|
Among
the specialist sectors of the Modenese economy, the bio-engineering
industrial pole represents a special field with unique characteristics
in the Italian districts. Companies are especially located in
8 communes in the Mirandola area, and they are involved in a strongly
innovative type of production, compared to the area's traditional
 "made
in Italy" sectors. In fact, the Modenese bio-engineering
pole is only overshadowed by those of Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
The creation of the bio-engineering sector in Modena traces back
to the first half of the 1960s, when the chemist Mario Veronesi
and his friend, accountant Carlo Gasparini, asked a small mechanical
factory for a supply of infusion tubing with drip adjusters, connectors,
and other special elements for single-use drips, with the aim
of replacing the old rubber tubes, which had to be sterilized
before the use, with new re-usable ones.
The result of this partnership was the introduction and the diffusion
in Italy, for the first time, of disposable sterile products in
the healthcare field. The cooperation between the first Modenese
bio-engineering company (Miraset), and the mechanical company
didn't come to a halt with the development of new products for
drips. In the middle of the 60s, thanks to the help of some experts
from Padova, the first Italian artificial kidney was created.
The full-scale production of the new product was organized alongside
the creation of a new company: Dasco, which led to the development
of the entire bio-engineering sector in the province.
Today, most production is carried out by about ten big leading
companies that are connected with multinationals or big Italian
groups. This feature is determined by the financial problems that
companies have to face, due to delays in payments from their principal
customer: the Governmental Department of Health.
However, there is no shortage of businesses in the area that have
developed over the years, and that have become stronger through
joint-venture with big partners, at the same time managing to
avoid takeover. Besides these companies, the sector is also composed
of small businesses that manufacture highly-sophisticated products
on
request, with the trade mark of big groups, which generally tend
towards a decentralising of production, unlike the aforementioned.
Generally speaking the leading companies producing directly for
the marketplace amount to about 30; there are in addition other
50 small businesses that mostly work on request: they cut, print
and assemble plastic devices.
The products manufactured in this complex system are largely instruments
and accessories for heart surgery, haemodialysis and the treatment
of other medical pathologies, besides the plastic disposable accessories
produced for dialysis and other medical uses.
In the bio-engineering district there are about 100 companies with
a total of about 4.200 employees. The turnover is more than 719
million Euros, with exports representing about 50% of this sum.
The main export areas are the European Union and North America,
accounting for 56% and 17,4% respectively.
|
