3.+The+'Comerio+Ercole+S.P.A'

The “Comerio Ercole Spa”: a hundred years of success Ercole Comerio, son of a food seller, was born in 1860. He started working at a young age, when he was 13, for the Franco Tosi in Legnano: he used to go there on foot every day. From simple assistant he became a mechanical worker until he gained the position of division supervisor. In 1885, he married Teresa Marcora, daughter of a hardware store’s owner and in the same year, thanks to the economic help of his brother-in-law, he started up a mechanic’s workshop specialized in the maintenance services for textile manufacturing.

While the small business was starting to expand, in the following years, by producing also machineries for both dyeing and bleaching works, the family was growing too: in fact, from the marriage between Ercole and Teresa ten children were born. In 1895, the first premise was launched in Via Silvio Pellico, and in a few years, other new production plants nearby. Beyond the textile machineries, the enterprise started producing machineries to work on natural rubber and paper. The business was successful: Comerio Spa could boast of customers such as Pirelli, Binda and Vita Mayer. Awards won at the exposition of Milan (1894), Turin (1898) and Paris (1900) marked the beginning of a successful season In 1912 the sons Benigno, Melchiorre and Giuseppe gained positions of responsibility inside the business, which in following year would count on over 75 employees. During World War 2 the Comerio’s business became a military enterprise, building components for heavy artillery. On the 5th February 1922 the company was changed into “Comerio Ercole-Anomia enterprise” with a social capital for the amount of 15mln lire represented by 1500 nominal issues. At the end of the 20s the business leadership was transfered to the male sons Melchiorre and Pino. In 1929 the machineries produced ended up in new markets such as the ones in South America and Eastern Europe. The Comerio’s company wasn’t affected by the Great Depression, so in the following decade it continued to export its own goods outside Europe as well. In 1938 they bought a new premise in Legnano around 400 employees worked there in addiction to other 1000 workers who were employed in the headquarter in Busto during the war. The years of the second conflict were marked by the control of the German Command, who firmly repressed the strikes of the workers of the business, with the deportation of the Internal Commission to the Nazists' internment camps. In the years following the War, due to their father's death in 1947, the two brothers worked together till 1954 when in two branches. Whereas the Legnano branch, led by Melchiorre, closed down, the Busto Arsizio one, under the aegis of Pino continued its activity until nowadays.

When Pino died, Rinaldo, who had entered the business in 1943, was charged of running the company with the help of his brothers. The years of the reconstruction were a period of hard work and development which involved the company in a deep technical update to maintain a high-quality standard. This allowed the enterprise to strike up important relationships with giant industrial powers such as Goodyear Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone.

In the meantime, in the 80s, the adventure of non-cloth and studies on geotextile for the construction field started on. At the end of the 90s, the business moved to a new industrial estate on the outskirts of the town to face new production necessities. When Rinaldo died, the management of the business was taken over by the sons Pino and Riccardo who are still carrying on the founders’ endeavors.