Bocconi brothers, however, failed to support this advantage with a targeted commercial strategy, so the success was relatively short-lived. The onset of World War I worsened the decline and by 1917 the chain of stores was about to go out of business.

Instead the Bocconi brothers sold to entrepreneur Senatore Borletti, who went looking for ideas to relaunch the business. He hired decadent poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, arguably the most influential figure in the Italian culture at the time, to suggest a new public image for the store

On Christmas night, 1918 - the first Christmas in peacetime - a short circuit caused the renovated main store in Piazza del Duomo to burn to the ground. When it opened again after being rebuilt, the name had a new meaning besides the original: that of a place which had been literally "born again" from its ashes.
The Borletti family kept ownership of the chain until the late Sixties. The stores have since kept the name suggested by d'Annunzio and are still very popular today among Italian citizens and tourists.

BIALETTI - 1933

#BIALETTI 

Alfonso Bialetti' (1888–1970) was an engineer who became famous for acquiring Luigi De Ponti's invention of the simple yet elegantly designed Moka Express coffeemaker. Designed in 1933, the coffee pot has been a style icon since the 1950s. It is the source of nostalgia and affection for many Italians and is an essential and fashionable part of almost every cucina italiana ("Italian kitchen"). While many variations of the Moka have been developed, including the Bialetti cow-printed Mukka Express (which makes cappuccino), the Moka Express is a time-honoured classic. Bialetti was also the founder of Bialetti Industrie S.p.A, the now giant Italian kitchen-ware company.

The Bialetti mascot with his index finger held up as if ordering another espresso. In Italian he is called l’omino con i baffi - "the mustachioed little man". The mascot is a caricature of Alfonso's son, Renato Bialetti.

Bialetti first acquired his metal-working skills by working for a decade in the French aluminium industry.By 1919 he had established his own metal and machine workshop in Crusinallo (his native Piedmont) to make aluminium products: this was the foundation of the Bialetti company. He transformed his workshop – Alfonso Bialetti & C. Fonderia in Conchiglia – into a studio for design and production.

Bialetti completed his design for the aluminium Moka Express in 1933. It may also be referred to as a Moka, Moka pot, a Bialetti, a percolator or a stove-top coffeemaker, and in Italian as la Moka, la macchinetta ("the little machine") or la caffettiera. The blueprints for the Moka Express are on display in the London Design Museum[citation needed]. Bialetti was probably heavily influenced by contemporary designers such as Hoffmann, Puiforcat, Genazzi and Henin; to a certain extent he copied and built upon their coffee-pot designs. The coffee pot’s clean classic design with its symmetrical eight-faceted metallic body is easily recognisable—it followed the same design for over 70 years (unusual in a world of constantly changing products). Since its creation the Moka has become the world’s most famous coffee pot and has been cited in the Guinness Book of World Records as well as in various essential design books. The Bialetti design has also provided an inspiration for modern designers; Julian Lwin, a New York designer, paid homage to the Moka Express with his own "Dr. Octagon Espresso" set of table and chairs.

The use of aluminium to construct the body of the coffee pot was also a relatively new industrial concept as aluminium was not a traditional "domestic metal". Soon the material was to become more common in kitchens and the mid-1930s are considered to be the golden era in the production of aluminium products for the kitchen. The coming together of coffee and aluminum may have been inevitable, however, it was the Bialetti design together with the use of the novel metal which made the coffee-pot something rather special.

The Moka was eventually to transform the Bialetti company into a leading Italian coffee-machine designer and manufacturer. Between 1934 and 1940 the humble Moka was only marketed locally - sold by Alfonso at the weekly markets in Piedmont. In these six years he only produced 70,000 units. By 2001 a total of 220 million units had been produced and to date the number has reached 330 million[citation needed]. During World War II the rising prices of coffee and aluminium stalled production of the Bialetti products. It was not until Renato, Alfonso’s son, took over in 1946 that the Bialetti product line was narrowed down to a single product: the Moka Express. A huge multi-faceted marketing campaign was initiated by Renato. It incorporated television, billboards which saturated the streets of Milan and even the creation of a giant statue of the Moka Express coffee pot. Copy-cat designs were infiltrating the market by now and advertising turned out to be a key strategy in defining the success of the Moka and ensuring the popularity of the Bialetti brand. L'omino con i baffi – the Moka mascot – was based on a humorous cartoon doodle of Alfonso Bialetti. The initial sketches and logo were created in 1953 by Paul Campani. By 1956 the Bialetti company had managed to construct a state-of-the-art factory in Omegna.

