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Montecatini - INDEL
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The factory is situated in the far north of Italy.
It was built in 1916 devoted to the production of calcium carbide and, from this, of acetylene. But after the 60s, when it was discovered how to extract acetylene from ethylene (and consequently from oil), the old calcium carbide process was abandoned.
Right next to the first plant, Montecatini Company decided to built a big new plant for the iron-silicate alloys production.
A new sub-company was founded, called INDEL. It produced iron-alloys in two big ovens (that are still inside and intact) and also graphite electrodes for power industry.
In the picture you can see an overview of the new plant, with the conveyer belt from the raw materials park, the oven building with the amazing double chimney and some other buildings, everything with Alps on the background.
It's not a casuality that this kind of works were built in Alpine regions. Ovens for acetylene and for iron alloys worked both with electrical power; and with cheap hydroelectrical power since the first of the century there were no better location to built the factory.
Interesting is also that ovens for calcium carbide can be easly used for alloys production.
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