There is a story behind the
5/22/2006

There is a story behind the stylized logo of the Tortella manufacturing company. The two figures on either side of the anvil represent two brothers, Donato and Michele Tortella.

By Mary Shepherd

They started a repair shop in 1949 in Ortona, a small town in the Abruzzo region of Italy, and began taking care of broken farm machinery. They brought many years of practical experience to their new venture — Donato as an apprentice at a respected mechanical firm and Michele as a mechanic in the Military Air Force — and could see that the machines they repaired had not been built strong enough for heavy use in the hard, rocky soil of Abruzzo.

So the brothers began to design and build machines that satisfied their customers’ needs and the Tortella brothers’ reputation as problem solvers. By 1956, the brothers were producing rotary tillers with posterior linkage and outfitted with lifts or winches, which were sold mostly to growers in the area around Ortona. Production of the spader began in 1964. It was a niche machine that was developed for heavy soil that needed aeration and drainage. Over the years, many other Tortella-designed-and-built machines have followed, but the creation of the rotary cultivator and spader set the standards for strength and reliability to which the company still adheres.

Embracing the tradition

Today, the Tortella factory is again run by two brothers, Franco and Carlo Tortella. These sons of Donato respectively oversee the engineering and technical areas of the company. Franco said their management style is “on-site improvement” and “problem solving.”

While the Tortella brothers embrace the traditions set by their father and uncle, they also utilize modern technology throughout their operation. Inside the factory is a mix of modern and traditional manufacturing methods – state-of-the-art CNC/automated machines and 60-year-old tooling machines, hands-turned components and robotic cuts and welds, hand-callipered inspections and computerized testing. The company uses a comprehensive software system to assess and manage production and materials, in coordination with engineers who specialize in manufacturing processes and track each link of the job. From the technical office, they can monitor each computerized station’s progress.

The company still makes about 90 percent of its own components, just as the original Tortella brothers had done. This enables them to mix traditional methods of manufacturing with high tech processes.

“Tortella is not in the northern part of Italy, where small companies like ours specialize in processes and outsource the components they use,” he said. “Making our components was first a necessity, but in the long run, it has been a plus because it gives our company flexibility.”
Another example of flexibility is their use of semi-finished products that are built on a common platform. “Our policy is to have a lot of semi-finished products on hand, then we can take the last steps according to the options the customer wants,” Franco said.

Products and their uses

Tortella’s quest for continued quality has resulted in products proven to work the soil longer and with little maintenance, according to Franco and Carlo. They said they strive for the simplicity in their machines that is also cost effective for their customers.

The company’s equipment line includes spaders, power harrows, rotary cultivators (tillers), pruning and grass shredders and combines. Of these machines, the biggest seller in their worldwide market is the rotary tiller, while the spader makes up about 50 percent of the Italian market, according to Maria Rosa Bankston, Tortella’s international marketing representative.

She said the company’s flexibility is a real advantage with customers in niche markets. “We work with customers to build special machines or to adapt one of our existing machines. We are willing to work in a niche market in which we can see opportunity for growth.” As an example, she pointed to the Verti-Drill, a spading machine that was developed over six years with the Dutch company, Redexim Charterhouse. “Spaders were developed to aerate the soil for drainage soccer fields, but we are still finding new uses,” she said, listing maintenance of golf courses and estates, breaking the residue of banana and pineapple plants and mixing guano into beach sand to increase its organic value.

Exploring more exportation

Tortella began exporting its products to Germany in the 1970s. For the past twenty years, Tortella machines have been exported to North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Australia.

In order to expand distribution in the U.S. and to have a ready supply of products and parts, Tortella plans to establish a warehouse in the U.S. during 2006. The company is looking for distributors who will help build an expanded network for Tortella products.

Interested parties should contact Franco Tortella, Tortella S.p.a.; tel: +39-085-906981, fax: +39-085-9062404, email: info@tortella.it; www.tortella.it.

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