Set up after the Second World War from the wits of someone who turned engines and sheet metal into opportunities, Muratori now exports to over 40 countries. From Castelnuovo Rangone, a story of manufacturing, flexibility and innovation that reached across the generations without ever losing its connection with the territory. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Elisa Muratori, Managing Director of Muratori Spa for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
They had almost nothing, yet they learned to make everything. To use their head and to make hearts beat. That is to say, to roll up their sleeves. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Emilian countryside was scattered with abandoned military vehicles, warped sheet metal pieces, scrap engines and debris. To many, they were just the remains of a war that had just ended. To Alcide Muratori, they were instead raw materials and, with what he found, he built tractors, equipment and opportunities. This was where the story of Muratori Equipment was born. Not from an industrial project but from the all-Emilian ability to meet a need. Because there are companies that are born from an idea, while others are born from a necessity. Then there are those born from ingenuity: that of those that can look at a piece of scrap and imagine a machine; of those that see a problem and try to build a solution. In Castelnuovo Rangone, the story of Muratori started off just like this - between what was left after the war and the will to get back on track a land that needed to restart.
Company profile. In this company based in the heart of the Motor Valley and of Emilian manufacturing, they learned that listening to clients also means understanding what may seem of secondary importance. To make do with what you have, and to achieve the best result possible. This is a lesson that has reached across the generations and that still represents the company’s DNA. Today, Muratori is led by Lucio Muratori, the Chairman, and by Elisa Muratori, the Managing Director. It includes 15 full-time employees, a streamlined and highly specialised structure and a turnover that exceeded 3.1 billion euros in 2025. These figures reflect a business of a modest size yet with an extraordinary international vocation, as 87.2% of the turnover comes from abroad. “We are a small yet flexible company that manages to provide our clients with answers in a short time. Our size means we can adapt to market requests quickly without being bound by logics that are too rigid,” reports Managing Director Elisa Muratori. The intuition that changed the destiny of the company occurred around 20 years ago. Up until then, Muratori operated mainly in the agricultural machinery sector, then a manufacturer of multi-purpose vehicles proposed to collaborate in developing a hydraulic version of a piece of equipment traditionally destined for tractors. The new direction was launched from that request. “We realised that a market parallel to the agricultural one existed and that the skills we had developed over the years could be successfully applied also to earthmoving machines,” explains Muratori.
Evolving in continuity. Since then, the company has increased its international presence to over 40 countries. Europe, North America and Australia currently represent the leading markets, with particularly-positive performances over the past few years in Germany, Austria, Holland, Ireland and Poland. But growing globally does not mean losing your connection with the territory. Actually, quite the contrary. Muratori Equipment is one of the many examples of how the Emilian model keeps working. A network involving widespread knowledge, historic suppliers, specialised third-party manufacturers and strong relationships that help the company keep its structure agile. “Our flexibility is due precisely to the territory: for years, we have been collaborating with local partners and suppliers that enable us to externalise some processes while keeping internal the design, assembly, painting, testing and finishing phases,” says Muratori. Over the last 20 years, the sector has changed deeply. While production used to involve large quantities of only a few models, the market now requires small highly specialised series. It is a transformation that has required new skills and a different approach when it comes to design. “We went from producing relatively simple machines to much more complex and customised solutions. In some cases, it is an actual technical tailoring workshop where each configuration must adapt to the characteristics of the vehicle and to the requirements of the client,” observes Muratori. Technology also modified the way things were done. From the manual processing of information, the company introduced digital systems that monitored the production progress in real time. Recently, it has invested in a new platform dedicated to the management of spare parts, an increasingly strategic part of the business. Looking ahead to the future, the market continues to be characterised by uncertainty and volatility. But Muratori Equipment is tackling this period with the same philosophy that led Alcide in the post-war period, i.e. observing the situation, valuing what you have and building concrete solutions. Because the companies that last are not those that chase every single change, but those that learn to turn them into opportunities.
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