It's crazy to see all the papers on desks. Like workers did have an emergency evacuation & never came back. I also see a lot of stuff that could have been sold in auctions for a few bucks instead of being left to rot or be stolen.
I'm from Italy and I remember when on the news they kept on talking about the closure of this factory and how a lot of employees where going to lost their jobs. I remember they protested for days or weeks. It was very sad knowing each one of them had to provide for their families and without their job they would struggle a lot. It's a little sad history of Italy someone would never forget. Hope all those employees did well in the end
For all too many this video hits home to so many who have lost their job due to plant closure. I have once been part of that. After a lifetime of work, every factory in which I worked suffered the same except one and it's days are most likely numbered. Sadly, this is how things are today.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
I worked there myself as a young engineer from northern Milano for six weeks in the spring 1984! Nice memories a lovely environment and hard working people. It really makes you wonder why it had to end like this..
Great video and filmed with care, dedication and respect. Love your work. I visited the old FIAT factory just outside Turin and it has been kindly restored and renovated.
Very interesting. On 3:44 these hanging yellow tools on either side of the assembly line were used for attaching the wheel bolts. They can tighten all the screws on a wheel at the same time.
Fiat bought Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep after Cerberus and Mercedes unloaded it. Then Fiat sold everything to Stellantis. One day people will be looking at the abandoned factories and tooling where Jeeps and Ram trucks used to be made wondering the same thing.
In 2011, the year of the factory's closure, I had the chance to visit a Mercedes Benz factory in Stuttgart. It was on a completely different level of technology. Add the remote location in a town, that other than that runs on fishery and tourism. This was a government project to bring wealth by planned economy, but in a competetive setting it was just not viable. Very sad to see it dormant, anyways...
I had a 1968 Fiat 800 in the seventies and early eighties. I loved that car. It used to run hot alot though. Had to replace the aluminum cylinder head a few times.
Crazy how nobody thinks about scrapping and recycling those colossal amounts of metric tons of steel, aluminum and other materials Just the yellow brackets - the full line featuring them extends for 1,2 km - are probably around 4000 tons of high grade steel...
It was the car factory with less recalls in Europe. Thansk European Union. Now we have to buy German and Spanish cars and the Agnelli family left the country with our money.
The EU didn't tell Italy to become the hotspot of corruption and mafia, which is what in the end destroyed this factory. Or do you actually think Blutec's 60-million fraud was mandated by Brussels? And NO, you don't have to buy German nor Spanish cars, there's plenty of makes to choose from.
Very interesting. I used to know a director of Fiat who worked in Baker Street in London during that time. He used to drive his X19 up there every day. That's a long way from Sicily though.
Such a shame to see places with a history like this go. Good thing you didnt get caught, my hands were all sweaty when u were hiding. Those loud bangs were eerie.
It's funny for me how you've done two videos on abandoned factories in cars owned in my family. First the ex Pininfarina factory, which I owned a Brera produced there. Then this factory where the last Fiat 500's were produced, my dad currently owns a '75 500R which I'm guessing would've been produced there. Love these videos!
It's always crazy that these factories can just abandon everything without the responsibility to clean up. I mean this is prime real estate next to the ocean.
The only reason Fiat would leave the factory with so much equipment is it thought it would just temporarily mothball it. Little did they know it would be the end of it. So it only been dis-used since 2011. Still very rare for something like this not already been badly vandalized.
I like the Hot Wheels style garage car ramp at the front. I was expecting to see a winch operated car lift and foam hair roller car wash, lol. Great video as always fellas.
Yeah that spiral ramp sticks out, but where does it go? It seems to just end on the roof and have no real purpose other than to look good. Maybe Fiat wanted some " Lingotto" style in there :)
I worked for a company 28 years and they closed down all the production you know it's a really eerie feeling when you walk through and everything is quiet
1:44 Parts of it look still in use. The desk still has stationary on it and a pair of rubber gloves. I find it hard to believe, it was abandoned like that. There’s also no dust,on the table tops.
This is one of the larger examples of what happened to thousands of factories and businesses in Sicily and Calabria. Certain “organizations” beginning with M on the island and ‘N on the southern mainland became so greedy in their endeavour that in time it became unsustainable to keep going while being coerced into “paying for security”.
Incredible video! I'm not sure but I think my 1972 Fiat 500L might have been made in this factory! I would have loved to look around the place, thank you for having the bravery to make this video.
@@vincenzodeluca2395 I have a list of chassis numbers that were built there and mine is within that list. So if that is wrong then I don't know which factory mine was built in.
