View source for Gio. Ansaldo & C.

{{Short description|Italian engineering company}}
{{Other uses|Ansaldo (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Ansaldo
|logo = Emblem Ansaldo.JPG
|logo_size = 200
|foundation = 1853
|location = [[Genoa]], Italy
|fate = absorbed by [[Finmeccanica]] in 1993 (now [[Leonardo S.p.A.]]). 
|successor = [[Hitachi Rail Italy]] (formerly AnsaldoBreda)<br/>[[Ansaldo Energia]]<br/>[[Hitachi Rail STS]] (formerly Ansaldo STS)
|defunct = {{start date and age|1993}}
|industry = [[Engineering]]
|products = Transport aircraft<br>Bombers<br>Experimental planes<br>Air force trainers<br>Seaplanes<br>Ship<br>Locomotives<br>Tanks
|subsid = Ansaldo Energia<br>Ansaldo STS<br>[[Fabbrica Aeroplani Ing. O. Pomilio]]
|brands = 
|website = 
}}
'''Ansaldo''' was one of Italy's oldest and most important engineering companies, existing for 140 years from 1853 to 1993.

== History ==
=== 19th century foundation ===
[[File:Giovanni Ansaldo .jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Giovanni Ansaldo]], 1853]]
The company was founded in 1853 as '''Gio. Ansaldo & C.''' [[società in accomandita semplice|S.A.S.]] by renowned players in the [[Genoa|Genoese]] business world, such as [[Giovanni Ansaldo]], [[Raffaele Rubattino]], [[Giacomo Filippo Penco]] and [[Carlo Bombrini]]. Until the end of the 19th century, the company focused on manufacturing and repairing [[railway]] components, quickly becoming a 10,000-worker company with seven factories, and starting to expand into sectors such as [[shipbuilding]] and mechanical works in general.

=== 20th century expansion and dissolution ===
[[File:Sestri Ponente - Launch of Giulio Cesare.jpg|thumb|Launch of [[Italian battleship Giulio Cesare]] 1911 [[Sestri Ponente]], [[Genova]]]]
[[File:Gio. Ansaldo & C. 1918.jpg|thumb|Share of the Gio. Ansaldo & C., issued in July 1918]]
In 1904, Ansaldo was bought by [[Ferdinando Maria Perrone]] who, along with his sons Mario and [[Pio Perrone|Pio]], bound the name of the Perrone family to the history of the company. Over the next twenty years, he aimed at making Ansaldo fully independent both in the [[ironworks]] and [[weapon|weapon-making]] areas, thanks to strong [[vertical integration]]. The onset of [[World War I]] was of obvious potential benefit to the company, though Italy was initially neutral. Ansaldo advocated for Italian entry into the war, both directly and by funding political groups that supported the war, such as [[Benito Mussolini]]'s proto-Fascist movement.<ref>Denis Mack Smith. 1997. ''Modern Italy: A Political History''. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 284.</ref>

The efforts paid off when Italy entered the war. In 1914 the company was worth 30 million [[Italian lira|lire]], but its market value grew to 500 million in 1918. When the company issued shares in the summer of 1918 worth 400 million lire Ansaldo employed 80,000 workers, had dozens of factories and controlled companies such as A. Cerpelli & C., [[Banca industriale Italiana]], [[Cantieri Officine Savoia]], Dynamit Nobel, Gio.Fossati & C., [[Lloyd Italico]], [[Nazionale di Navigazione]], [[Fabbrica Aeroplani Ing. O. Pomilio|Pomilio]], [[Società Idroelettrica Negri]], and [[Transatlantica Italiana]].

Following a financial crisis with its largest creditor, ''[[Banca Italiana di Sconto]]'', and problems in reconverting factories after the end of World War I, the Perrone family abandoned the company in 1921, and the [[Banca d'Italia]] led a consortium to save it from [[bankruptcy]].  Company strategies were drastically sized down, and during the 1920s, even though electro-mechanical productions grew significantly, Ansaldo found itself in such dire difficulties that it finally entered the control of the [[Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale]] (IRI), under which the company found new life and growth, partly thanks to the new war effort during [[Italian fascism|fascism]].  The main figure in this rebirth, the [[engineer]] [[Agostino Rocca]], reconfigured the structure and organisation of the company during his tenure as [[chief executive officer]] from 1935 to the end of [[World War II]].  War contracts indeed led to a significant growth: Ansaldo had 22,000 employees in 1939, and 35,000 in 1943.

After the end of World War II, conversion to peacetime production again caused problems for the company. In 1948, IRI entrusted the company to [[Finmeccanica]], which operated several reorganisation measures during the 1950s and 1960s, such as the relinquishing of all shipbuilding activities to [[Italcantieri]] of [[Trieste]] in 1966. From that year, Finmeccanica further engaged Ansaldo within its activities, and in 1980 they formed Italy's largest thermo-electric group. In 1993, Ansaldo ceased to exist as an independent entity, having been completely absorbed by Finmeccanica.

