Our roots go back to 19th Century Parma. One of our forebears, Pompeo Simonazzi founded Officine Simonazzi, an artisan company specialising in the construction of agricultural tools, which he created by forged from scrap metal. Pompeo Simonazzi’s skills, and a love of the art of handcrafted iron, were celebrated and passed down to subsequent generations.
Pompeo’s work was continued by his son, Luigi Simonazzi, whose professional specialisation focused mainly on the construction of the first finely crafted security locks and iron gates. Luigi, in turn, handed down his own passion for handcrafted ironwork to his son, Arnaldo.
Around 1910, Arnaldo Simonazzi began producing machines for the canning industry, and for dairies. In the 1930s, thanks to the ingenuity of two of his sons, Ampelio and Lorenzo, the company began the construction of light agricultural tractors, manufactured from reclaimed Fiat car engines. The initiative was so successful that Officine Simonazzi produced 50 of these machines, before production was interrupted by World War II.
Following WWII and the resulting prohibitive cost of components for tractors, Ampelio Simonazzi demonstrated extraordinary intuition and tenacity in changing company strategy. Recognizing an opportunity to revolutionize the market, Simonazzi began production of the first manual machines for the liquid food market. A winning combination of entrepreneurial genius and exceptional employee professionalism and dedication placed the company among the top in Italy.
During the 1960s, Ampelio’s son, Adriano brought to the company a new entrepreneurial spirit and some highly innovative ideas. Simonazzi transitioned from the construction of single machines to complete lines, the icon of which was the famous Eurostar filling machine. Towards the end of the 1970s, Adriano began the internationalisation process that placed the company among the industry’s world leaders.
Following the sale of Simonazzi in 1987, the young Olivia (daughter of Adriano) founded Alsim utilising a strong foundation of skills and experience acquired working in the family business. With an innovative patent for volumetric filling systems, the company quickly established itself at the forefront of the beverage sector. In the late 1990s, collaborating with a leader in blow molding, Alsim developed the first combination blower-filler that would revolutionise the bottling market. The company was sold in 2000.
Olivia Simonazzi continued to work within the sector following the sale of Alsim and Simonazzi now sees a seventh generation with the appointment a few years ago of Olivia’s son, Bernardo.
“With 170 years of history behind us, we serve our customers based on the same values and principles of our founding fathers. Our family have passed on their commitment to industry from generation to generation, sharing an enduring dedication and passion, and creating relationships of trust that bear the test of time. Our priority is to continue this tradition, first gaining an understanding of the needs of each of our customers, and delivering the unique expertise that distinguishes us."
~ Olivia Simonazzi ~