Muito triste ver um império desse aí parado ocioso,meu primeiro emprego foi na Fiat automóveis,betim mg tive orgulho de trabalhar lá quase 10anos,melhor empresa que eu trabalhei na minha vida,eu admiro esse logo marca Fiat, se Deus quiser quem sabe um dia essa unidade volta a gerar empregos e sonhos
3:47 here we see a tool that tightens the wheel bolts (or nuts)… you are right about the cars being nearly completed here… Good Vid!! Thumb+Subscription. Greetings from the Netherlands, Henk.
As a german I always have to smile when " massive" car factories are shown :) Nice time capsule, iam suprised how many machines are still left behind, maybe they where waiting for another product that never came. Unfortunately with the current switch to EV´s some smaller Car assembly factories in europe will close down as everyone of them fight for funding and new models...
It certainly looks like the idea with this factory seems to have been to temporarily close it and maybe retool it for a different model car or maybe even to sell the complete factory. But it obviously wasn't ever reopened. Leaving pretty much a complete assembly line intact doesn't make much sense otherwise.
@tjroelsma The location was geographically and logistically remote. The whole area can now be re-imagined and repurposed, bringing new vibrant opportunities.
@lenny108 In accountancy terms, Specialized Infrastructure is termed as being a "sunk cost". It is costed out, apportioned, and recovered over the entirety of the product life cycle.
So the plant is located here: 37.97043331958398, 13.757084650950118 Looking at it from above, we can see that the Paint shop is in the lower right hand corner and takes up about 30% - 35% of the total plant. Which says to me that it was a small plant, and constrained by its neighbors (preventing it from growing any larger). Which explains why sludge and the RTO (incinerator) were located insanely far from Paint. Sad, but they really didn't have a choice. So was the spiral ramp under the Blutec sign used for foot traffic? Apparently so. You can see the alternate stair access to the roof @2:59 @0:38 fixturing to hold the engines as they are built. Looks like there are coolant lines above for aiding in the cutting process. Fixtures appear to be designed to keep the coolant from dripping on the floor. Looks like Powertrain to me. @0:42 a "Bingo Board" for fault display and tracking progress. That's the large blue screen hanging above the floor. Looks like more of Powertrain ("PT"). @0:44 looks like "Dispatch". Looks like rather than just monitoring the process and calling out faults to Maintenance, they control it from here. Or possibly not the Fiat plant. @1:03 looks like Sludge / water treatment in the foreground. That's an example of an area that you want to stay away from. Never mind, you went in there. :) @1:24 the water from Paint got sent here where it would be treated to separate the paint molecules/fragments from the sludge water. The "paint putty" is then squeegeed to get as much water out as possible and then it is collected and shipped to a solid waste facility. One of the nastier places in a car plant. @1:31 where the chemicals got added to the sludge. The chemicals in this area (oxidizers mainly, but there are acids as well) have been known to blow up. @3:45 you see the backside of a "Wheel Multiple". It runs down the nuts of the wheels and torques them to spec. So the area that you were in was GA, or "General Assembly". @5:09 looks like engine assembly in "Powertrain". @5:56 the flattop conveyor in "Final", part of GA, and the last stop before the car exits the factory. @7:25 Dynamic Vehicle Test, or "DVT". Also in Final. @8:17 Twin strand conveyor in the foreground, and those tilting carriers that we saw earlier. If you have sharp eyes, you will see that the yellow tilt carriers are individually powered and driven with what we call "Electrified Monorail". So this probably puts this at the exit of Paint, and the beginning of GA (because it is transitioning the job from the twin strand to "Overhead Conveyor"). @8:32 possibly positioners to hold the job while it gets transferred to the tilt carriers. @8:39 just normal car plant noises. You didn't think that they left the lights on just for you, did you? :) Looks like a late '90s to early '00s level of technology, but I would have to see the inside of a panel to tell for sure. Sad to see it get demolished, and you may not realize it, but in Powertrain, Paint, & Stamping (at least) there are basement floors to be explored. Paint would also have several floors above the main floor. Just keep in mind that ventilation is crucial, and probably not working. Pits are particularly dangerous since many of the noxious fumes are heavier than air and you might find yourself at the bottom of a pit with no oxygen.
That spiral ramp is so confusing both for foot traffic or cars as regardless of use, it really goes nowhere. All I can think of is that perhaps they drove the latest models they were making up to the edge of the roof for viewing like some car dealerships do? Love to get a definitive answer if anyone knows?