In terms of socio-economics the invention of the Moka Express brought espresso from the coffeehouse and coffee bar to the home. That is certainly the impression the advertisements wanted to send out to people. Previously, only the middle and upper classes had the means to brew high-quality (i.e.: café-quality) coffee at home; coffee-drinking was, for the majority, a public affair. This was because the high-quality coffee makers were all large and expensive machines used by (and marketed specifically for) baristas. The creation of the small, efficient, user-friendly and affordable Moka allowed people to quickly brew intense and good-tasting coffee in the comfort of their homes. The Moka Express was to replace more primitive coffee-makers from the late 19th century such as the Napoletana and the Milanese.

Aromatic compounds and other flavour compounds are extracted from coffee grains by the Moka using a process known as percolation. The verb to percolate is defined as: to cause a solvent (i.e.: water) to pass through a permeable substance (i.e.: coffee) especially for extracting a soluble constituent. In order to percolate or brew the coffee the percolator is placed on a stove element and heated until pressure in the water compartment increases causing the water to rise through a funnel, through the coffee grains, through a filter and, finally, into the top compartment. According to the Bialetti corporate lore the mechanical design for the Moka was inspired by the primitive washing-machines used by housewives: linens were boiled in tubes built around a central conduit that drew the boiling soapy water up through it and redistributed it across the linens through a radial opening.

Alfonso Bialetti is the grandfather of Alberto Alessi of Alessi (the famous Italian design house).
Some patents describe this machine as an "apparatus for domestic use to prepare hot drinks by steam jet, in particular to prepare 'Italian Cappuccino'".

 — presso Italia.

SMEG - since 1948

#Smeg is an Italian manufacturer of upmarket domestic appliances. Vittorio Bertazzoni founded the company in 1948 in the village of Guastalla, Reggio Emilia, Italy. The name is an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla ("Emilian metallurgical enamel works of Guastalla"). 

The company remains in the private ownership of the Bertazzoni family with its headquarters still in Guastalla. Smeg is best known for its FAB range of 1950s-style, retro refrigerators that have curved corners and come in a variety of non-traditional colors and patterns. The company also manufactures dishwashers (freestanding - available in FAB style, semi-integrated and fully integrated), washing machines, ovens, microwaves, cooktops, freestanding cookers, rangehoods, refrigeration, wine cabinets, in-built coffee machines.

Vittorio Bertazzoni Snr founded Smeg in 1948. The company originally specialised in enamelling and metalwork. It soon began to produce innovative cooking appliances. "Elisabeth", launched in 1956, was one of the first gas ranges to feature automatic ignition, safety valves in the oven and a cooking programmer.
In the 1960s, the washing range was introduced with the production of the first Smeg dishwashers, which soon led to a world premiere in 1970: the first 60cm wide dishwashers with capacity for 14 place settings. High performance hobs and ovens were then designed and produced from the mid 1970s and, during the 1990s, Smeg completed its product range with the introduction of distinctive sinks and hoods after buying Apell, an Italian manufacturer of extractor hoods, sinks and taps based in Ancona.

Having established itself in the residential sector, Smeg later entered the commercial market. Smeg Food Service manufactures appliances for the professional hotel, restaurant and catering market and Smeg Instruments supplies disinfection equipment to hospitals and dental surgeries.

The design and manufacture of Smeg appliances is concentrated in three factories based in Northern Italy, each specialising in a specific type of appliance. Excluding the United Kingdom, the company operates thirteen subsidiaries (France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, USA, South Africa, Denmark and Australia), as well as two representative offices in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia with a network of distributors around the world.

Smeg has developed an extensive product collection in collaboration with respected architects and designers, many of them recognised internationally including Guido Canali (who also designed the futuristic company headquarters in Guastalla), Mario Bellini, Renzo Piano and Marc Newson.

In 1997, Smeg unveiled their range of striking, retro-style refrigerators. Offered in five colours, the FAB28 bore the distinctive SMEG lettering, deep curved doors and a chunky handle so evocative of the trend-setting 1950s. Fridge-freezer versions followed and colour options expanded to include pink, yellow, orange and lime plus special editions, including a Union Jack door. Dishwashers and washing machines in complementary styling and colours extended the appeal of the retro range and, whilst other brands targeted the market, Smeg had already carved its niche and today its FAB28 refrigerator enjoys design icon status.
FAB refrigerators are frequently seen on television programmes and commercials and continue to enjoy enviable exposure in home interest press.

