Marco Terragni
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Marco Terragni (26 April 1930 – 29 June 2006) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
businessman and
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
. In 1953, he founded
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
one of the biggest conglomerate in the world
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
sector along with Dino Terragni and Felice Zosi.


Biography

Marco Terragni was born in
Paderno Dugnano Paderno Dugnano ( Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is bounded by ''comuni'' of Senago, Limbiate, Varedo, Cusano Milanino, Cormano, Nova Milanese, Bollate, Novate Milane ...
to Cav.Ercole Terragni (born in
Paderno Dugnano Paderno Dugnano ( Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is bounded by ''comuni'' of Senago, Limbiate, Varedo, Cusano Milanino, Cormano, Nova Milanese, Bollate, Novate Milane ...
, 1889 and died in
Paderno Dugnano Paderno Dugnano ( Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is bounded by ''comuni'' of Senago, Limbiate, Varedo, Cusano Milanino, Cormano, Nova Milanese, Bollate, Novate Milane ...
, 1966) and from Enrichetta Strada (born in Palazzolo Milanese, 1896 and died in
Paderno Dugnano Paderno Dugnano ( Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is bounded by ''comuni'' of Senago, Limbiate, Varedo, Cusano Milanino, Cormano, Nova Milanese, Bollate, Novate Milane ...
, 1970). The father descended from a decayed noble family and carried out the agricultural activity. The family was in critical economic conditions and did not have money to guarantee education for its children. With the help of the nuns, he and his brothers managed to receive adequate education. After doing military service, where he obtained the rank of lieutenant, he started some entrepreneurial activities together with his older brothers, however, proving to be bankrupt. In 1953 Marco and his brother Dino participated in the Plast fair in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. Here they met Felice Zosi, with whom they founded
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
(Machine Sales Commissioner) the same year, with the intention of selling the machinery just developed by Luigi Bandera, founder of the Bandera Spa in
Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
. In the first year, they recorded an operating profit of just a hundred thousand euros. With the development of the world market, they began selling numerous machines in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
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and
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. In 1956 Felice Zosi left his position and started at the company Andrea Crespi Spa, a company that produced some components for the plastic extrusion processes. Following the discoveries made at Montecatini by Prof. Natta,
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
established a strong collaboration with the aforesaid. In 1959
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
developed the first extrusion line in the world for the production of PP monofilament. The same year at the K fair in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
, the
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
booth registered 13,000 visits, a number never before achieved by any participating company. In 1960, together with his brother, he developed a
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
rafia Raffia palms are members of the genus ''Raphia''. The Malagasy language, Malagasy name is derived from ' "to squeeze #Raffia wine, juice". The genus contains about twenty species of Arecaceae, palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and esp ...
extrusion Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross section (geometry), cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a Die (manufacturing), die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing pro ...
line, the first in the world, which they later sold to a
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n company, which still exists today. This invention was fundamental for the development of the company, which sold about seventy plants in a year. Subsequently, the Terragni brothers began the development of the foreign branches of Covema, mainly in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, where they founded Covepla SA, Covema SAE and GBF SA. Later he founded Plastiform Srl in Paderno Dugnano, GBF in
Bresso Bresso ( Milanese: ) is a municipality (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan. As of 2025, it has a population of 26,530 inhabitants and a population density of 7,849 persons/k ...
(which collaborated with Basell Polyolefins group), Corima Spa in
Cassano Magnago Cassano Magnago is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. Notable people * Ivan Basso (b 1977), road cycling champion * Umberto Bossi Umberto Bossi (born 19 September 1941) is an Italian politician and former le ...
, Omam in Varese, FIRS in Zingonia, Technical Die and RIAP in
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
. In the mid-sixties, his sister Luigia also entered the company, as director of the company's financial area, and his brother Natale with whom he founded Floraplant. At Floraplant, Terragni began the production of plastic plants (produced with the injection machines of GBF spa) and PP egg carriers with Plastiform machines. In 1965 decided with his brother to participate to the first plastic fair organized by
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. During this fair Terragni brothers could show to
Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...
, president of the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and to
Leonid Kostandov Leonid Kostandov (; 27 November 1915 – 5 September 1984) was a Soviet engineer and politician who served as the minister of the chemical industry between 1965 and 1980 and as the deputy premier from 1980 to his death. Biography Being a nati ...
the new technology developed by