=== Aftermath in the 21st century ===
Some companies controlled by [[Leonardo S.p.A.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leonardocompany.com/en/-/statuto-sociale-articles-association|title = Leonardo: Filing of Articles of Association}}</ref> still bear the Ansaldo family name:
* [[Ansaldo Energia]], involved in building electric [[power plant]]s, based in [[Genoa]].
* [[Ansaldo Caldaie]], involved in building fired Steam Generators. Sofinter Group (Private Company located in Gallarate, Italy).
* [[Ansaldo Ricerche]], involved in [[nuclear fusion]] technology, founded in 1987 by merging various [[research and development]] departments of Ansaldo and [[Nucleare Italiana Reattori Avanzati]]; it takes part in the international [[ITER]] project.
* [[Ansaldo Fuel Cells]], founded in 1993 as a spin-off of the former, devoted to fuel cells.
* [[Ansaldo Nucleare]], founded in 1989 by merging [[Ansaldo Meccanico Nucleare]] and [[Nucleare Italiana Reattori Avanzati]]; in 1999, it was absorbed by [[Ansaldo Energia]], but in 2005 it was re-founded as a separate company, although 100%-controlled by Ansaldo Energia.
* [[Nidec ASI]] (formerly Ansaldo Industrial Systems). Former Finmeccanica Company, sold to the Japanese Nidec Group, in 2012 Nidec acquired Ansaldo Sistemi Industriali SpA. and becomes Nidec ASI S.p.A. Nidec ASI is a manufacturer of electric motors, their products are found in electrical engineering, electric motors and generators, control systems and automation for industrial applications. Nidec ASI is headquartered in [[Milan]] and has different subsidiaries in Italy in [[Genoa]], [[Montebello Vicentino]], [[Monfalcone]] and abroad in [[China]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Japan]] and [[Singapore]].<ref>[http://www.nidec-asi.com/ Nidec ASI web site ]</ref>

==Products==
===Aircraft production===
[[File:Ansaldo SVA 5 2009-06-06.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Ansaldo SVA 5]]
*[[Sopwith Baby|Ansaldo Baby]] (1915) single seat biplane reconnaissance floatplane, a British [[Sopwith Baby]] built under licence with minor changes
*[[Ansaldo A.1 Balilla]] (1917) Single-engine one-seat biplane fighter aircraft
*[[Ansaldo SVA|Ansaldo SVA.1]] (1917) Single-engine one-seat biplane utility aircraft
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.2]] Production version of SVA.1
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.3]] Fast-climbing interceptor version of SVA.2
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.4]] Production version of SVA.2 equipped for reconnaissance
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.5]] Production version of SVA.2
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.6]] Prototype bomber version of SVA.2
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.8]] Single prototype (purpose unknown)
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.9]] Two-seat unarmed reconnaissance version with larger wings
**[[Ansaldo SVA|SVA.10]] Armed version of SVA.9
*[[Ansaldo A.120]] Parasol reconnaissance fighter
*[[Ansaldo A.300]] (1919) Single-engine two-seat biplane utility aircraft.  Three-seat versions were also built for reconnaissance use.
*[[Ansaldo AC.1]] () designation for imported French [[Dewoitine D.1]] single-engine two-seat parasol-wing fighter
*[[Ansaldo AC.2]] (1922) licence-built French [[Dewoitine D.1]]
*[[Ansaldo AC.3]] (1924) licence-built French [[Dewoitine D.9]] (a development of the D.1)
*[[Ansaldo AC.4]] (1927) AC.2 with 420&nbsp;hp (313.2&nbsp;kW) FIAT A.20 engine.

=== Ships ===
{{category see also|Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.}}
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Giuseppe Garibaldi|1899|2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1899
*{{ship|Italian battleship|Giulio Cesare||2}}, battleship built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1911
*{{SS|Roma|1926|6}}, built for the [[Navigazione Generale Italiana]], 1926
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberico da Barbiano||2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1930
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberto di Giussano||2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1930
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Bartolomeo Colleoni||2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1930
*{{SS|Rex||6}}, built for the [[Italian Line]], 1931
*[[Cristoforo Colombo]] built for the [[Italian Line]], 1953
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Raimondo Montecuccoli||2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1934
*{{ship|Italian cruiser|Eugenio di Savoia||2}}, cruiser built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1935
*{{ship|Italian battleship|Littorio||2}}, battleship built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1937
*{{ship|Italian aircraft carrier|Aquila||2}}, aircraft carrier built for the [[Regia Marina]], 1941
*{{SS|Andrea Doria||6}}, Ansaldo Shipyards of Genoa, 1951
*{{SS|Leonardo da Vinci|1960|6}}, built for the [[Italian Line]], 1960
*{{SS|Michelangelo||6}}, built for the [[Italian Line]], 1965