2007: Domotica award for the head office, given during Green Architecture week. In the same year, the architect, Guido Canali, was also invested with the Medaglia d’Oro all’architettura italiana by Triennale di Milano for the same design, while Smeg won the Dedalo e Minosse award.
2009: Wallpaper Design Award for Newson design oven, organised by Wallpaper magazine.
2010: Good Design Award granted by the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, for their FP610SG oven and the P755SBL hob from the innovative Newson product line.
2012: Good Design Award, for Linea range PV175CB hob.

OLIVETTI

#Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other business products such as calculators and fax machines. 

Headquartered in Ivrea, province of Turin, the company has been part of the Telecom Italia Group since 2003.

The primacy of the first PC can be assigned to Olivetti thanks to Programma 101, which was produced in 1964 and had a big success in the U.S. market.

BRIONVEGA - since 1945

#BRIONVEGA

Brionvega is an Italian electronics company, established in Milan in 1945, now located in Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.

The company was founded in 1945 by Giuseppe Brion and engineer Pajetta. Initially called B.P.M. Company and manufacturing electronic components, the business became known as Brionvega in 1960. In the early 1960s, two unusually designed portable television sets, designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, were launched by Brionvega by the names "Doney" (1962) and "Algol" (1964).

These designs are both still in production now.
In 1969 Brionvega released the "Cubo" television (production now ceased). This set was designed by Mario Bellini and became a classic of that era and is on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. An updated version of this television was produced in 1992 with the same exterior casing but new electronics but this is now out of production.

In 1993, Gian Mario Rossignolo bought Brionvega from the Brion family and placed it into his Sèleco company (which later became Seleco-Formenti). Seleco hit problems when Turkish electronics producers caused prices to fall rapidly and by April 1997 Seleco-Formenti was declared bankrupt. Almost 10 years later, the Brionvega brand came back to life when it was bought twice - the rights for the production of radios and audio systems was bought by Sim2 Multimedia whilst in August 2006 the rights for the Brionvega brand plus the TV designs and production was taken over by the Super//Fluo company.

Since the take over of the brand, Super//Fluo has re-issued two of the original products in limited edition runs, the Doney TV and the Algol TV . The also introduced a new design Lcd-Television, the Alpha, presented at Salone del Mobile in 2007.

ARTEMIDE

#ARTEMIDE

Situated at Pregnana Milanese, the Artemide Group has an ample international distribution presence in which the single brand showrooms sprouts in the most important cities in the world and the "shop in shop" in the most prestigious illumination and furniture shops.
Founded in 1960s, Artemide is one of the most known illumination brands in the world. Known for its "The Human Light" philosophy, Artemide is nowadays synonym with design, innovation and made in Italy.

Artemide has contributed to the history of the international design with products like Eclisse (1967, from Vico Magistretti), Tolomeo (1989, from Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina) and Pipe (2004, from Herzog & De Meuron), all showed at the Compasso D'oro Awards.
In 1994 Artemide received The "Compaso D'oro" career Award and European Design Prize In 1997.

 – presso Pregnana Milanese.

FIAT

#FIAT

Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker which produces Fiat branded cars, and is part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.. This is a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A., the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy. The company, Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., was formed in January 2007 when Fiat reorganized its automobile business, and traces its history back to 1899 when the first Fiat, or Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino automobile, was produced.

Fiat's main market is European one, mainly focused in Italy. Historically successful in citycars and supermini sector, currently Fiat has a range of models focused on those two segments (in 2011, those accounted for the 84% of its sales). Fiat does not currently offer any Large Family Car, nor Executive Car.
Fiat's share of the European market shrank from 9.4 per cent in 2000 to 5.8 per cent in the summer of 2004. At this point Sergio Marchionne was appointed as Fiat Chief Executive. By March 2009 their market share had expanded back to 9.1%.

Current range of models is the following:
City car: Fiat 500, Fiat Panda
Supermini: Fiat Punto
Compact car: Fiat Bravo, Fiat Linea, Fiat Albea
Large MPV: Fiat Freemont (rebadged Dodge Journey)
Mini SUV: Fiat Sedici (developed with Suzuki with its twin Suzuki SX4)
Future models announced by Fiat include the 500L Mini MPV to be launched during 2013 and the 500X in 2014 to replace the Sedici.— con Fiat 500 e altre 6 persone presso Italia.

