Parma & its enterprises

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

• Automotive sector F ully-fledged in the region (Emilia- Romagna) where the most important Italian carmaker was born, the passion for the four wheels (and its related industry) goes way back in Parma. In 1907 the city had two garages and about 50 vehicles scoured its roads; during the following decades, car devotees had a hand in organizing runs, such as the Parma- Poggio, whose first edition dates back to 1913, then suspended in 1955. In the 1970s (when also a car manufacturer from Parma, currently keen on sports cars, was born), both motor-related events and their fans grew significantly. During the 1980s, the Rally del Taro was set up and it is currently still held in its international venue. The fondness Parma has for motors has been a significant springboard for carmaking since its inception. Particularly important in our province is the presence, since more than 30 years, of an important car manufacturer specializing in sports cars running in different categories and circuits.

The “products” of this firm have won single runs, championships and prizes all over the world, allowing their maker to become widely known and appreciated and to strike deals and partnership with some of the most important realities worldwide. The automotive sector, historically based in Parma since its inception, is now present in the area mostly through small- and medium-sized enterprises producing engines, vehicles and related components, exported all over the world. Several firms operating in this sector produce diagnostics tools and apparels, both integrated (tachometers, LEDs, indicators and the like) and fixed (tuning desks for engines and brakes). Others still are specialized in producing and testing engine-specific equipment such as spark plugs, valves, solenoids and the like. Firms’ products in the field number also innovative plastic polymers, fireproof cables to be fit in several kinds of vehicles, as well as rubber tires that can be build and set up according to clients’ wishes.

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