Doet toch zeer, zo een rijke geschiedenis van automobielproductie te zien verdwijnen. Het mocht toen al massaproductie geweest zijn, er zat toch een unieke sfeer in die Italiaanse fabrieken die tot in de eindproducten leefden .... jammer, komt niooit meer terug 😭😭😭
Kort bij huis VDL Nedcar in Born dat zelfs groter is dan deze ex Fiat fabriek gaat ook voor 75% dicht in 2024 Alleen de pershal en een groot magazijn/laaddok blijft operationeel om plaat delen te maken voor diverse auto fabrikanten in Europa.
That was a very interessant Video. Fortunately, there was still a lot to see in the Factory and a lot of information in the Video about the Company. 👍🏻
I visited this factory when was active with “Fiat Punto” in the 1998 during my militar service in Italy. It’s a pity to see this huge industrial plan in this condition but mass production is leaving from our western countries and we must accept it.
Shame that the building couldn't be re used . I don't know anything about what happened here . Poor people who lost their jobs because of some greedy people.
126 was never produced in Termini Imerese, it began production in Cassino (south of Rome) before moving to Bielsko Biala in Poland, 500 was produced in Termini until the end of the seventies when they reverted to the production of the Panda 😀
Fiat 126 Assembly : Cassino, Italy Termini Imerese, Italy Tychy, Poland (Polski Fiat) Kragujevac, Yugoslavia (Zastava) Graz, Austria (Steyr Puch) The Fiat 126 was produced until 1979 at Fiat's factories in Cassino and Termini Imerese - with a total production of 1.352.912 in Italy. The Fiat 126 was also manufactured under license by Zastava in Yugoslavia. In Austria it was briefly assembled by Steyr Puch as the successor to the successful Puch 500, with assembly until 1975 - and production of 2069 units. Most 126s were produced in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, as the Polski Fiat 126p, where production continued until 2000. In many markets Fiat discontinued sales of the 126 in 1993 in favor of their new Cinquecento with its front engine. With a length of 3,05 meters, the total production of the 126 reached almost 4,7 million units. In Poland, the car became a cultural icon and was nicknamed Maluch, meaning “the little one” or “toddler,” which eventually became an official model name in 1997 when it appeared on the back of the car.
The FIAT 126 was produced in Termini Imerese !!!!!!! Fiat 500 - 1970-1975 = 207,988 units produced Fiat 126-1975-1979 = approximately 200,000 units!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fiat Panda - 1980-1992 = approximately 2,300,000 units Fiat Punto - 1993-1999 = approximately 900,000 units Fiat Punto II - 1999-2005 = approximately 350,000 units Lancia Ypsilon - 2005-2011 = 374,722 units
Fantastic video and a valuable historic record of Italy & Fiat’s industrial heritage, well done👍 . Can’t find a comment someone made about the factory origin and the Agnelli family leaving Italy with loads of money. What’s that all about? 😢🤷♂️
It's Sicily and you are in an abandoned place, in the middle of nowhere , at your place I wouldn't be afraid of be running by security guards , but of people who are much less willing to let you leave alive, because you arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time, it's the biggest risk on this damn shi**y island.
That spiral ramp is so confusing both for foot traffic or cars as regardless of use, it really goes nowhere. All I can think of is that perhaps they drove the latest models they were making up to the edge of the roof for viewing like some car dealerships do? Love to get a definitive answer if anyone knows?
The same as in Poland after 1990. Destroyed, ruined Polish car factories: Passenger Car Factory in Żerań in Warsaw, Commercial Vehicle Factory in Nysa, Truck Factory in Lublin. Moreover, the Agricultural Tractor Plant in Ursus near Warsaw was stolen and destroyed...
The Ursus tractor factory was in decay for 30 years, there was nothing else to do rather than converting it when Ursus was attached to Warsaw and became a district.
@@pinkbono Not true. The Ursus Tractor Factory was deliberately destroyed in order to liquidate the electromechanical industry in Poland, make Poland dependent on imports, deprive people of work in the industry, deprive them of the industrial center, vocational schools, scientific, research and social facilities. Ursus also produced Massey Ferguson tractors, which are still around and sold in Europe to this day.
@@michals547messy fergoson factories also exciting in south asian countries like india pakstan etc ... still they are operational... but now messy fergoson tractor prices are very high due to inflation rate
Such a shame and shows technology caught up with a facility that we consider to be very large but in the production of motor vehicles was considered too small. It costs millions to build a car plant with modern production facilities
I've really loved this video and subsribed to your chanel. I do wonder how many foreign languages the people speak who have complaints abouth the accent.
