In over 55 years of work he has performed technical and commercial roles, fulfilling delicate assignments in Latin America and Africa. Luigi Barboglio’s career in Ocrim was the direct expression of a complex personality, made up of authority, critical sense, dedication and great honesty. He has marked the history of the company by facing difficult moments with determination and living the successes and worldwide expansion with pride. Franco Schintu, Ocrim GLA President, remembers the friend and colleague. 

The Thorn In The Side

Luigi Barboglio was a character sometimes troublesome for his critical streak, but always constructive, because he was an old-fashioned man with a high sense of responsibility, who knew how to appreciate the value of work, especially in that distant 1948, when he was hired in Ocrim just twenty years old. In just four years he went from a skilled worker to a qualified worker to a technical engineer. He was passionate, curious and with a great desire to learn the trade. After a period of one year to fulfill military service obligations (1953-1954) he returned to Ocrim as a sales officer for Italy and Libya and, from 1957, also for Latin America. A role that allowed him to fully express his relationship skills and his technical skills, much appreciated by customers and company management, so much so that in 1963 he was promoted to manager and area manager for the Latin American market. His duties were then extended to some countries in Africa and Europe, until he held the position of managing director of Italmolinos spa, the Ocrim branch in Spain, from 1985 to 1987. In 55 years of work he has sold over 180 milling plants, supervising their installation and collaborating in staff training. (From Left: Luigi Barboglio and Alberto Antolini, CEO Ocrim).

In 1988 he retired, but his collaboration with Ocrim continued with equal intensity for a further 15 years. The bond with Ocrim remained strong and solid. He returned periodically to the company to greet his colleagues and every time he inquired about the technological progress, commenting on it and appreciating it with great pride, as he himself tells in the video. In 1991 he was awarded the title of “Master of Labour” and was unable to hide the emotion for the recognition and congratulations of his colleagues who celebrated him. He left us five years ago (1928-2015), but his mark will always remain alive in all of us, as recalls Franco Schintu, his dear friend and former Ocrim Purchasing Director: “I miss his criticism but aimed at clarifying, knowing, often contesting the opinions of others. There is no longer that thorn in the side that forced me to read and reread what I wrote; it would not have been more than a minute to see him appear with the notebook under his arm with his comments pinned; his gaze turned from severe to good-natured when he left the office convinced by my reasons. Often he had seen it right and then he would have reminded me of it dozens of times until I feared a close encounter. It was fascinating to hear his stories lived mainly in that South America where he had spent most of his life in difficult and distant times. His Ocrim was a constant in the daily memories of decades spent in the mills, holding the Company’s flag high at any cost. Perseverance, competence and determination are the legacy that has left us. (…) I knew the character well and tried to interpret every complaint he made by making every effort to dampen his disappointment. (..) Adios Don Luis”. (From Left: Luigi Barboglio with his friend and colleague Franco Schintu).