FERRARELLE

#FERRARELLE S.p.To. it is an Italian firm that produces mineral water whose source acquifera is to I Re-ignite, in the province of Caserta. It was founded in 1893 and the actual administrative center it is in Rome. She has been founded in 1893 to I Re-ignite, in the province of Caserta. In 1925 you/he/she is acquired by the family Violated. President and Managing director are Charles Pontecorvo founder of the LGR Holding. – a Riardo.

BOLAFFI

#BOLAFFI 

Giulio Bolaffi (Turin, March 7 th 1902. Turin, 28 October 1987)he has been an Italian philatelist.
It was president of the homonym Turinese society of collezionismo.

Been Born in the Piedmontese chief town by Alberto and Victoria Foa, it started to help his/her father, founder of the firm, facing in the meantime the classical studies to the high school "Massimo of Azeglio" of Turin and the degree in jurisprudence, achieved to twenty-two. In 1933 he/she married Palmina Seghesio with which it had two children, Stella (in the 1934) and Alberto (in the 1936). Following the events that struck the people of Jewish religion of Italy with the promulgation of the racial laws, his/her brothers Roberto and Giving they emigrated; Giulio, remained instead in Italy, becoming, after September 8, partisan in the valleys of Lanzo, with the name of battle of "Mountains.

Subsequently the Committee of National Liberation assigned him the tall Valley of Susa and its name it became "Aldo Laghi"; to head of the Division "Starlet", he fought in Val of Susa up to June 26 1945. At the end of the war, returned home, motivated also from the desire to employ his/her ex-companions of Resistance, Bolaffi it started a publishing activity publishing the first magazine of information of the postwar period, you week in the world.

The index book philatelist, regularly published by this periodical, it represented the nucleus of the following one "Week philatelist", forerunning of the monthly one "The Collector", and of the catalogs philatelists that replaced the old prezziaris of sale of the Bolaffi.

In the 1946 Bolaffi you/he/she had restarted in Turin the activity philatelist with the opening of a shop.

 – presso Bolaffi - Francobolli Monete Collezionismo dal 1890.

BARATTI e MILANO

#BARATTI_e_MILANO

The Coffee BARATTI & MILANO is one of the more ancient and prestigious historical places in Turin, situated in the central Castle plaza and adjacent to the Gallery Subalpina since the 1875.

The famous Coffee BARATTI & MILANO owes his/her name to two confettieris canavesani: Ferdinando Baratti and Edward Milano. – presso Baratti & Milano.

AMARELLI - since 1731

#AMARELLI_LIQUIRIZIA The Amarelli is a family firm been born to Rossano (CS) it turns to the cultivation, harvest and workmanship of the licorice. The firm has been active since 1731, but already in the '500 the family practised this activity. And even Napoleone made use of it. You licorice Amarelli is commercialized in Italy and also to the foreign countries. In 2001 you/he/she has been open the museum where the history of the licorice is reported and all the tools can be admired used for the workmanship of the licorice by the '700 to today. In 2004, the "Set Italian", you/they have recognized the oneness of the Museum and you/they have devoted him a postage stamp of the series "The patrimony artistic and cultural Italian", issued in 3.500.000 of samples.  – a Rossano (Italia).

MIRA LANZA (1924 - 1989)

#MIRA_LANZA (1924 - 1989)

La Mira Lanza è una storica azienda italiana che produceva candele steariche, saponi e detersivi.

La Mira Lanza S.A. (o Miralanza) nacque, il 9 maggio 1924, dalla fusione di due antiche aziende italiane: la veneziana Fabbrica di candele di Mira e la torinese Premiata Reale Manifattura di saponi e candele steariche fratelli Lanza, già compresa nelle più note fabbriche della capitale piemontese nei primi anni Trenta del XIX secolo.

