Adriano’s path. Olivetti: urban, social and cultural connections between Ivrea and Merlo

Abstract

Questions about labor practices in relation to a renewed form of community life have led to multiple utopian proposals and only some concretizations. In Ivrea, the motivations of a man fascinated by technique at the service of the human spirit continue to this day, undoubtedly identifying the city with a brand: Olivetti. Headquartered outside the city walls, in the region of Great Buenos Aires, installed in the town of Merlo and inaugurated in 1960, the factory supplied a growing market that took advantage of the Latin American conjuncture. This article investigates the role that this venture played in the society, and analyzes the action mechanisms that were used to design, execute and communicate a social doctrine that linked industrial production to the community.