150° ANNIVERSARY
TENCONI SA

"Tenconi one hundred and fifty years in Leventina".
Commemorative book for the 150th anniversary of the foundation

The book is on sale at the favourable price of CHF 20.- and can be ordered from the publisher Salvioni Edizioni(www.salvioni.ch / 091 821 11 11), or purchased directly from Ditta Tenconi or in the best bookshops in Ticino.

• Book preview

To celebrate the company's 150th anniversary, TENCONI SA has planned the following events in September and October:

Company outing with all employees to Monte Generoso (3 September)

Open doors at the Airolo (25 September) and Cadenazzo (9 October) sites

On Saturday 25 September and Saturday 9 October we had the pleasure of opening the doors of our premises in Airolo and Cadenazzo to the population.
A unique event that attracted many people interested in TENCONI's activities and history.
A special thanks goes to all those who came to visit us (young and old) and immersed themselves for a day in the TENCONI reality and to all the collaborators who made themselves available for the success of the event.

Commemorative evening (30 September)

Tenconi SA was born in Airolo in 1871 from the passion of Ambrogio Tenconi who, aware of the job opportunities linked to the St. Gotthard railway tunnel, had moved to Leventina from the then distant Menzago di Sumirago (in Lombardy at the time under Austrian domination).
This passion, combined with several decades of strong economic growth in Leventina, allowed Tenconi SA to develop over time and expand its activities well beyond its initial activities as a blacksmith-ironworker and considerably beyond the borders of the valley.

Ambrogio Tenconi married Angela Tubino in July 1855. The couple had six sons and two daughters: Camillo (1856-1923), Domenico (1859-1929), Faustino (1871-1948), Guglielmo (1880-1951), Emilio (1885-1961), Enrico, who emigrated to Argentina and whose personal details are unknown, Amalia (who died in 1914) and Lisa, both married and also living in Argentina.

Fausto (1912-1986) and Edoardo Tenconi (1905-1992), sons of Guglielmo (1880-1951) and grandsons of the founder Ambrogio Tenconi, took over their father's company in 1943 and managed it for half a century, promoting its expansion with several important investments in machinery and production and office buildings. It was during their management that the FTA (Fratelli Tenconi Airolo) logo was created, which is still used today for product branding. With the passing of Fausto and Edoardo, the company name changed in 1992 to TENCONI SA.

Today, Tenconi SA, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, groups together engineering activities divided into four distinct economic sectors (railway, metal carpentry, engineering industry and energy) with an expansion into 19 countries on four continents. Tenconi SA is proud to have been able to make a significant contribution to the development of the village of Airolo and the Leventina region, providing jobs and livelihood to hundreds of families over the decades.

Of course, there has been no shortage of challenges dictated by economic cycles, diseases/pandemics, wars, bad weather and some village rivalries; but with tenacity and perseverance, Tenconi SA has remained a family business and still today counts representatives of the fifth generation in its management.

Family management, based on the solid principles of mutual respect, generosity, tenacity, perseverance and, last but not least, special attention to the quality of its products, has proved to be a winning card over time and a point of differentiation compared to other companies. Added to this is an entrepreneurial element, passed down from generation to generation, which has prompted Tenconi SA to regularly reinvest in in-house skills and diversify production into sectors similar or adjacent to its own and to expand geographically, both in production and sales.

Tenconi SA also continues to support individuals and the community. The company has always offered favourable conditions for its employees in terms of wages, pensions, professional training, food and accommodation. In addition, it provides regular local support to sports clubs and socially and culturally oriented clubs.

For the near future we foresee a continuation of the expansion and diversification of production, always remaining faithful to recognized technical/operational skills and to the family-like corporate culture. More specifically:

• Skills include strong knowledge of ferrous and plastic materials, machining, welding and assembly processes in metal construction;

• An internal culture characterised by family management, based on the principles of mutual respect, quality, reliability and service.

In the challenges dictated by globalization, technological innovation and digitalization, Tenconi SA will remain faithful, even in the renewed corporate structure of "Gruppo Tenconi", to its objective, aimed at creating added value for our business partners with innovative and high quality niche products, assisted by constant technical and innovative dialogue.