Happy birthday Ocrim! From the immediate post-war period to today: the most important stages in the evolution of Ocrim and the imprint left by five authoritative and unforgettable characters who made Ocrim history. Tribute to Guido, Luigi, Fausta Grassi, Giuseppe Spinelli and Primo Antolini.
Ocrim Past and Present
It was March 25, 1945. The winds of war had not yet calm down, but the desire to rebuild and give life to new projects was great. That day the brothers Guido and Ettore Grassi, together with their cousin Luigi Grassi, founded OCRIM (acronym of Officine Cremonesi Impianti Molini) and began producing the first milling plants. In the following years, along with what would have always been the main activity, other production lines were opened. In those years everything was needed and from the Ocrim workshops came out of general-purpose tractor, butter mixers and even the first refrigerators dispensers of the most famous beverage Coca Cola. The company still didn’t have the spacious facility of today: the administrative offices were located in the downtown of the city, while the technical-commercial services were housed in the offices of the Grassi milling plants in Cavatigozzi, in the district of Cremona, and the machines were built in different workshops of the Cremona area. Subsequently the company name became “Ocrim S.p.A. Società per l’Industria Meccanica” and in the 1950s it began expanding abroad, starting from Latin America; in the following decade Ocrim was one of the first Italian companies to establish relations with Eastern European countries. Guido Grassi traveled all over the world, cultivating profitable working relationships that over time also turned into solid and sincere friendships.
Beside him, an important figure held the reins of the company, Giuseppe Spinelli, who was for a long time CEO first and then General Manager, but after twenty years of close collaboration, exactly on June 18, 1975, he resigned from office. From that moment Ocrim witnessed a succession of rotations at the top, also due to the death, a few years later, of Guido Grassi (1983) and his daughter Fausta (1987). At the end of the 80ies Ocrim, which employed 710 people and another 160 divided between Spanish and US Ocrim, was acquired by the Sesea financial group. A succession of important and world-class personalities took turns at the helm, but in 1992 was unwittingly involved in the crack of the Sesea financial group. Only the intervention of some businessmen, coming from Cremona territory, who were joined also by the Antolini family, allowed the company to continue the activity in continuity with the tradition. Over time, the shareholding structure gradually changed until 2009, when the Antolini family remained the sole shareholder. Today the Antolini brothers – Sergio with the office of President and Alberto as CEO – lead the company with an innovative imprint, along a path of technological evolution aimed at energy saving, plant reliability and product hygiene. Appreciated all over the world for its plants for grinding, treating, handling and storing wheat, maize and other cereals, as well as for feed mills, Ocrim is today recognized by the international market as one of the first companies in the milling sector.
The Great Men Who Have Made Ocrim History
They have left an indelible mark. They were endowed with great personality, a marked human dimension and the ability to look to the future. They were the pillars of the company; they had intuition, competence and perseverance; they made Ocrim grow by giving it stability even in difficult times. The work and dedication of these five influential figures have shaped the history and identity of Ocrim. Guido Grassi, founding member, CEO and then President; a man of great views, endowed with an authentic pioneering entrepreneurial spirit, a volcano of ideas, an example and spur for all his collaborators. Luigi Grassi, expert diagrammist and master of the white art; he devoted his life to the training of young diagrammists and for this Guido Grassi dedicated to him the Ocrim Milling Technology School. Giuseppe Spinelli, General manager first and Managing Director then, who dedicated to Ocrim 20 years of fervent activity, leaving an indelible memory. Fausta Grassi, Ocrim President from 1984 to 1987, was able to follow in the footsteps of the founder with great commitment and ability. Primo Antolini, Ocrim President from 2009 to 2018, conveyed the passion, commitment, dignity, respect and challenge for a job well done. The thanks and profound admiration of all Ocrim employees and collaborators goes to all of them.