CENTRALE TERMICA UNIONE MANIFATTURE [IT]

Exploration #276 Centrale termica unione manifatture. These photos capture the abandoned thermal power plant of one of the Unione Manifatture factories, a major textile group that operated in the Milan province during the first half of the last century. Once the beating heart that powered looms and production lines, this industrial relic is now all that remains of a much larger complex. While nearly all the other facilities have been demolished or repurposed over time, this power plant has somehow survived, standing alone as a silent witness to an era of industrial ambition, labor, and transformation that shaped the local landscape.

COTONIFICIO CANTONI SARONNO [IT]

Exploration #250 Cotonificio Cantoni, sede di Saronno. The cotonificio Cantoni is one of the most important examples of the Italian textile industry of the 20th century. Founded in 1828 along the Olona river in Legnano, the company began as a small textile workshop and quickly developed into a large factory, becoming the largest cotton mill in Italy for a long time.

In addition to the historical one established in Legnano, the Cantoni family founded other cotton mills. They opened factories in Castellanza (1845), Cordenons (1865), Bellano (1870) and Legnano in the Olmina district (1960). Many other factories were incorporated by Cotonificio Cantoni thanks to a number of purchasing operations that the Legnano-based company made against some competing companies.

The Saronno factory became part of Cotonificio Cantoni in 1968 following the acquisition of De Angeli-Frua, an Italian textile company specializing in the production of dyed fabrics, founded in 1896 from the union of the factories (cotton mills and printing works) of Ernesto De Angeli and Giuseppe Frua. In addition to the Saronno site, De Angeli-Frua had factories in Fagnano Olona (formerly Stamperia e tintoria F.lli Tronconi), Ponte Nossa (formerly De Angeli-Frua) and Arluno (formerly Cotonificio Carlo Dell’Acqua), all of which came under the control of Cantoni. The Saronno site, founded in 1911 as a fabric printing works, continued to carry out the same activity after the takeover.

With a complete range of machinery, the company was able to arrive at the finished product from raw material. In total, in 1972, Cotonificio Cantoni’s facilities contained 2,724 looms, 235,002 spindles and 15 printing machines. The company also had a thermoelectric power station located within the historical Legnano factory and 8 hydroelectric plants.

Towards the end of the 20th century, the Italian textile industry began to suffer from competition from emerging countries, with low-cost production putting a strain on the sector’s historical companies. Even Cotonificio Cantoni was not immune to these challenges and, unfortunately, over the years, production decreased and the company faced periods of crisis. Added to this were the debts accumulated by Cantoni, which were attributable to excessive stocks in the warehouses of printed fabrics: it was precisely at this time that fashion changed, favouring plain fabrics.

The Saronno factory was closed in 2002. In 2020, work began on the reclamation of the 94,000 square metre area and the demolition of the warehouses to allow for the construction of a supermarket, residences, offices, a multi-purpose centre, a senior citizens’ centre and a public park.

CALZIFICIO BLOCH [IT]

Exploration #230 Calzificio Bloch. The Bloch hosiery factory was founded in 1910 in Reggio Emilia by Giuseppe Bloch. The factory in Reggio Emilia was mainly run by women and represented a strong symbol of the working class world of women: in fact in 1976 the women of the Bloch hosiery factory occupied the factory for almost two years: from May 1976, the beginning of the garrison, to April 1978, the final closure of the factory. The Buccinasco site was opened in 1968 and no other information is available for this location.

NOVACETA [IT]

Exploration #161. Novaceta S.p.A. was an Italian company operating in the chemical-textile sector, producing continuous acetate yarn (Rayon Acetate) from cellulose triacetate derived from trees. This was a highly complex and specialised process, only achievable by a few companies in the world: Novaceta was the European (60% of the European market share in 2001) and world leader in the sector. The quality of the products was very high and appreciated by all customers. Novaceta brand Rayon Acetate was used to produce fabrics with a soft and delicate hand, silky appearance, bright and vivid colours, good breathability, hygroscopicity, antistaticity and comfort. Foulards, ties, shirts, ladies’ dresses, velvets and tapestries were just some of the final products.

The company was founded in 1951 as a joint venture between SNIA and Courtaulds to create cellulose acetate-based fibres. In 2003 it was sold to GZ Fin, as part of a process of rationalisation of SNIA’s activities. On the impetus of the new ownership, together with Bemberg and Nuova Rayon, it gave life to BembergCell, with the aim of creating an Italian cellulosic pole of excellence. But the project was never fully realised and the world crisis in the sector caused difficulties that proved to be irresolvable, leading to the bankruptcy of BembergCell and a 66% reduction in production at the Magenta plant.

Subsequently, the site, together with its 400 employees, was taken over in 2007 by MCM Holding, which presented an ambitious industrial plan that foresaw an increase in production and turnover, which for that year amounted to 27 million. Unfortunately, the plan did not take off and in June 2008 production was stopped, an event that raised the suspicions of the trade unions, who feared property speculation on the vast and centrally located area. In 2009 the employees were laid off and in 2010 the company was admitted to bankruptcy proceedings and went into liquidation. Since then, the site has been abandoned. After many years of abandonment, the site was demolished in 2023.

These factory was in the same industrial group with the SNIA Viscosa di Varedo, also abandoned.

Site reporting the history and historical images of Novaceta in magenta: Stabilimento Novaceta Magenta.

USINE S [BE]

Exploration #125. Usine S. was founded in the late 19th century and was specialised in the treatment and manufacture of wool. Its architecture is very nice, as are old factories. The place is well preserved and the decay is mainly only due to the passage of time. After being abandoned for almost a century, now the site has a second life as a museum (legal visit).

FILATURA G. [IT]

Exploration #67. This spinning mill was founded in 1884. It consisted of large halls on three floors where the machinery was housed and the adjacent manor house. It was in operation until the end of the 20th century. The machineries, unfortunately today piled up in bulk, are the original ones of the last years of production. There was a proposal to turn it into a museum, but the project never came to fruition.