Fabbrica di candele di Mira[modifica | modifica sorgente]
Le origini più remote risalgono al 1831, quando a Mira venne impiantata una fabbrica di candele steariche, che in seguito rivolse la sua produzione anche a quella di acido solforico. La fabbrica venne installata dal visconte De Blangj con i capitali che furono forniti dal commerciante triestino Pietro Machgj e dalla Fabbrica Cere di Trieste. Nel 1880 la fabbrica, oltre alle candele, produceva già 1200 tonnellate annue di sapone e dava occupazione a 120 persone. Nel 1905 la "Fabbrica di candele di Mira" venne trasformata in società anonima e quotata alla borsa di Milano. Nel 1917 la società avvia le trattative per l' acquisizione dello stabilimento "Colla e Concimi" di Roma, una fabbrica di prodotti chimici situata sul Tevere nei pressi di Lungotevere dei Papareschi, non lontano dal Ponte dell'Industria, che era stata attiva dal 1899 al 1912. Le trattative per l' acquisizione vennero completate nel 1918, avviando nella capitale un'attività industriale riutilizzando in parte le strutture già esistenti.] Inizialmente l'acquisto avvenne per la vicinanza dello stabilimento di Mira alla linea del fronte ma in seguito la scelta di uno stabilimento a Roma si rilevò strategica per meglio misurarsi con la concorrenza, con un ampliamento delle strutture, con la costruzione a più riprese negli anni successivi di nuovi edifici fino ad occupare un'area di circa 9 ettari a ridosso del Tevere.

#Premiata Reale Manifattura di saponi e candele steariche fratelli Lanza

Quasi contemporaneamente alla Fabbrica di candele di Mira a Torino nel 1832 veniva impianta ad opera dei Fratelli Giovanni e Vittorio Lanza la "Reale Manifattura di saponi e candele steariche fratelli Lanza" dove ha ora sede l'Ospedale Molinette. La fabbrica venne definita nel da Cavour industria prioritaria del Regno di Sardegna Nel 1905 in seguito alla fusione con l'"Oleificio Lombardo-Piemontese T. Ovazza" la fabbrica cambia la propria denominazione in "S.A. Stearinerie e Oleifici Lanza".
Nel 1873 a Rivarolo, non lontano da Genova l'industriale Erasmo Piaggio, con Luigi Bottaro e Pasquale Pastorino, fondava la "Fabbrica Candele Steariche, Sapone e Acido Solforico L. Bottaro e C." i cui destini si sarebbero in futuro incrociati con la "Fabbrica di candele di Mira" e la fabbrica dei Fratelli Lanza.] La società cambia la sua denominazione nel 1889 in "Società Anonima Stearineria Italiana" con Erasmo Piaggio presidente. In seguito ad un incendio che nel 1903 colpisce l'azienda, la stearineria viene posta in liquidazione e nel 1904 viene rilevata da una nuova società sempre controllata dai Piaggio, la "Stearinerie Italiane", di cui sono amministratori delegati Giuseppe Piaggio e Giuseppe Bafico. La nuova società avvia un processo di ricostruzione con ampliamento degli impianti e dotazione di macchinari moderni. Nel 1907 avviene la fusione tra la fabbrica di Piaggio e la fabbrica dei Fratelli Lanza. La nuova società assume la denominazione di "Unione Stearinerie Lanza" con stabilimenti a Torino, Rivarolo e Roma, con lo stabilimento di Rivarolo che viene ulteriormente ampliato con l'acquizione di un’area confinante di circa 3500 metri quadrati.Nel 1912 un altro incendio colpisce l'azienda, ma anche in questo caso la ricostruzione è rapida e fornisce l'occasione di un ammodernameno permettendo già nel 1913 allo stabilimento di Rivarolo di superare i livelli di efficienza precedenti.