Looks like a good site for Beach front condo's or hotels. Bought the land and site for pennies on the dollar most likely just to be rid of the factory. All necessary utilities already there. So much of the factory tooling and machining are still usable. Theres much that could be auctioned. The scrap metals alone would fetch a fair price. There are many positives for the future. Rather than the current multi acre eye sore on the Sicilian ocean front.
The fact that they have financial police is amazing. And they actually arrest people. In America all they do is fine companies at best and less then the profit they make. So the fine just becomes the cost of doing business.
Italy has several different law enforcement agencies… The Carabinieri (a gendarmerie who are the oldest, technically they’re ran by the Ministry of Defence, they used to police more rural areas), The Polizia (the normal state police), Guardia di Finanza (Financial police, who deal with financial crimes, fraud, imports and exports, tax evasion), Polizia Provinciale (Provincial police, a regional force), Polizia Municipale (city police, who do things like traffic and car parking), Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison service), Corpo Forestale (Forestry police), I think Italy has a postal police too? There’s a joke in Italy that if you need to phone the police for something, which one of the several police do you phone?
Really appreciate your hard work, I've been in the motor industry for long time 47 plus years, I really enjoyed this, I'll be checking your video's out 😊🇦🇺🤝😎✌👍🍻🍺🍻🍺😎
@alphaomega6 "Retro" & "Nostalgia" are both powerful marketing motivators. Classic example being the BMC Austin Mini. An Icon still being produced by BMW. Though niche market could turn out unprofitable and flop.
I just checked and my classic Fiat 500L from 1972 was made in this factory! 🎉
It's crazy to see all the papers on desks. Like workers did have an emergency evacuation & never came back. I also see a lot of stuff that could have been sold in auctions for a few bucks instead of being left to rot or be stolen.
I'm from Italy and I remember when on the news they kept on talking about the closure of this factory and how a lot of employees where going to lost their jobs. I remember they protested for days or weeks. It was very sad knowing each one of them had to provide for their families and without their job they would struggle a lot. It's a little sad history of Italy someone would never forget. Hope all those employees did well in the end
For all too many this video hits home to so many who have lost their job due to plant closure. I have once been part of that. After a lifetime of work, every factory in which I worked suffered the same except one and it's days are most likely numbered. Sadly, this is how things are today.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
This is perhaps the reasoning of your left wing socialist stupid uneducated view on things. Fiat has to close it because they just didn't want to work the Sicilians!!! They could have also build the factory in the north where the Italians work very hard. But no, it was planned to bring work to Sicily. But... But... but... Your romantic workers had something else to do.
I worked there myself as a young engineer from northern Milano for six weeks in the spring 1984! Nice memories a lovely environment and hard working people. It really makes you wonder why it had to end like this..
Great video and filmed with care, dedication and respect. Love your work. I visited the old FIAT factory just outside Turin and it has been kindly restored and renovated.
Thanks man! I'm guessing the old Lingotto plant? :)
You were a very brave soul to go explore that factory. I am happy that nobody caught you.
The abandoned factory of Bugatti in Modena isnt as complete but there are period photos and the shells of the buildings are still there today.
Amazing! I have rusty old fiats and its crazy to think the rusting could have started there! Shame it's being demolished.
When, as a car, you are born directly next to the sea in all that salty air, it sets you up for a rusty future....!
Most cars from the 70s rust.
Very interesting. On 3:44 these hanging yellow tools on either side of the assembly line were used for attaching the wheel bolts. They can tighten all the screws on a wheel at the same time.
Another top-notch video about an abandoned factory. Keep up the good work!
That’s amazing so much tooling has been left behind. A dedicated group of people could probably manufacture cars again.
Fiat bought Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep after Cerberus and Mercedes unloaded it. Then Fiat sold everything to Stellantis. One day people will be looking at the abandoned factories and tooling where Jeeps and Ram trucks used to be made wondering the same thing.
In 2011, the year of the factory's closure, I had the chance to visit a Mercedes Benz factory in Stuttgart. It was on a completely different level of technology. Add the remote location in a town, that other than that runs on fishery and tourism. This was a government project to bring wealth by planned economy, but in a competetive setting it was just not viable. Very sad to see it dormant, anyways...
Well presented and researched.
I had a 1968 Fiat 800 in the seventies and early eighties. I loved that car. It used to run hot alot though. Had to replace the aluminum cylinder head a few times.
Crazy how nobody thinks about scrapping and recycling those colossal amounts of metric tons of steel, aluminum and other materials
Just the yellow brackets - the full line featuring them extends for 1,2 km - are probably around 4000 tons of high grade steel...
