Officine Meccaniche

• Locomotives and railway equipment ( Milan )
• Cars and sports cars (Brescia, before 1934 )
• Commercial Vehicles (Brescia, from 1925)

Officine Meccaniche ( OM short, Società Anonima Officine Meccaniche completely ) was an Italian mechanical and vehicle manufacturer based in Milan and Brescia. Originally founded as a railway manufacturers, OM moved soon to the automotive industry, and became known for its robust sports car and later for its commercial vehicles.

History

Machinery and railway ( Milan )

The company was founded in 1899 in Milan under the Società Anonima Officine Meccaniche full name - founded già Miani Silvestri & C., A. Grondona Comi & C. as a fusion of machinery factories A. Grondona Comi & C and Miani Silvestri & C. Già. The company manufactured steam locomotives, other railway equipment and heavy machinery.

Automotive (OM Fabbrica di Automobili Bresciana, Brescia)

1917 took over the factory OM of the automobile manufacturer Züst in Brescia ( Brixia Züst ). 1918 OM began to make there own cars. From 1928 the factory in Brescia as a separate company OM Fabbrica di Automobili Bresciana firmierte separated from the above-mentioned mother in Milan, where further engines and other machines were manufactured.

Sport and touring car

Was the first vehicle from the factory in Brescia still a blatant copy of the mark Brixia Züst, so OM built in the 1920s and 1930s, outstanding independent sports and touring cars, which were known for their speed and stability.

Reason for the fame was the result at the 1927 inaugural Mille Miglia, in the OM pilots took the first three places. The winning two -liter six-cylinder OM was driven by Ferdinando Minoia and G. Morandi. This car came from the pen of the designer Lucien Barratouché, who was also responsible for the " civilized " four-cylinder of the work. In particular, the precision processing was characteristic of OM.

Mid-1930s, however, brought the major national competitors, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia and Maserati at sports.

Commercial Vehicles

As early as 1925 OM had started to manufacture buses, trucks, tractors and other commercial vehicles. 1933 OM was taken over by Fiat. Since the area of ​​commercial vehicles was successful, while the passenger car sector was in crisis and was also in competition with the new parent Fiat, introduced OM 1934 car production, in order to concentrate entirely on the commercial vehicle industry.

1968 OM was a division in the IVECO group in which the Fiat Group transferred its commercial vehicle activities involving the French brand Unic and the German brand Magirus- Deutz, integrates, and from then until the mid-1980s, just as a truck brand continued. Constructions of OM Group were also marketed under different brand names, in Germany, for example, as Magirus -Deutz and in France as Unic. Mid-1980s, disappeared went up in IVECO individual brands, including OM, and were replaced by the single name IVECO.

Forklifts (OM Carrelli Elevatori )

From the 1930s produced OM forklifts ( Italian: Carrelli Elevatori ), trucks and other material handling vehicles. For this range of OM in 1975 the Fiat division Fiat OM Carrelli Elevatori. In 1992, the German Linde AG, Fiat acquired a first part of this range and built in the years that followed their participation further. 2002 FIAT OM Carrelli Elevatori has been completely taken over by Linde AG. In 2006, OM Carrelli Elevatori was sold under the umbrella of the Kion Group to financial investors.