This company was founded on July 13, 1913. It inherited the small business of Borella family, an horseshoes manufacture active since 1893. Under the management of Dr. Paolo Stramezzi and Marazzi Counts, the ironworks took advantages of war deliveries to increase the production. About these years it is wrote: "We don't speculate on war hurts, we don't cry, we hold the situation. We are testing new processes in which the use of fuel is less than possible; the plant is becoming larger and a new rolling mill is under construction". In 1917 the factory area was of 4000 square metres.
During the 20s, the ironworks knew a period of great expansion. In 1922 was installed the third train of rolls, and later were putted on stream a nuts and bolts unit and a drawing mill. New factory services as canteen and dressing rooms were modernized and re-opened in the same years too. In 1929 the complete area reached 20000 square metres, surrounded by 3 km of walls. In 1938 it assumed the name "Acciaieria e Ferriera Stramezzi & C." (Stramezzi iron and steelworks). One year later the company patented "Ferrital", a 99,5% pure steel alloy that made "Stramezzi" brand quite famous in the entire Country.
Before the Second World War the complex was so divided:
1.Ovens Unit: three big furnaces were the heart of the factory. They worked with iron scraps - usually hiding unexploded devices, causing many deathly accidents. Then, the melted iron was casted into ingots, cooled and transported outside, in a large open space.
2.Rolling Mill Unit: four before the Second World War, two after. During the 40s, rolling mill n.3 (125 workers) manufactured large size pieces, while n.4 (88 workers) produced smaller ones. An internal railway connected the Unit to the main line.
3.Nuts and Bolts Unit: active since 1943, then replaced by modern machineries, it manufactured bolts and pieces for tanks during fascist African campaigns. It was the only Unit that employed women.
4.Drawing Mill Unit: it manufactured wireworks of mild steel.
5.Offices: there were 60 employees divided in Purchases, Sales, Accounts, Technical Drawers, Pays and Personnel.
On December 1944, Allies air bombings destroyed the factory and machineries, forcing the management to dismiss everybody, because of the temporarily production stop. Anywhere, in 1946 the factory was slowly rebuilt and renovated. Three years later a Siemens-Martin oven was installed, using methane as fuel, which was recently discovered in the region. In the post-war period and during the following two decades, the town of Crema knew an important economical growth, mostly supported by the steelworks. From the middle of the 70s the company began slowly to decline, a condition worsen by global iron and steel crisis. It was finally closed in 1994, after many struggles with labor unions.
From the top right: scrap yard, rolling mill and converter. All pictures are from a 70s company brochure.
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