It was the car factory with less recalls in Europe. Thansk European Union. Now we have to buy German and Spanish cars and the Agnelli family left the country with our money.
Ja dat is de EU overal waar die zich mee bemoeien gaat naar de haaien
The EU didn't tell Italy to become the hotspot of corruption and mafia, which is what in the end destroyed this factory. Or do you actually think Blutec's 60-million fraud was mandated by Brussels? And NO, you don't have to buy German nor Spanish cars, there's plenty of makes to choose from.
That was so cool!!! Thanks for showing us this historic building!
Very interesting. I used to know a director of Fiat who worked in Baker Street in London during that time. He used to drive his X19 up there every day. That's a long way from Sicily though.
Such a shame to see places with a history like this go. Good thing you didnt get caught, my hands were all sweaty when u were hiding. Those loud bangs were eerie.
The Banging It was the Ghosts of Car Production.
It's funny for me how you've done two videos on abandoned factories in cars owned in my family. First the ex Pininfarina factory, which I owned a Brera produced there. Then this factory where the last Fiat 500's were produced, my dad currently owns a '75 500R which I'm guessing would've been produced there. Love these videos!
Thanks! Cool that you have a 500 produced from that factory!
It's always crazy that these factories can just abandon everything without the responsibility to clean up. I mean this is prime real estate next to the ocean.
Why don't they make a museum instead of demolishing.
For the same reason most things are done/not done.
Money.
Land is worth too much
Water front property
How many people a year do you think are going to visit an abandoned factory?
Crowd fund the museum?
The only reason Fiat would leave the factory with so much equipment is it thought it would just temporarily mothball it. Little did they know it would be the end of it. So it only been dis-used since 2011. Still very rare for something like this not already been badly vandalized.
I like the Hot Wheels style garage car ramp at the front. I was expecting to see a winch operated car lift and foam hair roller car wash, lol. Great video as always fellas.
Thanks!
Yeah that spiral ramp sticks out, but where does it go? It seems to just end on the roof and have no real purpose other than to look good. Maybe Fiat wanted some " Lingotto" style in there :)
@@Rockport1911 I came to the comments to find the answer to this as I agree...it goes nowhere. So odd
I worked for a company 28 years and they closed down all the production you know it's a really eerie feeling when you walk through and everything is quiet
That's near my hometown!!
1:44 Parts of it look still in use. The desk still has stationary on it and a pair of rubber gloves. I find it hard to believe, it was abandoned like that. There’s also no dust,on the table tops.
This is one of the larger examples of what happened to thousands of factories and businesses in Sicily and Calabria. Certain “organizations” beginning with M on the island and ‘N on the southern mainland became so greedy in their endeavour that in time it became unsustainable to keep going while being coerced into “paying for security”.
I can infer what M stands for but I am not sure what N stands for?
ndrangheta
Mafia. There I said it.
@@daveb9445 ah, thank you
Ndrangheta
Shhhh!
Incredible video! I'm not sure but I think my 1972 Fiat 500L might have been made in this factory! I would have loved to look around the place, thank you for having the bravery to make this video.
I do have a 1972 Fiat 500L and I discovered it was built here!
I just checked and mine was built there!@@riccardojo4627
No, only 500 R was built in Termini Imerese
@@vincenzodeluca2395 I have a list of chassis numbers that were built there and mine is within that list. So if that is wrong then I don't know which factory mine was built in.
So sad that such an enterprize is being demolished.
Thank the Euro currency. The lira was weak so Fiat's were cheap. The euro wiped out the advantage
Muito triste ver um império desse aí parado ocioso,meu primeiro emprego foi na Fiat automóveis,betim mg tive orgulho de trabalhar lá quase 10anos,melhor empresa que eu trabalhei na minha vida,eu admiro esse logo marca Fiat, se Deus quiser quem sabe um dia essa unidade volta a gerar empregos e sonhos
Esquece. Estes países estão mandando suas fabricas todas pro leste europeu e pra China. Lamentável.
3:47 here we see a tool that tightens the wheel bolts (or nuts)… you are right about the cars being nearly completed here…
Good Vid!!
Thumb+Subscription.
Greetings from the Netherlands, Henk.
Dankjewel Henk!
@@ForgottenBuildings You’re welcome!!!!
Absolutely amazing, great video!
Thanks!
Very interesting, thank you
As a german I always have to smile when " massive" car factories are shown :) Nice time capsule, iam suprised how many machines are still left behind, maybe they where waiting for another product that never came. Unfortunately with the current switch to EV´s some smaller Car assembly factories in europe will close down as everyone of them fight for funding and new models...
