History
A family story that began in 1914, a company founded in Erba in 1977.
Today, Officine Gualco is the expression of a Precision Mechanical Workshop.
Telling the story of Officine Gualco means retracing over a century of evolution in Italian engineering through the experience of a family that has made precision its calling.
Although our business was officially founded in Erba in 1977, our technical roots go back to a past rich in passion, dedication, and encounters with the great masters of industry.
The Origins (1914 - 1976): A Century of Mechanical Culture
The Gualco family's unbreakable bond with the metalworking sector began on August 12, 1914, when Augusto Gualco was hired as a test pilot at the prestigious LANCIA car and truck factory in Turin.
In that pioneering era, the test pilot was an elite mechanic who developed engines and refined tolerances directly in the field.
During the same period, the family tradition was consolidated in Turin through a lathe shop specialized in the production of complex components such as camshafts.
In 1943, the next generation continued this path of excellence with Secondo Gualco, who trained professionally at the famous school of the RIV plant in Villar Perosa (now SKF), a world leader in the production of rolling bearings.
After the war, his brother Guido kept the commitment to the world of engines and FIAT heavy transport alive, passing on to his son Mario not only the secrets of the trade but also a profound ethical and professional rigor.
1977: The Entrepreneurial Choice and Rooting in Erba
Building on this immense heritage of inherited skills, Mario Gualco decided to transform the family tradition into an independent business.
In 1977, even before finishing his technical studies at the A. Badoni Institute in Lecco, he started his own mechanical workshop in Erba, beginning with traditional machinery (lathe, milling machine, and drill) in a small rented space.
Growth has been constant: in the early 1980s, Mario built the company-owned facility and, with a forward-looking vision, led the company's technological transition:
- The 90s: The introduction of the first Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining centers, essential for raising the quality standards of third-party processing.
- The 2000s: The historic transition from the drafting table to advanced CAD/CAM design software, optimizing work cycles and introducing complex multi-axis machinery.
International Research and Accreditation with the Politecnico
The constant drive toward innovation led the workshop to interface with the academic world.
In 2004, Officine Gualco was officially accredited as a supplier for the Politecnico di Milano.
This synergy resulted in technical support for the Team Dynamics of the Department of Mechanics for the development of internationally winning competition prototypes.
Furthermore, the company's inventiveness took shape in the project for the Fastner 4S high-security railway fastening system, which obtained a prestigious international patent in the USA.
The New Generation: Globalization and Sustainability
Starting from 2014, the entry of children Licia, Werner, and William into the company marked the beginning of a new phase of development, projecting the workshop onto global markets.
Today, the company directly exports 25% of its production to the United States and boasts stable commercial collaborations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Driven by the new generation and under the banner of "Green Thinking," the NovaFoam project was born—an innovative ecological technology for producing synthetic wood from recycled expanded polystyrene without water consumption, an excellence also recognized in the USA at George Mason University in Virginia.
Officine Gualco Today: 3D Prototyping and Business Network
Today, Officine Gualco responds to the challenges of modern industry thanks to continuous investments in 3D scanning and measurement systems for reverse engineering and industrial 3D printing technologies for rapid prototyping.
The work ethic of Mario Gualco (a CNA director for over 35 years) finally enabled the creation of L.O.M. GROUP (Meccanica Lombarda).
This business network aggregates about ten mechanical excellences from the territory associated with CNA, combining the synergies of 100 collaborators and 10,000 square meters of covered facilities, allowing Officine Gualco to compete in global markets with the strength and structure of a large General Contractor.
From 1977 to the present day, here in Erba, we continue to look to the future, combining the demands of modern industry with our historical reliability.
