Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

 

The Italian Franco Bergiorno-Nettis was born in Cassano, southern Italy. He graduated from the Turin Military Academy and during the Second World War he had the opportunity to serve in North Africa under the command of Erwin Rommel. There he gained invaluable experience and well understood the value of the Desert Fox tricks that helped him in the future. After receiving a bullet in the shoulder, Franco was captured and spent 4 years in India POW camp.

    

After the war, he returned home and graduated from the University of Turin, receiving an engineering degree. Franco earned his studies by drawing family portraits of famous Turin families.

     

In 1951, one Italian company sent Franco and his partner, Carlo Salteri, to Australia. In Australia, they produced parts, built bridges, and a tower of the 9th channel. In 1956, they already opened their company for the production of parts and metal products. Their capital was 1.500 pounds, which they could invest in the development of their company.

    

At the end of the first year of work, Franco and Salteri bought land on the Seven Hills, where they began to build their own Transfield factory. The construction of the building was slow because the only income they had was the sale of parts of their own production. They needed a very large order. When they got the opportunity to sign a contract with one of the largest construction companies in Australia, then nothing was left but to resort to the tricks that Franco borrowed from Rommel.

    

An Australian company decided to visit the factory. Franco hired workers and a bulldozer. During the visit of potential customers, the bulldozer drove around the factory, creating noise and raising a lot of dust. At one time, the hired people organized indiscriminate movements, creating the appearance of vigorous activity in the factory. Franco won the contract, which later brought him a huge income and allowed him to complete the construction of the factory.

    

Starting in 1973, Franco and Salteri set their sights on international trade. The company managed to establish trade relations between Australia and Italy. Since that time, a sharp growth has begun in the company, which in 2005 was estimated at $ 536.000.000, and in 2006 already at $ 650.000.000.

    

Franco Bergiorno-Netties died in 2006 at the age of 91, while on holiday in Italy. Until the end of his life, he was grateful to the lessons learned from the cunning Desert Fox during the North African company of the Second World War.

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