We’ll see how massive they are vs the ones being built in China 🇨🇳 🙃
What does a German smile look like?
It certainly looks like the idea with this factory seems to have been to temporarily close it and maybe retool it for a different model car or maybe even to sell the complete factory. But it obviously wasn't ever reopened. Leaving pretty much a complete assembly line intact doesn't make much sense otherwise.
Scammers funneled €60M out under the pretense of producing electric cars in this factory.
@tjroelsma
The location was geographically and logistically remote.
The whole area can now be re-imagined and repurposed, bringing new vibrant opportunities.
Wow. What an incredible place.
I have passed this factory many of times driving down to Cefalu i even know people who have worked there
Wow what a gem!!
Wow, what a great video! So sad that the factory will be pulled down. An amazing history soon to be turned to dust 😢
It shows how car manufacturers are rich. They leave behind equipment worth millions. And start new factories from scratch with new equipment.
@lenny108
In accountancy terms, Specialized Infrastructure is termed as being a "sunk cost".
It is costed out, apportioned, and recovered over the entirety of the product life cycle.
Very interesting video. Keep it up!
Thanks man!
Great video! Even i live in Sicily i didn't know this factory
Spero tu sia molto giovane 🙈
Excellent video.
Very interesting. Good job!
Thanks!
Somebody ought to able to make use of that facility for something.
Wow… what a fantastic look inside the plant. Thanks. Per (DK)
I had a fiat brava 131 4 door. Rented one in Puerto Rico. Liked the look and handling so i bought one
This car production line should be utilised as it provides many people a source of living
Thank you for sharing...I love videos like this. Keep up the good work.
Just lovely thanks regards Andre Netherlands
Amazing Video 👍👍👍
Thanks man!
So the plant is located here: 37.97043331958398, 13.757084650950118
Looking at it from above, we can see that the Paint shop is in the lower right hand corner and takes up about 30% - 35% of the total plant. Which says to me that it was a small plant, and constrained by its neighbors (preventing it from growing any larger). Which explains why sludge and the RTO (incinerator) were located insanely far from Paint. Sad, but they really didn't have a choice.
So was the spiral ramp under the Blutec sign used for foot traffic? Apparently so. You can see the alternate stair access to the roof @2:59
@0:38 fixturing to hold the engines as they are built. Looks like there are coolant lines above for aiding in the cutting process. Fixtures appear to be designed to keep the coolant from dripping on the floor. Looks like Powertrain to me.
@0:42 a "Bingo Board" for fault display and tracking progress. That's the large blue screen hanging above the floor. Looks like more of Powertrain ("PT").
@0:44 looks like "Dispatch". Looks like rather than just monitoring the process and calling out faults to Maintenance, they control it from here. Or possibly not the Fiat plant.
@1:03 looks like Sludge / water treatment in the foreground. That's an example of an area that you want to stay away from. Never mind, you went in there. :)
@1:24 the water from Paint got sent here where it would be treated to separate the paint molecules/fragments from the sludge water. The "paint putty" is then squeegeed to get as much water out as possible and then it is collected and shipped to a solid waste facility. One of the nastier places in a car plant.
@1:31 where the chemicals got added to the sludge. The chemicals in this area (oxidizers mainly, but there are acids as well) have been known to blow up.
@3:45 you see the backside of a "Wheel Multiple". It runs down the nuts of the wheels and torques them to spec. So the area that you were in was GA, or "General Assembly".
@5:09 looks like engine assembly in "Powertrain".
@5:56 the flattop conveyor in "Final", part of GA, and the last stop before the car exits the factory.
@7:25 Dynamic Vehicle Test, or "DVT". Also in Final.
@8:17 Twin strand conveyor in the foreground, and those tilting carriers that we saw earlier. If you have sharp eyes, you will see that the yellow tilt carriers are individually powered and driven with what we call "Electrified Monorail". So this probably puts this at the exit of Paint, and the beginning of GA (because it is transitioning the job from the twin strand to "Overhead Conveyor").
@8:32 possibly positioners to hold the job while it gets transferred to the tilt carriers.
@8:39 just normal car plant noises. You didn't think that they left the lights on just for you, did you? :)
Looks like a late '90s to early '00s level of technology, but I would have to see the inside of a panel to tell for sure. Sad to see it get demolished, and you may not realize it, but in Powertrain, Paint, & Stamping (at least) there are basement floors to be explored. Paint would also have several floors above the main floor.
Just keep in mind that ventilation is crucial, and probably not working. Pits are particularly dangerous since many of the noxious fumes are heavier than air and you might find yourself at the bottom of a pit with no oxygen.
