The headquarters are in Ivrea, Italy, for Olivetti & C. SpA, a multinational firm that has long been synonymous with office equipment and information systems. It is not just a company. It is a timeline of how mechanical typing evolved into digital computing, rooted in the vision of Camillo Olivetti (1868–1943). An electrical engineer by trade, Camillo started the business in 1908. The focus was simple. Typewriters.
The turning point came in 1925. Camillo sent his son, Adriano Olivetti, to the United States. The mission was specific: study modern manufacturing techniques and plant management. When Adriano returned, he did not just bring back notes. He brought back a revolution. The company underwent a complete reorganization. Operations were streamlined. Machinery was modernized. The result was the M-40 typewriter. It was a new design. It won wide acceptance in the 1930s.
By 1938, the younger Olivetti had succeeded his father as president. The impact was immediate and measurable. Under his leadership, the firm emerged as Italy’s second leading exporter of mechanical devices. It became Europe’s principal manufacturer of typewriters and business machines. The product line expanded well beyond typing. They manufactured calculators. Microcomputers. Writing systems. Related goods. The scope was broad.
The 1980s marked a shift toward global consolidation and joint ventures. In 1982, Olivetti entered a joint venture with Sharp Corp. of Japan. The goal was to produce high-speed copiers and other office machines together. That same year, a major acquisition reshaped their American presence. Docutel Corp., an electronics company and leading American manufacturer of automated teller machines, purchased Olivetti Corp., the American subsidiary. The merger agreement made Olivetti & C. SpA the largest single stockholder in Docutel. Docutel accordingly changed its name to Docutel/Olivetti Corp.
The financial maneuvering did not stop there. In 1983, American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) purchased a quarter of Olivetti’s corporate stock. This was not a passive investment. The arrangement made Olivetti a major distributor of AT&T products in Europe. It linked Italian hardware with American telecommunications infrastructure. The strategy was clear. Control the hardware. Own the distribution.