=== Armored vehicles ===
{{sectstub|date=June 2022}}
{{category see also| Gio. Ansaldo & C. armored vehicles}}
* [[Ansaldo Armored Car (1925)]]
* [[L3/33 | Fiat-Ansaldo CV-33]] (1935 )
* [[L3/35]]
* [[Autoblindo Fiat-Ansaldo]]
* [[L6/40 tank]] (designed by Ansaldo, manufactured by Fiat, 1940- )
* [[M13/40 tank]]
* [[M14/41 tank]]
* [[M15/42 tank]]
* [[P26/40 tank]]
*

===Rolling stock===

==== Locomotives ====
* [[FS Class D.341|D.341]]
* [[FS Class D.345|D.345]]
* [[FS Class E.424|E.424]]
* [[FS Class D.443|D.443]]
* [[FS Class E.402|E.402]]
* [[FS Class E.428|E.428]]
* [[FS Class E.491 and E.492|E.491]]
* [[FS Class E.491 and E.492|E.492]]
* [[FS Class E.636|E.636]]
* [[FS Class E.656|E.656]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|Companies|Aviation|Cars|Transport|Trains}}
* [[Finmeccanica]]
* [[Ansaldo Energia]]
* [[Ansaldo STS]]
* [[AnsaldoBreda]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

* ''Guida Fondazione Ansaldo.'' Genova: Fondazione Ansaldo Editore.
* [[Paride Rugafiori]]. ''Ferdinando Maria Perrone da Casa Savoia all'Ansaldo.'' Torino: UTET, 1992.
* [[Valerio Castronuovo]]. (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo,'' vol. 1, "Le origini. 1853 - 1882". Roma: Laterza, 1994. ISBN 88-420-4557-8.
* Giorgio Mori (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo'', vol. 2, "La costruzione di una grande impresa (1883-1902)". Roma: Laterza, 1995.
* Peter Hertner (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo.'' Vol. 3, "Dai Bombrini ai Perrone (1903-1914)." Bari-Roma: Laterza, 1996.
* Valerio Castronovo (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo.'' Vol. 4, "L'Ansaldo e la Grande Guerra (1915-1918)." Bari-Roma: Laterza, 1997.
* Gabriele De Rosa (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo.'' Vol. 5, "Dal crollo alla ricostruzione (1919-1929)." Bari-Roma: Laterza, 1998.
* Gabriele De Rosa (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo.'' Vol. 6, "Dall'IRI alla guerra (1930-1945)." Bari-Roma: Laterza, 1999.
* Giorgio Mori (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo,'' vol. 7, "Dal dopoguerra al miracolo economico (1945-1962)." Roma: Laterza, 2000.
* Valerio Castronovo (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo.'' Vol. 8, "Una grande industria elettromeccanica." Bari-Roma: Laterza, 2002.
* Valerio Castronovo (ed.), ''Storia dell'Ansaldo,'' vol. 9, "Un secolo e mezzo. 1853-2003." Roma: Laterza, 2003. ISBN 97-888-420-6781-8.
* Amedeo Benedetti. ''"La Fondazione Ansaldo,"'' in ''Biblioteche Oggi,'' vol. XXX (2012), no. 4, pp. 48–54.
* Bruno Giontoni and Franca Balletti. ''Alle origini di una città industriale: Genova e i Comuni del Ponente dalla metà dell'Ottocento agli anni Trenta.'' Genova: Erga Edizioni, 2021.

==External links==
* [https://fondazioneansaldo.it/ Fondazione Ansaldo] —{{in lang|it}}, devoted to documenting Ansaldo in Italian industrial history.
* [http://www.stedo.it/sampierdarena/samp6.htm Stedo.it:  Gio. Ansaldo & C. history]—{{in lang|it}}
* [http://www.leonardofinmeccanica.com/ Official Leonardo website]
** [http://www.ansaldoenergia.com/ - Ansaldo Energia website]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20180116084907/http://www.ansaldoricerche.it/ - Ansaldo Ricerche website]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20180314073809/http://ansaldofuelcells.com/ - Ansaldo Fuel Cells website]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20060508172300/http://www.ansaldonucleare.it/ - Ansaldo Nucleare website]
** [http://www.ansaldobreda.it/ - Ansaldobreda website]
* [http://www.ansaldoboiler.it/ - Ansaldo Boiler website]
* [http://www.sofinter.it/ - Sofinter Group website]

{{Leonardo-Finmeccanica}}
{{Royal Italian Shipyards}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gio. Ansaldo and C.}}
[[Category:Gio. Ansaldo & C.| ]]
[[Category:Defence companies of Italy]]
[[Category:Defunct manufacturing companies of Italy]]
[[Category:Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Italy|Ansaldo]]
[[Category:Engineering companies of Italy]]
[[Category:Shipbuilding companies of Italy]]
[[Category:Conglomerate companies of Italy]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in Italy]]
[[Category:Design companies established in 1853]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1853]]
[[Category:Non-renewable resource companies established in 1853]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1993]]
[[Category:Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1993]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in the Kingdom of Sardinia]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:AnsaldoBreda]]
[[Category:Italian brands]]
[[Category:Sampierdarena]]