That spiral ramp is so confusing both for foot traffic or cars as regardless of use, it really goes nowhere. All I can think of is that perhaps they drove the latest models they were making up to the edge of the roof for viewing like some car dealerships do? Love to get a definitive answer if anyone knows?
Doet toch zeer, zo een rijke geschiedenis van automobielproductie te zien verdwijnen. Het mocht toen al massaproductie geweest zijn, er zat toch een unieke sfeer in die Italiaanse fabrieken die tot in de eindproducten leefden .... jammer, komt niooit meer terug 😭😭😭
Kort bij huis VDL Nedcar in Born dat zelfs groter is dan deze ex Fiat fabriek gaat ook voor 75% dicht in 2024
Alleen de pershal en een groot magazijn/laaddok blijft operationeel om plaat delen te maken voor diverse auto fabrikanten in Europa.
That was a very interessant Video. Fortunately, there was still a lot to see in the Factory and a lot of information in the Video about the Company. 👍🏻
Great video! I am gear head and have had two Cinquecento. A '72 and a '74 as well as a '83 Panda.
Thanks, great cars you had in the past!
Great video over a nice place. I like the new intro.
Thanks, glad to hear!
Amazing place and vídeo!!!!
Very sad is this get demolished.
Thanks man!
Wow thanks for your efforts, it was a nice tour, glad you didn’t get caught
Well done, Braveheart 👍🏻
Very good and fitting sound track!
Thanks man!
That was very interesting thanks for uploading
top video, thanks
I visited this factory when was active with “Fiat Punto” in the 1998 during my militar service in Italy. It’s a pity to see this huge industrial plan in this condition but mass production is leaving from our western countries and we must accept it.
Que vídeo sensacional! Se você viesse ao Brasil, o que você mais veria são fábricas abandonadas...
Obrigado, está lindo!
First YT content that had me on the edge of my seat. I have subscribed, and look forward to future content. Glad you escaped. Stay safe! 31 01 2024 UK
Thanks man, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Shame that the building couldn't be re used . I don't know anything about what happened here . Poor people who lost their jobs because of some greedy people.
126 was never produced in Termini Imerese, it began production in Cassino (south of Rome) before moving to Bielsko Biala in Poland, 500 was produced in Termini until the end of the seventies when they reverted to the production of the Panda 😀
Fiat 126 Assembly :
Cassino, Italy
Termini Imerese, Italy
Tychy, Poland (Polski Fiat)
Kragujevac, Yugoslavia (Zastava)
Graz, Austria (Steyr Puch)
The Fiat 126 was produced until 1979 at Fiat's factories in Cassino and Termini Imerese - with a total production of 1.352.912 in Italy. The Fiat 126 was also manufactured under license by Zastava in Yugoslavia. In Austria it was briefly assembled by Steyr Puch as the successor to the successful Puch 500, with assembly until 1975 - and production of 2069 units.
Most 126s were produced in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, as the Polski Fiat 126p, where production continued until 2000. In many markets Fiat discontinued sales of the 126 in 1993 in favor of their new Cinquecento with its front engine. With a length of 3,05 meters, the total production of the 126 reached almost 4,7 million units. In Poland, the car became a cultural icon and was nicknamed Maluch, meaning “the little one” or “toddler,” which eventually became an official model name in 1997 when it appeared on the back of the car.
The FIAT 126 was produced in Termini Imerese !!!!!!!
Fiat 500 - 1970-1975 = 207,988 units produced
Fiat 126-1975-1979 = approximately 200,000 units!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fiat Panda - 1980-1992 = approximately 2,300,000 units
Fiat Punto - 1993-1999 = approximately 900,000 units
Fiat Punto II - 1999-2005 = approximately 350,000 units
Lancia Ypsilon - 2005-2011 = 374,722 units
Fantastic video and a valuable historic record of Italy & Fiat’s industrial heritage, well done👍 . Can’t find a comment someone made about the factory origin and the Agnelli family leaving Italy with loads of money. What’s that all about? 😢🤷♂️
It would be neat to have the three assembly lines of the main cars assembled there. Each model car have stages of the car being built as a museum.
It's Sicily and you are in an abandoned place, in the middle of nowhere , at your place I wouldn't be afraid of be running by security guards , but of people who are much less willing to let you leave alive, because you arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time, it's the biggest risk on this damn shi**y island.
Awesome video
Cool and interesting video. I also loved the pronounciation of certain words: „fraudschderschs“ 😂
Wow amazing. It's a pity that you couldn't film more
There was no filming. He is using electronic cameras recording on memory media. Thus he is not filming.
