Agostino Rocca
Encyclopedia
Agostino Rocca was an Italian Argentine
businessman.
. His family relocated to Rome
early in his childhood, and he completed secondary school studies at the Collegio Militare di Roma. He enrolled at the Accademia Militare di Torino in 1913, but left to enroll in the Italian Army
at the outset of World War I
. He enrolled in the Politecnico di Milano in 1921 and married Maria Queirazza; by then, had joined the Italian Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini
, who would be elected premier in 1922.
Rocca began as an engineering
apprectice at Dalmine, a steel
maker, in 1923. He later became a financial advisor, and worked for a number of prominent Italian firms, mainly in the manufacturing
sector. He was made part of the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
(IRI), the centerpiece of the Mussolini regime's corporate state, in 1933, and joined the body's military industries committee, becoming a member of the board of directors
of a number of venerable names in Italian industry and engineering, notably Dalmine and Ansaldo
, and overseeing their conversion into defense contractor
s ahead of hostilities leading to World War II
.
He was appointed to the powerful post of director of Finsider, the IRI's financial arm, in 1938, but began distancing himself from Mussolini in 1941, and was dismissed. The transfer of the retreating Mussolini regime into northern Italy, and the declaration of the Italian Social Republic
over the area in 1943, led Rocca to break with the regime, joining the British-sponsored opposition group Otto, and suffering arrest in Asti
and Milan. Following the fall of the regime, he was arrested in Milan in April 1945 on the charge of collaborationism
, but no longer an executive or administrator, and an belated opponent of the deposed fascist state, Rocca was released without charges. He founded the Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale (Italian
, Technical International Company) in September 1945, and in February 1946, left Italy for Buenos Aires
, Argentina
.
Founded in Milan, Rocca's fledgling company was reestablished in Buenos Aires as Techint
, its abbreviated telex code.
Awarded a contract to build a 1,600 km (1,000 mi) gas pipeline from Comodoro Rivadavia
to Buenos Aires
in 1949 by President Juan Perón
, Techint became a leading government contractor during Perón's ambitious infrastructure program. Establishing subsidiaries in Brazil
(1947), Chile
(1951), and Mexico
(1954), the company purchashed a majority stake in Dalmine (Rocca's erstwhile employer), in 1954, and opened its first seamless steel tube plant in Campana
, the same year. Techint's Ensenada
plant, in 1969, became the only Argentine manufacturer of cold rolled steel.
These developments prompted the Argentine government to enter into a tentative partnership with Techint through its state steel concern, Somisa. The joint venture
with Techint's Propulsora Siderurgica was first announced in 1967, though, ultimately, a similar arrangement was concluded instead with a leading comptetitor, Acindar.
The aging industrialist transferred management of the company to his elder son, Roberto Rocca
, in 1975, and died in Buenos Aires on February 17, 1978, at age 83. Techint was, by then, a conglomerate with 15,000 employees, two steel manufacturing facilities in Argentina and with international engineering and construction interests.
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
businessman.
Life and times
Agostino Rocca was born in 1895 in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. His family relocated to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
early in his childhood, and he completed secondary school studies at the Collegio Militare di Roma. He enrolled at the Accademia Militare di Torino in 1913, but left to enroll in the Italian Army
Italian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
at the outset of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He enrolled in the Politecnico di Milano in 1921 and married Maria Queirazza; by then, had joined the Italian Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, who would be elected premier in 1922.
Rocca began as an engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
apprectice at Dalmine, a steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
maker, in 1923. He later became a financial advisor, and worked for a number of prominent Italian firms, mainly in the manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
sector. He was made part of the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
The Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale was an Italian public company set up by the fascist government in 1933 to combat the effects of the global depression on the Italian economy...
(IRI), the centerpiece of the Mussolini regime's corporate state, in 1933, and joined the body's military industries committee, becoming a member of the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of a number of venerable names in Italian industry and engineering, notably Dalmine and Ansaldo
Gio. Ansaldo & C.
Ansaldo was one of Italy's oldest and most important engineering companies, existing for 140 years from 1853 to 1993.-From foundation to World War I:...
, and overseeing their conversion into defense contractor
Defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
s ahead of hostilities leading to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was appointed to the powerful post of director of Finsider, the IRI's financial arm, in 1938, but began distancing himself from Mussolini in 1941, and was dismissed. The transfer of the retreating Mussolini regime into northern Italy, and the declaration of the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
over the area in 1943, led Rocca to break with the regime, joining the British-sponsored opposition group Otto, and suffering arrest in Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
and Milan. Following the fall of the regime, he was arrested in Milan in April 1945 on the charge of collaborationism
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
, but no longer an executive or administrator, and an belated opponent of the deposed fascist state, Rocca was released without charges. He founded the Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale (Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Technical International Company) in September 1945, and in February 1946, left Italy for Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Founded in Milan, Rocca's fledgling company was reestablished in Buenos Aires as Techint
Techint
Techint is a conglomerate multinational company founded in Milan in September 1945 by Italian industrialist Agostino Rocca and headquartered in Milan and Buenos Aires . Techint comprises more than 100 companies operating worldwide in the following areas of business: Engineering & Construction,...
, its abbreviated telex code.
Awarded a contract to build a 1,600 km (1,000 mi) gas pipeline from Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San Jorge Basin....
to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1949 by President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
, Techint became a leading government contractor during Perón's ambitious infrastructure program. Establishing subsidiaries in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(1947), Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(1951), and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(1954), the company purchashed a majority stake in Dalmine (Rocca's erstwhile employer), in 1954, and opened its first seamless steel tube plant in Campana
Campana, Buenos Aires
Campana is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, in the Campana Partido. It is located about from Buenos Aires City, on the right-hand margin of the Paraná River, Its population is 84,000 inhabitants as per the ....
, the same year. Techint's Ensenada
Ensenada, Buenos Aires
Ensenada is a city and port in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, located around the Ensenada de Barragán. It has 31,031 inhabitants as per the...
plant, in 1969, became the only Argentine manufacturer of cold rolled steel.
These developments prompted the Argentine government to enter into a tentative partnership with Techint through its state steel concern, Somisa. The joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
with Techint's Propulsora Siderurgica was first announced in 1967, though, ultimately, a similar arrangement was concluded instead with a leading comptetitor, Acindar.
The aging industrialist transferred management of the company to his elder son, Roberto Rocca
Roberto Rocca
Roberto Rocca was a prominent Italian Argentine businessman.-Overview:Roberto Rocca was born in Milan, in 1922, as the eldest son of Maria Queirazza and Agostino Rocca...
, in 1975, and died in Buenos Aires on February 17, 1978, at age 83. Techint was, by then, a conglomerate with 15,000 employees, two steel manufacturing facilities in Argentina and with international engineering and construction interests.