Lino Zanussi (
Pordenone
Pordenone (; Venetian and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.
The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'.
...
, February 15, 1920 -
San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
, June 18, 1968) was an Italian businessman and
appliance manufacturer.
Company history
Beginnings
Antonio Zanussi (Lino's father) was the son of a
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
. At the age of 26, in 1916, when the economy of Pordenone was still largely agricultural, he opened a small workshop where he began making stoves and ovens. He sold his products under the brand name "Rex". By 1920, when Lino was born, the "Workshop Antonio Zanussi" had 10 workers and launched a product that was initially created for export: the AZP (Antonio Zanussi Pordenone), the first wood-burning oven made of molded iron.
Lino takes charge
When Antonio died on November 21, 1946, the company had one hundred employees. Lino and his brother Guido took over the company. At first, they decided to produce for the domestic market. Having received an education in business by his father, Lino developed the company, making it a major European producer of appliances. By 1962, it had surpassed its German competitors to become the largest company in Europe producing
gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
and
electric stove
An electric stove or electric range is a stove with an integrated electrical heating device to cook and bake. Electric stoves became popular as replacements for solid-fuel (wood or coal) stoves which required more labor to operate and maintain. S ...
s, gas rings,
washing machine
A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s,
dishwasher
A dishwasher is a machine that is used to clean dishware, cookware, and cutlery automatically. Unlike manual dishwashing, which relies heavily on physical scrubbing to remove soiling, the mechanical dishwasher cleans by spraying hot water, ...
s and
refrigerator
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
s domestically marketed under the "Rex" and "Naonis" brand names (export models were always branded "Zanussi"). In 1960, the company also began making televisions under the brand name "Seleco".
[Piero Martinuzzi, Nico Nanni, "Lino Zanussi", Edizioni Studio Tesi, Civiltà della Memoria, Pordenone, 1993]
The company's business model, according to Lino Zanussi, is "... To sell we need to produce a better quality with lower costs, if we don't have one of these two requirements, we lose the market .... " At the time of Zanussi's death, the company had 13,000 employees in 13 factories. Since then, other companies have been acquired which now make up the Zanussi Group.
Achievements and accolades
Zanussi participated in creating the
CUOA Foundation at the
University of Padua
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...
. In the spring of 1963, the University gave him an
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
in
industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex process (engineering), processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, kno ...
.
On the 21 of October 1966, President
Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat (; 19 September 1898 – 11 June 1988) was an Italian politician who served as the president of Italy from 1964 to 1971.
Early life
Born to Sardinian parents, he was a member of the Unitary Socialist Party (Italy, 1922), Unita ...
with the
Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government.
The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mini ...
Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti ( , ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992) and leader of the Christian Democra ...
in the Zanussi factory in
Porcia, said:
:"When we talk of our Nation, we have to think about life in our country. Our nation's life is linked to the past and projected into the future, but is represented by people living today. And living in its noblest form is work. It is more than creating wealth: Work is the greatest creator of the moral forces on which civil society is founded "
Zanussi's philosophy
Zanussi advocated this concept of work as a source of morality and civilization. His idea of enterprise is a severe but not paternalistic control, modern and rational, directed toward
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
of markets (with a dominant presence in the European market, with constant attention to assimilating technical and managing know-how, and with a strategy oriented towards the Eastern European countries), the company must create wealth for employees and for the local territory, developing it from a social and cultural point of view.
Death
On 18 June 1968, a
Piaggio PD.808
The Piaggio PD.808 was an Italian business jet built by Piaggio. It was designed as a joint venture between Piaggio and Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California, United States.
Design and development
Originally named the PD.808 Vespa ...
demonstration aircraft ''I-PIAI'' crashed in bad weather when it flew into the side of Mount Jaizkibel, near San Sebastian, Spain. All six on board, including Zanussi, were killed.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zanussi, Lino
1920 births
1968 deaths
20th-century Italian businesspeople
People from Pordenone
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1968
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Spain