That spiral ramp is so confusing both for foot traffic or cars as regardless of use, it really goes nowhere. All I can think of is that perhaps they drove the latest models they were making up to the edge of the roof for viewing like some car dealerships do? Love to get a definitive answer if anyone knows?
nice vid again! :)
Thanks!
"abandonned" ? is it a screen lighted at 0:41 ?
The same as in Poland after 1990. Destroyed, ruined Polish car factories: Passenger Car Factory in Żerań in Warsaw, Commercial Vehicle Factory in Nysa, Truck Factory in Lublin. Moreover, the Agricultural Tractor Plant in Ursus near Warsaw was stolen and destroyed...
The Ursus tractor factory was in decay for 30 years, there was nothing else to do rather than converting it when Ursus was attached to Warsaw and became a district.
@@pinkbono Not true. The Ursus Tractor Factory was deliberately destroyed in order to liquidate the electromechanical industry in Poland, make Poland dependent on imports, deprive people of work in the industry, deprive them of the industrial center, vocational schools, scientific, research and social facilities. Ursus also produced Massey Ferguson tractors, which are still around and sold in Europe to this day.
@@michals547messy fergoson factories also exciting in south asian countries like india pakstan etc ... still they are operational... but now messy fergoson tractor prices are very high due to inflation rate
That's Capitalism my friend, Western "Democracy".
Such a shame and shows technology caught up with a facility that we consider to be very large but in the production of motor vehicles was considered too small. It costs millions to build a car plant with modern production facilities
I've really loved this video and subsribed to your chanel. I do wonder how many foreign languages the people speak who have complaints abouth the accent.
Looks like a good site for Beach front condo's or hotels. Bought the land and site for pennies on the dollar most likely just to be rid of the factory. All necessary utilities already there. So much of the factory tooling and machining are still usable. Theres much that could be auctioned. The scrap metals alone would fetch a fair price.
There are many positives for the future. Rather than the current multi acre eye sore on the Sicilian ocean front.
@jonbutcher9805
Agreed.
Good analytical progressive thinking.
I am almost sure there was a movie scene filmed outside this building. Am I mistaken, or does anyone know what movie?
The Classic 500 should return to production as an EV, in this factory.
The fact that they have financial police is amazing. And they actually arrest people. In America all they do is fine companies at best and less then the profit they make. So the fine just becomes the cost of doing business.
Italy has several different law enforcement agencies… The Carabinieri (a gendarmerie who are the oldest, technically they’re ran by the Ministry of Defence, they used to police more rural areas), The Polizia (the normal state police), Guardia di Finanza (Financial police, who deal with financial crimes, fraud, imports and exports, tax evasion), Polizia Provinciale (Provincial police, a regional force), Polizia Municipale (city police, who do things like traffic and car parking), Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison service), Corpo Forestale (Forestry police), I think Italy has a postal police too?
There’s a joke in Italy that if you need to phone the police for something, which one of the several police do you phone?
heel mooi,denk dat ze niet zo flauw zijn als ze je daar pakken...
wow that is sad and tragic
Fraud in Sicily…who would have thought! 😏
Fraud in Italy who would have thought 😂
My Family owns a Classic Fiat 500R from 1971, who knows, maybe it was also assembled in this factory.
Cool video..
Really appreciate your hard work, I've been in the motor industry for long time 47 plus years, I really enjoyed this, I'll be checking your video's out 😊🇦🇺🤝😎✌👍🍻🍺🍻🍺😎
Should start reproducing the old fiat 500 and sell it. I’m sure there would be a lot of people interested.
@alphaomega6
"Retro" & "Nostalgia" are both powerful marketing motivators. Classic example being the BMC Austin Mini. An Icon still being produced by BMW.
Though niche market could turn out unprofitable and flop.
Very interesting.....well done.Its a shame it cant be put back in producing something !!.
These Fiats are now produced in
Poland by cheap polish workers, that Work for a few Zloty even at Weekends. Built cheap - sold expensive.
Watching these videos of abandoned factories, just goes to remind us of just how wasteful we humans ( particularly us westerners) really are !.
Very interesting....
its so abandoned that you had to sneak in , and hide from who evers guarding it ,,,
production facilities like this are kept frozen because of strategic interest , so not working today , perhaps later very important .
You sir have earned a subscriber.
Welcome Ahmed!
So sad,when you remember a lot of people who wroked there!!
This is such a shame
Why ??!!!!
Why would they abandon the factory ?