Fulgor Cavi was a prominent Italian cable manufacturing company founded by Dott. Aldo Dapelo. The company became renowned for its high-quality cables and contributions to developing Italy’s telecommunications and energy infrastructure. Over the years, Fulgor Cavi established itself as a leader in producing cables for various industries, playing a pivotal role in the country’s industrial growth.
Early Beginnings
Fulgor Cavi was established when Italy’s infrastructure expanded rapidly, particularly in the telecommunications and energy sectors. Dott. Aldo Dapelo, a visionary in the cable industry, recognised the growing demand for reliable, high-performance cables to support this infrastructure boom. Under his leadership, Fulgor Cavi quickly earned a reputation for manufacturing cables that met the rigorous demands of private and public sector projects.
Expansion and Specialization
Fulgor Cavi specialised in producing telecommunications cables, energy transmission cables, and other high-performance products critical for Italy’s growing power lines and communication systems network. The company’s ability to innovate and produce robust cables made it a key supplier for telecommunication companies, energy providers, and industrial projects.
As the company grew, it also began to export its products, establishing itself as a respected name in the international cable market. Fulgor Cavi became synonymous with reliability and quality, gaining contracts for important infrastructure projects in Italy and abroad.
The History of Fulgor Cavi and Aldo Dapelo
11 2 2021, in his hometown of Genoa, Aldo Dapelo passed away peacefully. He had dinner, went to bed, and never woke up. He would have turned 100 on April 21, and the Agro Pontino region owes him a great deal. Dapelo was the most influential figure in the 1960s, particularly with the founding of Fulgor Cavi in Borgo Piave. He played a crucial role in the industrial development and social and economic growth of Latina and the surrounding province.
Born on April 21, 1921, during World War II, Dapelo served as a young officer in the Italian tank corps. After being captured by the Germans following the events of September 8, 1943, he managed to escape and join the Badoglian partisan bands, actively participating in the liberation struggle. He had entrepreneurial ambitions even during those difficult times, often thinking, “Here we could do this, and there we could do that,” whenever he saw something of interest.
He started from nothing in Savona, producing bicycle inner tubes in a small abandoned workshop previously used for war-related tasks. From there, one venture led to another, borrowing money where he could until he ventured into electrical and naval cables, eventually competing with the industry giants in Italy at the time, Ceat and Pirelli. Within a few years, from his base in Savona, he grew to become the second-largest cable producer in Italy, boasting 14 factories and 2,700 employees spread across the country, from Sicily to Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino, and even a plant in Greece.
In the early 1960s, with contributions from the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy Development Fund), Dapelo established a strong presence in Latina. Fulgor Cavi began production in 1963, and the factory was considered cutting-edge at the time, designed by architect Vittorio D’Erme. The office building, a pilotis-style structure, was a remarkable piece of architecture reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s work. The factory produced electrical cables, telephone cables, enamelled copper wire, coaxial cables, and fibre optic cables sold worldwide, including to Iraq, Iran, Qatar, and Venezuela.
At its peak, Fulgor Cavi employed 1,063 workers—both men and women—at the Borgo Piave facility alone, and the factory was the site of epic labour struggles over the years. 1981, during one protest, the workers even occupied the Borgo Sabotino nuclear power plant, which was then fully operational.
Dapelo was a brilliant entrepreneur and known for his hard-nosed business approach. In addition to the Fulgor Cavi plant, Dapelo built two more factories in Latina: Eurimpianti, which specialised in metal carpentry, and Elettrica, which also produced cables; he was also passionate about football, serving as a board member of Genoa and assembling a team at Borgo Piave that made it to Serie D under the coaching of then-employee Eugenio Fascetti.
After years of growth and success, Fulgor Cavi eventually faced the challenges of industrial decline. The factory underwent several ownership changes, becoming part of Manuli, Alcatel Cavi, and eventually Nexans. Fulgor Cavi continued producing cables at Borgo Piave until 2010 the factory closed its doors. For fifty years, the factory had provided employment and prosperity to thousands of families in the region. However, it also affected workers’ health due to exposure to chemicals and materials like solvents, plastics, copper, asbestos, and PVC.
Aldo Dapelo’s entrepreneurial legacy is undeniable. His son, Vittorio, recalls how even in his later years, Dapelo would look out the window and quietly muse, “There we could do this, and over there, that.” Aldo Dapelo passed away at nearly 100 years old, leaving behind a lasting mark on the industrial history of Italy, especially in Latina and Borgo Piave. His vision, energy, and drive continue to inspire, and his contributions to the cable industry—from bicycle inner tubes to electrical and naval cables—are remembered with honour and respect.
Fulgor Cavi and FCC Fabbrica Cavi Catania
Fulgor Cavi’s expansion in the Italian cable market was further cemented with the establishment of FCC Fabbrica Cavi Catania in Catania, Sicily. This factory became a central hub for producing telecommunications and energy infrastructure cables. In 1989, the Tratos Group acquired FCC Fabbrica Cavi Catania from GEPI-IRI (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale), transforming it into Tratos Cavi Sud and eventually merging it into Tratos Cavi S.p.A.The acquisition of FCC allowed Tratos to continue the legacy of Fulgor Cavi, incorporating its expertise and heritage into the global cable industry. Today, the spirit of innovation and excellence that Aldo Dapelo brought to Fulgor Cavi lives on through Tratos, which remains a global cable manufacturing leader.
