Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/241540
business since. Now, at the age of over 80, Augusto continues to travel, attending trade shows and rubbing shoulders with his old friends by updating them on the latest jokes. In those days Modena was a major centre for the production and assembly of tractors; nearly 3,000 people were employed by Fiat in one of their plants. A centre such as this creates many subcontractors, whose parts supply the needs of assembly lines. Parts are parts no matter whether for Fiat, Caterpillar or Komatsu. The technology required for producing an item like a gear is the same, regardless of where it is used. It was therefore convenient to use the area's existing facilities for developing and expanding the Caterpillar range. The conventional machine tools used then made it possible and easy to produce parts in small quantities, which is now almost impossible. These machine shops were known as 'artigiani' (craftsmen). They operated from small premises, employing three to six workers, including the owners. I recall that in one of these workshops ESP developed a line of pre-combustion chambers. One of the workers was a local priest, who worked a few hours every day machining parts before returning to his congregation in the evening. I must admit we never had a quality issue with any of parts produced with the priest's blessing. The industry grew, and more companies became involved on the supply side: SIRT, CGR, Tractorichambi and ESP, to mention a few. Certain subcontractors also began offering their products directly to domestic and overseas customers, among others I recall OFM, CEA, GRS, GNL and Ellegi. IDA UNIVERSAL January-February 2014 Customers from all over the world came to Modena in search of parts suppliers. In those days, the most popular line was undercarriage. Berco was the market leader, followed by ITM, Simmel and some smaller companies. The availability of non-undercarriage parts grew rapidly. Bulldozers were the most popular machines then. This resulted in an increased demand for metal and rubber parts related to chassis, final drive, transmission and engine components. Our saying was 'we produce in Italian and sell in English'. ESP, guided by its customers' recommendations, started developing cylinder heads, although without success, pumps, pins and bushings for excavators, loaders and many other items. Many of these were followed, at a later stage, by their competitors. It became a jolly club, we were all offering the same products competing on prices, availability and customers relationship. I realised then how important it was to manufacture one's own parts and also establish one's own distribution centres. I purchased two manufacturing companies. The first was in Florence, specialised in the production of gears. Later this company developed a line of replacement Vickers hydraulic cartridges, becoming the only aftermarket source. The second company was based in Reggiolo, near Modena, where we produced metal parts, final drive, pins and bushings, oil and water pumps. Both companies were eventually sold to their management, they continue to exist today, not necessarily in our industry. ESP ITALIANA (not owned by Italian citizens) became a major player in the aftermarket Caterpillar business. From its warehouse in Modena and two manufacturing facilities, it exported to many parts of the world, Continued from page 36 35