From aeronautic to agro-mechanical, the story of Fieni industries
Giovanni Fieni's entrepreneurial story goes back a long way. It began during the Second World War, when he served in the Italian Air Force as an airman engine driver.
In those dramatic years for Italian history, the Bolognese airman would never have thought that he would soon be setting up his own company, and the experience he gained during the war would prove fundamental for his future as a "civilian". Indeed, once the war was over, Giovanni decided to use the mechanical skills he had acquired aboard combat aircraft to carve out a prominent place for himself in Bologna's manufacturing network. These were the 1950s, the years of reconstruction and the Italian 'economic miracle'; the years in which many of the companies that have made the history of our industry flourished and established themselves. It was in this context that Giovanni Fieni began producing agricultural pumps in Altedo, a small town halfway between Bologna and Ferrara. At first, Fieni's company was an artisan enterprise, but then the mechanisation of agriculture and the specialisation of the Bolognese production district in agricultural mechanics created the conditions for an expansion in demand for mechanical technologies and components.
The company founded by Fieni began to expand, taking on a truly industrial character. The range of products also became richer: in addition to agricultural pumps, in the 1970s fan units for sprayers were added, which today represent the Bologna-based company's real core business. A further step forward came in 1970 with its participation in EIMA. The Bolognese exhibition made a decisive contribution to the development of the Bolognese manufacturer's business, not only in Italy, where it was still well established, but - above all - outside Italy. For the Altedo-based manufacturer, EIMA became a veritable "window on the world". Commercial relations with foreign markets became richer and stronger. The share of production destined for export increased year after year, reaching 30% in 2007 and then breaking the wall of 60% in 2019. With the growth in turnover, thanks also to the experience gained in the construction of snow cannons, the catalogue has further expanded. The range of fan units for sprayers has increased, and axial cannons for sprayers, axial and radial fans, speed increasers and customisations have been added. Today, Fieni Srl is run by two managing partners and 17 employees in the production department.
The company is therefore characterised by an agile and streamlined organisational structure, able to respond effectively and promptly to market demand, thanks to solid commercial partnerships with other companies in the local production network. Most of the raw materials and semi-finished products used to manufacture the components are supplied to Fieni by companies in the Bologna area or by other Italian companies.
This allows the Altedo-based manufacturer not only to offer top-quality products, but also to respond in real time to the demands and needs of the market, both in Italy and abroad.
