This book analyzes the wrapping and packaging machinery sector in the Emilia/Bologna district in Italy and compares the most recent trends with those in the industry in Schwabisch Hall and Waiblingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, which represents a direct rival. In a detailed and original study, the authors trace the evolution of manufacturing in Bologna during a period that witnessed extraordinary growth in automatic wrapping and packaging machines, leading the sector to become a central pillar of Italian mechanical engineering. Similarly, the history of the industry in the Emilia district is...