Plastic Components and Modules Automotive S.p.A.

PCMA S.p.A. (Plastic Components & Modules Automotive) is an Italian automotive supplier that produces complex moulded and injected plastic components for the car industry. Its origins lie in ERGOM Materie Plastiche S.p.A., founded in 1972 by the Calabrian industrialist Francesco Cimminelli at Borgaro Torinese near Turin. From the early 1980s ERGOM produced moulded components for the automotive industry — fuel tanks, tank-to-body connectors, dashboards, bumpers, interior trim panels and pedal covers — with Fiat as its first and largest customer thanks to geographical proximity. Through acquisitions (COMIND Sud from the Agnelli family, and Sirio Sud, Compla Sud, Compla Sint and Faima from Mario Maione) the group expanded to plants at Melfi, Marcianise, Chivasso, Paliano, Atessa and Termini Imerese, becoming one of Europe's largest specialists in its field. After changing its name to Automotive System S.p.A. and merging with ERGOM Materie Plastiche, the new ERGOM Automotive S.p.A. followed Fiat's global plants into Argentina, Brazil, Poland, Turkey, France and India. The new millennium brought crisis: Fiat Auto, ERGOM's main customer, lost market share after its alliance with General Motors, and the Cimminelli family's ownership of Torino Football Club blocked fresh capital injections under Italian law. In 2007 a multi-day strike at the Naples-area plants halted production and disrupted Fiat's Pomigliano d'Arco and Termini Imerese assembly lines, requiring intervention by Industry Minister Pier Luigi Bersani. ERGOM had to compensate customers for damages, its chairman resigned in August 2007, and on 6 December 2007 Fiat Group announced the acquisition of ERGOM and its integration into Magneti Marelli, its automotive components subsidiary. The transaction value was not disclosed but was reportedly symbolic given the €100 million indemnity owed by ERGOM to its main customer. Fiat committed to restructuring ERGOM's finances and investing to restore competitiveness and win business from other carmakers; Fiat Auto represented 65–70% of ERGOM's activity in 2007. Production from the Naples and Marcianise plants was transferred to a new plant at nearby Pomigliano d'Arco that entered service on 2 March 2008. As PCMA, the company operates 16 production sites across three continents — Europe (Italy and Poland), Asia (Turkey) and the Americas — supplying moulded plastic parts using a wide range of technical polymers including ABS, polypropylene, PA 6/66/12, POM, polyethylene, PMMA, polycarbonates, PPA, SBS/SEBS thermoplastic rubbers, polyurethanes, PET, PC/ABS, PBT and Arnite, with glass-fibre or mineral fillers. Since the 2021 merger of Fiat and PSA, PCMA has been part of Stellantis.

