BOLOGNA, Italy: There’s nothing quite like the harmonized hum of robotics, or the perpetual pounding of punching machines to let one know they’re at a metal production trade-show. Thankfully, those theatrics only add to an atmosphere only matched by exploring shop floors themselves. Only at this year’s Lamiera metal forming and production show, the environment’s a little cleaner, and maybe a touch quieter. (For some Plant Magazine Lamiera 2012 show floor photos, click here) Lamiera is the delegation’s first stop in Bologna, part of a media junket of Italian manufacturing and technology hosted

With energy resources dwindling and "sustainability" becoming a must-have word in the lexicon of almost every company in the developed world, the debate over the use of cleaner materials is intensifying, especially when it comes to plastic. Some claim the "war on plastic" is unjustified, with people to blame for pollution rather than the material itself, while others argue that taking simple steps to replace traditional plastics with more natural biological substitutes would cut back on carbon emissions drastically. One such company is the Italian firm Novamont, whose starch-based Mater-Bi bio

Italy's Losma SpA, US-subsidiary Losma Inc. which has been operational since 1992 in the US, inaugurated the opening of its new office in Sparta, New Jersey on June 22, 2012. In attendance was the Italian Trade Commission's Executive Director, Aniello Musella. The new location covers over 80,000 sq. ft. (7,500 sq. meters) of which 16,000 sq. ft. (1,500 sq. meters) will not only host offices, along with a warehouse providing parts and accessories, but more notably will have a section dedicated to the assembly of equipment. The reasons for taking advantage of a new location are based on the

Azimut Yachts, with a boat making factory at Avigliana, in the province of Turin, is Italy's premiere builder of yachts and megayachts, some of which total 30 meters (70 feet) in length. Founded in 1969, Azimut Yachts was originally a boat chartering service run by a young university student, Paolo Vitelli, with a passion for sailing. In 1970, the fledgling firm was doing so well that prestigious yachting brands began to appoint Azimut as their main boat distributor in Italy, and soon after, the company began designing its own yachts. In a joint venture with Amerglass, Azimut designed the AZ43

The company, a Milan-based innovation think-tank that specializes in the production of components for ultra-high vacuum and gas purification applications for industrial customers invests at least 10% of its revenues in research and innovation annually, a practice it says saved the company. In 2009, SAES Getters recorded its worst sales in the 70 year history of the company, $164 million. It attributes that rough year to changes in technologies of one of its major industrial sectors. When consumer electronics companies were producing liquid crystal displays (LCD), SAES Getters provided vaccuum

Though not the flashiest Italian car manufacturer, automotive firm Fiat has long been a staple of the country's industrial sector, providing vehicles to a wider mass market than its local brethren: —the Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis that cater only to the elite. As such, the firm's research and development center, with a main base in Orbassano, Turin, is constantly thinking up ways to reinvent its automotive products in cost effective ways, from their physical design to their fuel efficiency, safety features and beyond. Established in 1978 as the Fiat Group reference center for

Nothing but pasta could possibly be more representative of Italian sumptuousness than Ferrari, the sexy luxury race car brand that made its debut in 1947 with the 125S, produced in Maranello, Italy, and bearing the Ferrari trademark. Maranello, near the city of Modena, has been Ferrari’s home from the firm’s inception, and the main museum dedicated to the firm’s famous fast cars, as well as its assembly line and various factories are all situated there.The Ferrari museum, opened just more than a year after Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1990, gets over 200,000 visitors a year from all corners of the

Cavanna Packaging USA entered the U.S. through a sales office in Oradell, N.J. but moved to Duluth, Georgia last November to open a plant making machines that produce wrappers for cookies, crackers, granola bars and other products. The Duluth headquarters employs 11 and has 21,000 feet including factory floor and office space, according to Barbara Headrick, accounting manager for the U.S. branch. Attendees to the May 24, 2012 event will be treated to Italian snacks and a tour of the new facility. Riccardo Cavanna, CEO of the Prato Sesia, Italy-based parent company Cavanna SpA., will be on hand