#Mira Lanza

Al termine della prima guerra mondiale dopo un periodo di aspra concorrenza tra l'"Unione Stearinerie Lanza" e la "Fabbrica di Candele di Mira" viene sancita la fusione delle due società e la nascita della "Mira Lanza società anonima". La sede della società venne stabilita a Genova, nei pressi della Saponerie Riunite di Cornigliano, su decisione dell'industriale Erasmo Piaggio, proprietario di quest'ultima e comproprietario della Fratelli Lanza. La Saponerie Riunite inizialmente non entrò a far parte della Mira Lanza in cui sarebbe confluita solamente nel 1939. A siglare la fusione delle società furono Moretti della Mira, il cavaliere Lanza e Giuseppe Piaggio, figlio del senatore Erasmo Piaggio. Moretti venne nominato presidente e Piaggio vicepresidente. La Mira Lanza poteva disporre di stabilimenti a Torino, Rivarolo, Mira, Roma, Napoli. In seguio direzione alla morte nel 1930 di Giuseppe Piaggio e nel 1932 del senatore Erasmo Piaggio, la loro eredità passa al fratello di Giuseppe, l'Ingegnere Rocco Piaggio.
Nel 1926 la società venne quotata in Borsa a Milano, ma la quotazione in borsa non fu sufficiente per attingere ai capitali necessari per sostenere la continua espansione dell'azienda, così che richiede capitali in continuazione, e nel 1927, nel capitale della Mira Lanza subentra la Banca Commerciale Italiana con l'amministratore delegato della Banca Giuseppe Toeplitz che assume la carica di presidente della Mira Lanza dal 1927 al 1934. In seguito alla legge, che impone la separazione tra banche e società d'investimento industriale, la partecipazione della Comit passa alla Sofindit, che nel 1933 sarebbe confluita nell'IRI.
Alla fine anni venti nei suoi cinque stabilimenti la Mira Lanza dava lavoro a 158 impiegati e oltre 1200 operai. L'espansione dell'azienda era favorita dalla stabilizzazione della lira degli anni trenta e dalla fine della conflittualità sindacale che aveva caratterizzato la prima parte degli anni venti. I numerosi depositi sparsi nel territorio nazionale assicuravano una rete vendita capillare in tutta Italia. Nel corso degli anni trenta nello stabilimento di Rivarolo tra le produzioni della Mira Lanza c'era quella del sapone Palmolive.

Nel corso della seconda guerra mondiale vennero chiusi gli stabilimenti di Torino, Napoli e Cornigliano. Gli stabilimenti di Mira e Rivarolo vennero potenziati e la sede centrale, per cause belliche, dopo il bombardamento di Genova del febbraio 1942 venne trasferita temporaneamente da Genova a Mira. La guerra creò anche problemi di coordinamento tra fabbriche e sezioni vendite sul territorio. Alla fine della guerra gli stabilimenti principali di Mira e Rivarolo erano rimasii intatti, e la fabbrica di Roma solo lievemente danneggiata.
Nel dopoguerra vengono definitivamente chiusi gli stabilimenti di Torino, Napoli e Cornigliano. Nel 1947 muore il cavaliere Michele Lanza, nel 1948 l'ingegnere Rocco Piaggio lascia la presidenza e nel 1949 Andrea Maria Piaggio viene nominato vicepresidente e il capitale ripassa interamente agli eredi della famiglia Piaggio. Nel 1955 viene chiuso anche lo stabilimento di Roma Portuense e la produzione viene concentrata negli stabilimenti di Rivarolo e Mira.
Nel 1964 nello stabilimento di Mira venne aperto il "Centro Ricerche & Sviluppo" dedicato alle tecnologie di produzione dei detersivi, anche se da decenni le attività di ricerca venivano effettuati nella sede di Genova o direttamente negli stabilimenti.
La Mira Lanza arrivò a detenere la leadership della produzione di detersivi in Italia negli anni sessanta e settanta. Storici sono i personaggi che pubblicizzavano i prodotti Mira Lanza su Carosello, fra questi Calimero e l'olandesina con Corrado come testimonial.
Molto popolare e diffusa nelle famiglie italiane fu la raccolta dei punti premio che si trovavano nelle confezioni dei prodotti, sotto forma di figurine di cartoncino; questi punti venivano conservati e sommati per ottenere oggetti regalo casalinghi da scegliere su un apposito catalogo.
Nel 1972 Andrea Maria Piaggio, amministratore delegato della Mira Lanza dal 1959, viene arrestato su ordine dal giudice Tamburino nell'ambito dell'inchiesa sulla Rosa dei Venti e detenuto nel carcere di Trento. Andrea Maria Piaggio sarebbe morto a Montecarlo, dove risiedeva da due anni, nel febbraio 1979. In conseguenza di ciò e della crisi che l'aveva colpito il Gruppo Piaggio venne smembrato. La cantieristica venne rilevata dall'IRI finendo sotto il controllo di Fincantieri, l'immobiliare Vittoria e la Mira Lanza passarono al gruppo Bonomi, l'Industria Zuccheri al gruppo Montesi, e la Navigazione Alta Italia a Lolli Ghetti.
Nel 1981, Anna Bonomi Biolchini, a capo del gruppo, si ritira dalla gestione diretta affidandola al figlio Carlo Bonomi Durante la gesione di Carlo Bonomi che era innanzitutto un finanziere e non un industriale, la Mira Lanza finì per essere progressivamente marginalizzata all'interno del gruppo Bonomi, fino alla cessione alla Montedison, avvenuta mese di maggio 1984, quando il gruppo Bonomi decide di concentrarsi sul settore immobiliare e assicurativo. Nel 1985 divenne irreparabile il contraccolpo subito dal Gruppo Bonomi, in seguio alla scalata alla Bi-Invest, holding del Gruppo Bonomi, da parte del presidente di Montedison Mario Schimberni in quella che è considerata la prima scalata della borsa milanese. La Bi-Invest era uno dei partner di Gemina, che in quel periodo era il principale azionista proprio di Montedison. Intanto Montedison vide l'ingresso di nuovi soci in e in particolare del gruppo Ferruzzi che guidato da Raul Gardini, venne ad assumere una posizione via via predominante tramite gli acquisti in Borsa e nel 1987 deteneva più del 40% del capitale, diventando il socio di comando. Nel giugno 1987 Gardini trasferiva tutto il pacchetto di controllo azionario della Mira Lanza al gruppo Ferruzzi e il nuovo consiglio di amministrazione era interessato prioritariamente all'utilizzo della rete distributiva Mira Lanza in Italia per i marchi del gruppo Kaysenberg (prodotti carta uso domestico Lotus) controllato dalla Ferruzzi. Alla fine 1988 la quota di mercato della Mira Lanza nei detersivi per lavatrice crollava a meno del 10% rispetto al 14% del 1985 mentre per i detersivi per capi fini la quota di mercato scendeva a poco più 25% contro 41% del 1985; entrambi i mercati erano in crescita, specialmente quello dei detersivi liquidi, ma la Mira Lanza pagava rispetto alla concorrenza la carenza di investimenti.
Nel novembre 1988 la Ferruzzi cedeva la Mira Lanza all'azienda tedesca-olandese Benckiser e la Mira Lanza, seppure sia ormai solo una filiale della Benckiser, diventa un attore di rilievo nel settore dei detergenti in Europa, con il 14% di quota di mercato. La Benckiser investe in innovazione tecnologica e in comunicazione, con oltre 60 miliardi di lire l'anno nei primi anni novanta e viene modernizzato l'impianto di Mira. Gli organici vengono ridotti a 850 dipendenti contro 1500 del 1985, ma quel che resta della Mira Lanza costituisce il cuore del know-how del settore detergenti della Benckiser e sopravvivono tutti i marchi Mira Lanza, tranne Biol, riconfermato come prodotto per il solo bucato a mano fino al 1996. Nel dicembre 1999 dalla fusione tra Reckitt & Colman e Benckiser nasce la Reckitt Benckiser e nel 2001 la società Mira Lanza e il suo logo vengono soppressi definitivamente, così come spariscono alcuni marchi.
Presso lo stabilimento di Mira è presente anche il Centro Ricerche e Sviluppo di Reckitt Benckiser. La sede amministrativa in Italia è a Milano mentre la sede principale della società è a Londra.

