A production culture with wings
A recently published book narrates the history of the Italian aviation industry
Cutting-edge technology and great entrepreneurial skills, a yearning for the future and the struggle to see beyond the horizon – this is what the Italian aviation industry is made of. It is an instance of production culture within a complex segment, often driven by historical events and international relations, not to mention wars. The past and future – as well as the present – of the Italian aviation industry is what Francesca Fauri narrates in her recently published work Storia dell’industria aeronautica italiana. Dai primi velivoli a oggi (History of the Italian aviation industry. From the first aircrafts to today).
In her work, Fauri seems to focus on two main conditions: precociousness and discontinuity. This is because, as the author explains, the story of this industrial segment had precocious beginnings and a discontinuous evolution, influenced by national and international events. Thus, the First World War was an opportunity for development and emancipation from foreign dependence, and the period between the two wars provided a further occasion for growth, up to the end of the Second World War, when almost all plants had been destroyed. All this, however, impeded by the Peace Treaty imposing a prohibition on the manufacturing of aircrafts, a preference for the import of allied planes, and the refusal of international aid. Political costs that became financial burdens, which the Italian aviation industry painstakingly and bravely alleviated during the long post-war period, up to the founding of Finmeccanica and then the Leonardo multinational aerospace companies.
Yet, this book by Fauri (who teaches Economic History and History of the World Economy and Migration at the Bologna University), is to be read not only for its factual narration but, above all, for its description of the people: pioneering and visionary entrepreneurs (the story of Gianni Caproni and is group is told in its entirety), who truly left their mark on industrial history and on their own segment. Examples of ingenuity and calculated risks that are relevant to all. Hence, reading Francesca Fauri’s work is an excellent way to explore a particular kind of corporate culture that is still too little known.
Storia dell’industria aeronautica italiana. Dai primi velivoli a oggi (History of the Italian aviation industry. From the first aircrafts to today)
Francesca Fauri
Il Mulino, 2023
A recently published book narrates the history of the Italian aviation industry
Cutting-edge technology and great entrepreneurial skills, a yearning for the future and the struggle to see beyond the horizon – this is what the Italian aviation industry is made of. It is an instance of production culture within a complex segment, often driven by historical events and international relations, not to mention wars. The past and future – as well as the present – of the Italian aviation industry is what Francesca Fauri narrates in her recently published work Storia dell’industria aeronautica italiana. Dai primi velivoli a oggi (History of the Italian aviation industry. From the first aircrafts to today).
In her work, Fauri seems to focus on two main conditions: precociousness and discontinuity. This is because, as the author explains, the story of this industrial segment had precocious beginnings and a discontinuous evolution, influenced by national and international events. Thus, the First World War was an opportunity for development and emancipation from foreign dependence, and the period between the two wars provided a further occasion for growth, up to the end of the Second World War, when almost all plants had been destroyed. All this, however, impeded by the Peace Treaty imposing a prohibition on the manufacturing of aircrafts, a preference for the import of allied planes, and the refusal of international aid. Political costs that became financial burdens, which the Italian aviation industry painstakingly and bravely alleviated during the long post-war period, up to the founding of Finmeccanica and then the Leonardo multinational aerospace companies.
Yet, this book by Fauri (who teaches Economic History and History of the World Economy and Migration at the Bologna University), is to be read not only for its factual narration but, above all, for its description of the people: pioneering and visionary entrepreneurs (the story of Gianni Caproni and is group is told in its entirety), who truly left their mark on industrial history and on their own segment. Examples of ingenuity and calculated risks that are relevant to all. Hence, reading Francesca Fauri’s work is an excellent way to explore a particular kind of corporate culture that is still too little known.
Storia dell’industria aeronautica italiana. Dai primi velivoli a oggi (History of the Italian aviation industry. From the first aircrafts to today)
Francesca Fauri
Il Mulino, 2023