The Capitulum in the San Domenico Museum, a place of important historic, architectural and artistic importance, will be named after Aldo Villa, who was Sacmi’s General Manager from 1958 until his untimely death in 1987.
In remembrance of his work and the values of entrepreneurship and cooperation he instilled, the SACMI Board of Directors decided to begin working with and providing support to the civic museums of Imola.
A key figure in the expansion of Sacmi Imola, Aldo Villa contributed enormously to transforming the company from a mechanics cooperative into a major multinational Group.
A far-sighted manager with an international reputation for professionalism and a deeply humane man, Villa was aware that the best way to protect the international future of both Sacmi and the town of Imola was to invest in know-how and knowledge. The first fully qualified engineer to be taken on by the company, Villa was both an astute businessman and firm believer in the cooperative system: his unique skills led to a process of diversification that continues to this day.
During his 29-year tenure, Villa realised Sacmi had enormous national and international-level growth potential. He hired skilled workers and built partnerships with those who shared the same cooperative spirit. He created a team of managers determined to make Sacmi a global business. In the year of his death, 1987, Sacmi’s total sales came to 130.7 billion Liras (approximately sixty five million Euros) and there were ten subsidiaries. Net profit was 14.8 billion Liras (about 7 and half million Euros), net worth 106.8 billion (about 53 million Euros). There were 433 employees and 236 members. It was thanks to Aldo Villa that Sacmi took up the challenge to become the undisputed industry leader. Priority was given to development and a strong emphasis on R&D ensured Sacmi was able to take advantage of every market opportunity.