In 1928, in Milan, engineer Carlo Ausenda established the Compagnia Italiana Forme Acciaio (CIFA) to design precision steel formwork for the monumental hydroelectric dams and alpine railway tunnels that electrified interwar Italy. Expanding into truck mixers and pioneering the world's first integrated mixer-pump (the Magnum betonpompa) in the 1970s, CIFA permanently revolutionized concrete technology and large-scale infrastructure construction worldwide.
The Alpine Dams and Tunnels: Carlo Ausenda's Steel Formwork (1928–1940s)
In the late 1920s, Italy underwent an immense civil engineering renaissance focused on hydraulic power. In the Alpine valleys, massive curved arch dams and subterranean penstocks required precision formwork capable of withstanding immense hydrostatic pressures. On July 7, 1928, engineer Carlo Ausenda founded CIFA in Milan, pioneering modular steel shuttering and mechanized concrete placing systems.
CIFA’s steel forms shaped the monumental dam faces of the central Alps and the Apennine railway tunnels, establishing an international benchmark for structural safety, dimensional accuracy, and rapid concrete curing.
The Invention of the Betonpompa: Mechanizing Modern Skylines
In the postwar reconstruction boom, CIFA developed Italy’s first heavy-duty truck mixers and pneumatic batching plants. In 1974, CIFA achieved a world engineering milestone with the invention of the Magnum: the world’s very first integrated truck mixer-pump (betonpompa), combining concrete transport and high-reach hydraulic placement into a single mobile machine.
Now operating from its expansive manufacturing complex in Senago north of Milan, CIFA leads the global sector in carbon-fiber boom technology and hybrid electric mixer systems, celebrating approaching centenary honors as a colossus of Italian heavy engineering.
Gli alti forni, le grandi opere e la fusione meccanica
Immagini d'archivio storico dell'Istituto Luce che testimoniano i grandi cantieri d'ingegneria civile, la produzione metallurgica e la costruzione delle infrastrutture. (Fonte: Archivio Storico Istituto Luce Cinecittà)
Interactive 360° Street View: CIFA Global Headquarters & Concrete Machinery Plant
Historical Location: Via De Gasperi 28, 20030 Senago (MI), Italy (Coordinates: 45.578, 9.124)
