A century of evolution mediates between the first planter and the first multifunctional tractor

The 1951 tractor manufacturing Autoseminatrice, one of the first of the firm who turns 100 in a few months.

Year 1910. Giovanni Carraro receives the 'Diploma of recognition and honors' Esposizione Agricola of Padua by the first multifunctional machine. With only 19 years old, Carraro, the youngest Exhibitor among all those who were presented, showed its first creation in his first workshop in Campodasergo. After 15 years, he began a series production of the planters '1400' GC and GC '1700' who played a key role in the expansion of the cereal area between the two great wars. Creation par excellence of Giovanni, the first autosembradora saw the light in 1951. Thus replaced animal traction for positive-ignition engine. Three years later, Antonio, one of their six children, had the intuition of designing a tractor multifunctional, then non-existent in the market. In 1956, Giovanni Carraro equipped with a technical Office itself, to develop the functions of agricultural tractor and planter. At that time, was launched 'Universal' complete tractor with planter and mowing bar. After two years, was exhibited the first prototype of the brand real tractor Giovanni Carraro, the 'Carraro 23', in the fair of Verona. The year 1959 marked one of the key in the company stages, when the sons of the founder were split and created two different societies. On the one hand, the ' Officine meccaniche Giovanni Carraro di Oscar e Mario Carraro and Fratelli Sas', nowadays ' Carraro spa', currently specializing in the manufacture of axles for tractors, and the 'Carraro Antonio di Giovanni', 'Antonio Carraro Spa', which opted for a production of four wheel drive equal compact tractors, as flagship of the brand to take the figure of the ' four-horse Rotating '. It's a Persian simplegma symbol of fertility, left a letter of the 16th century, and which is still the logo of the company.

A few months to celebrate 100 years of life, some anecdotes outlined a rough idea of the Carraro philosophy, which has managed to surround himself with professionals dumps in agricultural machinery. Directors as Claudio Massarotto Pier, currently director of the Department of research and development, and whose experience in the company dates back to 30 years ago. Giorgio Ceccato, son of Sergio Ceccato, one of the first employees of Antonio Carraro as head of area historic for the factory. As back to the President of the firm, discovered in the field of the Brenta Riviera. It was settler and from age 13 was driving tractors. Antonio Carraro, that had met it in a fair and had noted his passion for agricultural machines, not let him escape. One day approached the plantation where he worked with a seeder and told him: "Tomorrow I hope factory". The headquarters of the Antonio Carraro factory has been, since always, operational, commercial, productive and research and development headquarters in Campodarsego (Padua). Currently, the Antonio Carraro company has with its third-generation head of the business.

After this 'flashback' to the origins of the firm, and back to the present, it should be noted that Antonio Carraro manufactures around 5,000 units per year. The production is carried out in a factory of 120,000 square meters, of which 40,000 are home to the latest production lines. As regards subsidiaries, the Carraro brand has six in the world: Barcelona for the Spanish market, Taren Point for the Australian, Napa (California) located in the United States, Santiago (Chile) for all of South America, Lognes for the French market, and the most recent, which opens up new avenues for the Turkish market, ACAnadolu with headquarters in Istanbul.

In the field of human resources, of the 400 employees working for this company, 35 are part of the r & d, which is allocated 8 per cent of the turnover. This Department, opened in 1973, is related to the main European university institutes for technological innovation and design projects. In 2008, the company turnover of 78 million euros. Today, Antonio Carraro leads the Italian market for tractors with a share of 10%, while it retains the second position in the segment of compact tractors in Europe, with a share of 15%. A century after its founding, Antonio Carraro is configured as a brand consolidated in the sector which celebrated its Centennial coinciding with the exhibition Eima, on 10 November.