#Prodotti
Tra i prodotti più famosi ricordiamo Ava (detersivo per il bucato a mano e in lavatrice e disponibile anche come Ava ammorbidente negli anni 80 e 90), LIP (detersivo per il bucato a mano e in lavatrice per la lana e i capi delicati, che sopravvive oggi all'interno del marchio Lip Woolite), Kop (detersivo per il lavaggio dei piatti e prima degli anni 80 disponibile anche per il lavaggio dei pavimenti, dei vetri, per il lavaggio in lavastoviglie e anche come cera. In Italia è scomparso nel 2000), BIOL (detersivo biologico per il bucato a mano e in lavatrice. Nel 1989 il prodotto per le lavatrici è stato soppresso dal commercio), CALINDA (detersivo per superfici dure, ancora presente sul mercato), PERLA (sapone da bucato che oggi sopravvive nei punti vendita come Ava Perla, a differenza degli altri saponi come Super Stella e Tre Corone oggi scomparsi dal mercato), NIX(detersivo per il lavaggio delle stoviglie ma anche dei tessuti, immesso in commercio per poi sparire ed essere rilanciato parecchie volte fino alla completa sparizione dopo il 94), LANZA (detersivo disponibile per il lavaggio dei piatti e anche dei tessuti, noto per essere una linea di prodotti economici) Tres (detersivo per lavare in lavatrice i tessuti, venduto in sacchi, oggi incluso nella linea Lanza come "Lanza Tres") e i prodotti per l'igiene personale della linea Mira (non più in commercio a partire dall'88).

 – a Mira.