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
. In 1969, at the request of a Brazilian customer, he began to design a new process that could replace the one developed by Toshiba a few years earlier for the production of plastic honeycomb sheets. In 1970, following intense experiments carried out at RIAP spa in
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
, he patented the new sheet extrusion process under the name of
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
. Starting from the same year, as witnessed by Kenya Gazette is the holder of the
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
brand. This new process proved to be particularly innovative, and it is still the one used for the production of hollow core slabs. In 1976 he was rewarded together with his brother
Dino Dino may refer to: Prefix * dino-, a common prefix in taxonomy, meaning "terrible", "formidable" **Dinosaur ** Dinosaurus People * Dino (given name), a masculine given name and a nickname * Dino (surname), a surname found in Albania and Turkey ...
for the exports made by Covema in the three-year period 1972-73-74. In 1976 at Corima Spa, together with a group of engineers, he developed the first extrusion line of the world for the production of WPC, that is, sheets composed with thermoplastic materials intended to replace wood. In 1979 his brother
Dino Dino may refer to: Prefix * dino-, a common prefix in taxonomy, meaning "terrible", "formidable" **Dinosaur ** Dinosaurus People * Dino (given name), a masculine given name and a nickname * Dino (surname), a surname found in Albania and Turkey ...
, who was in
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to conclude contracts with some Swiss customers, died suddenly. In August 1979 Marco became president of the
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
group, a position previously held by his brother. The same year the group reached maximum expansion. In February 1981 Marco was awarded for the second time by the Milan Chamber of Commerce for Covema's exports in the three-year period 1978-1979-1980. In mid-1981 Marco, together with the managing directors Ambrogio Fagnani and Felice Zicari, left Covema which was managed by the heirs of Dino Terragni. In 1982 he founded the Italproducts group together with his sister Luigia, which included TPA srl, a company founded by the Dezuani brothers, former engineers of Plastiform srl. In 1985 the company Omam Spa, part of the Covema Group, which had been in a deep crisis for two years, bought out of bankruptcy. In 1995, in collaboration with the chemical company Reedy International, he developed plants for the production of
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
with chemical additives. In 1992, a strong collaboration began with the Taiwanese billionaire YC Wang with whom he discussed the foundation of the largest company in the world for the production of
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
, now sold under the tradename Intepro and
Coroplast Coroplast is a brand name of corrugated plastic and a registered trademark of Coroplast, LLC, a member of the Inteplast Group of companies. Because of the success of this brand, it has become a generically used tradename and many people in No ...
, the Inteplast company belonging to the giant
Formosa Plastics Corp Formosa Plastics Corporation () is a Taiwanese plastics company based in Taiwan (formerly called "Formosa") that primarily produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and other intermediate plastic products. It is the corporation around which inf ...
. Later he founded Agripak srl with the aim of producing
packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...
for fruit and vegetables and
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
in southern
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. In 2002, he decided to merge Italproducts into Agripak, based in via Giacomo Puccini 5 in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. In 2003 he sold Floraplant SRL to the Swiss group Ovotherm. He fell seriously ill in 2005 and left the management of the company to his sons Fabio, Massimo and Patrizia, who were born to Isabella Moriggia (born 2 June in
Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
), grandson of the entrepreneur Marquis Cav. Giuseppe Moriggia. He died in June 2006 in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. Even now the children lead Agripak srl which, starting from 2011, has its headquarters in via Monte Rosa in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
.


Recognition

*Mercurio D'oro Prize *Gold Medal for the exports of
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
,
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
1976 *Gold Medal for the exports of
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
,
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
1981


Bibliography

*Archivio storico della Camera di Commercio di Milano. *Archivio storico della Camera di commercio di Varese. *Archivio storico della Camera di commercio di Brescia. *Archivio storico della Camera di commercio di Bergamo.Archivio Storico della C. Di Commercio di Bergamo, documets on request
/ref>


See also

*
Cartonplast Cartonplast is a trademark that was first given by Covema spa (Italy) in the early seventies to a specific model of extrusion line manufactured and sold world wide by the aforesaid. In subsequent years such name was used as well to identify the ...
*
Covema Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl ...
* Dino Terragni *
Rafia Raffia palms are members of the genus ''Raphia''. The Malagasy language, Malagasy name is derived from ' "to squeeze #Raffia wine, juice". The genus contains about twenty species of Arecaceae, palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and esp ...
* Wood-plastic composite


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terragni, Marco 1930 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Italian businesspeople 20th-century Italian inventors Businesspeople in manufacturing Italian chief executives