The story
In 1963 a new premise was built in the outskirts of Reggio Emilia which marked the transition to large scale production. Taking advantage of the tumultuous growth of the Italian economy and of the ever-increasing demand for agricultural machinery, Lombardini enjoyed a long and steady expansion, resulting in the company becoming a leader in small agricultural equipment. At this stage, the company decided to abandon production of finished products in order to focus on bare engines alone. This change reflected a strategic decision of the company not to compete against their own customers.
During the years Lombardini became the most prominent Diesel manufacturer in Italy in its range and bought out its competitors one by one. Slanzi, Cotiemme, Acme and lastly Ruggerini company were all bought out and incorporated into Lombardini.
As the growth of the company went on, its structure became more and more that of a modern industrial group. Commercial branches were established in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and US. Aside from the main premises in Reggio Emilia, new factories were established in Rieti (Italy), Czech Republic and India.
In 1999 Lombardini was sold to Mark IV Industries; shortly thereafter they took over their long-time competitor Ruggerini Motori. In 2007, Lombardini was sold to the American Kohler Company becoming part of its Power Group.
From Wikipedia’s article on Lombardini (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4