Pietro Carnaghi joins Fives, Further Strengthening Fives’ Leadership in the Machine Tool Sector
In September, the Fives Group took a major step to create a bold new chapter in the manufacture of high-precision machine tools.
Fives, a global leader in industrial engineering, announced the acquisition of Pietro Carnaghi S.p.A., a leading manufacturer of large-scale machine tools, which marks a significant strategic expansion for Fives, and one where Pietro Carnaghi’s machines will become a cornerstone of Fives’ High Precision Machines (HPM) division.
The combined operations of Fives’ HPM division and Pietro Carnaghi are expected to generate annual revenue between €400 and €450 million, supported by a combined workforce of 1,900 employees. The two global, customer-focused leaders of machine tool technology will deliver innovative and locally supported machining solutions to industries such as defense, nuclear, aerospace and energy.
Pietro Carnaghi’s 45,000-square-meter (nearly 485,000 square feet) facility in northern Italy brings state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the Fives portfolio, increasing supply chain control and ensuring compliance with top-tier global standards.
The transaction “expands our markets, it enhances our capabilities, our expertise, and it increases our capacities,” said Matt Shockey, CEO of Fives Machining Systems Inc. and president of the Grinding | Ultra Precision Business Line of Fives.
“This transaction reinforces Pietro Carnaghi’s ability to maintain ongoing activities and honor existing contractual commitments, ensuring consistent and high-quality market presence,” said Giuliano Radice, chairman of Pietro Carnaghi, at the time of the announcement.
And Frédéric Sanchez, president and CEO of the Fives Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pietro Carnaghi; this acquisition perfectly illustrates our belief that by bringing together the most advanced expertise from around the world, we can meet the major challenges of energy transition and industrial performance, especially in the strategic sectors of aerospace, defense, energy and space.”
Leading the Future of Large-scale Machinery Innovations
“They (Pietro Carnaghi) have quite a complementary line of vertical turning and gantry milling machines as well as the automation,” said Shockey, which includes Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS). “That’s very complementary to the products and services that we currently offer within our division.” Fives’ machine tool lineup includes machine tools, grinding solutions, and additive manufacturing solutions for a variety of applications and industries. The division has 28 facilities worldwide.
Pietro Carnaghi is a world leader in the production of large scale, 5-axis machining solutions. Its machine tool lineup includes vertical lathes, gantry milling machines, large machining centers, and FMS cells for machining complex, large-scale rotary parts (up to 10 meters or 32.8 feet).
“Among the collaborative offerings between the companies, Pietro Carnaghi contributes complementary expertise in the aerospace industry, especially with the products and solutions they have engineered for aero engine component production,” Shockey said.
Another dimension to the acquisition is that Pietro Carnaghi brings an “expanded range, in terms of the size of the machine, [and] the size of the components that they’re able to produce with the high precision capabilities that they bring,” Shockey added.
Pietro Carnaghi’s machinery produces large dimension, high-precision components, Shockey noted, for example with large mining equipment, earth moving, and the large bearing sector.
Lights Out: Automation Optimizes Manufacturing Workflows
“Pietro Carnaghi does some very interesting things with what we’ll call flexible machining centers, which includes palletized systems operating across several machines where you’re basically able to load these systems up, and run them in a lights out scenario,” Shockey said. The cells are controlled through software that allows for flexible machining in a highly automated system. Manufacturers are able to deliver maximum efficiencies in a mass production environment.
Shockey pointed out that Pietro Carnaghi’s machines and automation features deliver multiple production processes in a single setting. “This is very important for the efficiency of the system and the flexibility of the system; to be able to accomplish as much as possible in a single chucking or a single setting,” he said.
Shockey noted that through this acquisition Fives HPM will add larger dimensions to its vertical turning machine offerings. “So, for HPM, this means an expanded range of machines [are] able to access a completely different dimension within the market, also increasing our capacities,” he said.
Shockey noted energy is an important market segment for Fives HPM, driven by AI and the technology sector’s need for large data centers to house the computing power and server racks. Fives HPM’s equipment supports the manufacturing of precision components for both prime power and backup power applications.
Fives HPM is also focused on supporting the requirements of the aerospace, defense and space industries. “We have capabilities across most of the main applications to support these industries, which is material removal, metal cutting, composites, grinding, and additive manufacturing,” Shockey said. With the addition of Pietro Carnaghi’s machine line up, Fives HPM offers comprehensive solutions to meet the productivity and dimensional specifications required by the market.
Fives HPM is also responding to the changing needs in the automotive industry, where there is a resurgence in internal combustion engines compared to the need for electric vehicles, particularly in the U.S. marketplace. The machinery provided by Fives HPM offers many capabilities, particularly on the grinding side, when it comes to grinding camshafts and crankshafts. The machines also are ideal for producing EV shafts as well.
Hélène Bachellerie, senior division marketing/communication manager for Fives HPM, summarizes the acquisition as the joining of two manufacturing companies that share common values. “We are able to design and provide machine tools with high demanding performances,” she said. “We are both very customer-oriented and we all have a tradition of excellence for over 100 years. Innovation is also very important at Fives and this is something shared by Pietro Carnaghi with a strong innovation strategy.”
Shockey added that at the core of both manufacturers’ values is the focus on services and application support for customers, which optimizes the entire manufacturing workflow. In addition to providing the machinery, both manufacturers also assist in engineering solutions and supporting the entire manufacturing processes.
“It’s not only about selling machines,” Bachellerie said. “We really design them according to the customers’ expectations and we work hand-in-hand with our customers to handle the project together.” She added with facilities located throughout the world, Fives HPM supports customers throughout the lifecycle of their machines and equipment.
Meeting Customer Needs Worldwide
With the recent acquisition of Pietro Carnaghi, the Fives High Precision Machines (HPM) division has added a new cornerstone to the division. The acquisition strengthens two global, customer-focused leaders in machine-tool technology, and enables them to deliver innovative, reliable, and locally supported solutions worldwide.
The Fives HPM division now operates through 28 entities worldwide — 11 in North America, eight in Europe, and six in Asia — ensuring localized support throughout the full equipment lifecycle.
The portfolio includes machine tools (milling, turning, boring, mill/turn, vertical turning); grinding solutions (ID/OD, orbital, flat surface); precision machines, composites processing equipment (fiber placement, tape laying); consumables (abrasive wheels, diamond tools, specially tools); and additive manufacturing (DED, PBF) solutions represented by brands such as Giddings & Lewis, Cincinnati, Liné Machines, Landis, Gardner and Bryant. It is now complemented with vertical lathes, gantry mills, large machining centers, and Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) designed by Pietro Carnaghi to handle complex, large-scale rotary parts for mission-critical processes, further strengthening Fives’ leadership in advanced manufacturing.
Additionally, the combined operations of Fives’ HPM division and Pietro Carnaghi are expected to generate annual revenue between €400 and €450 million. Supported by a combined workforce of 1,900 employees, the companies will expand markets, enhance production capabilities, and deliver increased value to its customers.
About the Author: Rachel Duran