The company's history begins in 1972, when ERGOM Materie Plastiche S.p.A. was founded by the Calabrian industrialist Francesco Cimminelli (1936–2012) at Borgaro Torinese, near Turin, for the production of plastic components. From the early 1980s the company produced its first moulded components for the automotive industry, as finished or semi-finished products such as fuel tanks, tank-to-body connectors, dashboards, bumpers, interior trim panels and pedal covers. Fiat became its first customer thanks to geographical proximity, which allowed ERGOM to buy COMIND Sud and its Naples and Pomigliano d'Arco plants from the Agnelli family; the agreement covered the production of car dashboards, bumpers and fuel tanks. ERGOM S.p.A. continued to grow by acquiring Sirio Sud, Compla Sud S.p.A., Compla Sint and Faima from the Neapolitan industrialist Mario Maione, together with their production sites at Melfi, Marcianise, Chivasso, Paliano, Atessa and Termini Imerese. Following these acquisitions ERGOM's turnover grew strongly and the company became one of the most important players in Europe in its speciality. The company, now a powerful industrial group, changed its name to Automotive System S.p.A. Expansion continued and Automotive System, after further acquisitions, merged with ERGOM Materie Plastiche S.p.A. to create the new group ERGOM Automotive S.p.A. This new stage marked strong growth in foreign markets linked to the presence of Fiat group plants worldwide. ERGOM became one of the world leaders in its speciality with operations in Argentina, Brazil, Poland, Turkey, France and India. After the exponential growth of the last decade of the 20th century, a more critical period opened with the new millennium, when the group had to react to the rapid fall in demand from Fiat Auto, its main customer, which had lost freedom of action after its alliance with the American General Motors and saw its market share decline. The Cimminelli family watched helplessly as its football team, Torino Football Club 1906, acquired in 2000, went bankrupt, which under Italian law prevented any injection of fresh capital into the ERGOM group. In 2007 the trade unions at the plants in the Naples area, where most of the group's Italian employees were concentrated, began a strike lasting several days that blocked all production, inevitably interrupting car assembly at its customers, notably the Fiat group at its Pomigliano d'Arco plant, where Alfa Romeos were produced, and Termini Imerese, where the Lancia Ypsilon was produced. The Italian state had to intervene through Industry Minister Pier Luigi Bersani to find a compromise. Although asked, Fiat Auto did not intervene directly in the negotiation other than to confirm commitments made between the two groups on the level of current and future orders. Following this major conflict, in which ERGOM Holding S.p.A. had to compensate its customers for damages suffered, in August 2007 the chairman of ERGOM resigned. The response of Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of the Fiat group, was immediate and resulted in the acquisition of ERGOM. On 6 December 2007 Fiat Group officially announced the acquisition of ERGOM and its integration into Magneti Marelli, its automotive components subsidiary. The amount of the transaction is not known but was reportedly symbolic given that the indemnity owed by ERGOM to its main customer was €100 million. Fiat's decision to take over ERGOM showed the strategic importance the company attached to car manufacturing and its commitment to this activity. The acquisition was subject to authorisation by the Italian and European antitrust authorities, which raised no particular objection. Through Magneti Marelli, Fiat committed to cleaning up ERGOM's finances with significant productive investments to relaunch its competitiveness and give it new outlets with other major carmakers, with Fiat Auto representing 65–70% of its activity in 2007. Production from the Naples and Marcianise plants was transferred to the neighbouring site of Pomigliano d'Arco, where a new plant entered service on 2 March 2008. The PCMA group has 16 production sites across three continents: Europe (Italy and Poland), Asia (Turkey) and the Americas. Since the 2021 merger of the Fiat and PSA groups, PCMA has been part of Stellantis.

• 2021

  Following the Fiat–PSA merger, PCMA becomes part of Stellantis.

• 2008

  2 March: new plant at Pomigliano d'Arco enters service, receiving production from Naples and Marcianise.

• 2007

  Multi-day strike at Naples-area plants; ERGOM chairman resigns in August.

• 2007

  6 December: Fiat Group announces acquisition of ERGOM and integration into Magneti Marelli.

• 2000

  Cimminelli family acquires Torino Football Club 1906.

• 1980

  Early 1980s: first moulded automotive components produced (fuel tanks, dashboards, bumpers, interior trim).

• 1972

  ERGOM Materie Plastiche S.p.A. founded by Francesco Cimminelli at Borgaro Torinese near Turin.

• Acquisition of COMIND Sud and its Naples and Pomigliano d'Arco plants from the Agnelli family.

• Acquisition of Sirio Sud, Compla Sud, Compla Sint and Faima from Mario Maione, adding plants at Melfi, Marcianise, Chivasso, Paliano, Atessa and Termini Imerese.

• Name changed to Automotive System S.p.A.; later merged with ERGOM Materie Plastiche to form ERGOM Automotive S.p.A.

Specialist supplier of complex moulded and injected plastic components for the automotive industry, integrated into a major OEM group.

• Fuel tanks

• Dashboards

• Bumpers

• Interior trim panels

• Pedal covers

• Tank-to-body connectors

• 2020-12-08

  PCMA acquires CEMA[3]PCMA收购CEMAc-mw.net

  Reported: 2020-12-08

  PCMA acquired the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), which became a wholly owned division. The article reports that members of CEMA voted overwhelmingly in favor of the acquisition.

1. 1Plastic Components and Modules Automotive – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Ergom Automotive – Wikipédia (fr)fr.wikipedia.org
3. 3PCMA收购CEMAc-mw.net