ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with what Italians call metalmeccanica, a broad term which includes almost any form of metal-working together with all types of engineering. Metallurgical industries, employing just under 200,000 persons in 1981, include the iron and steel industry, the smelt ing of non-ferrous metals and simple metal working. Engineering is defined as the manufacture of metal base products into more complex items such as ships, machine tools and, most important of all, machines. After a general introduction the chapter will give an account of the metallurgical and historical bases of the engineering industry, concentrating on iron and steel, followed by an examination of engineering under four broad heads: shipbuilding, mechanical engineer ing, vehicles and electrical/electronic engineering. As with the preced ing chapter, the spatial dimension is given a central place in the discussion, with a series of maps of provincial employment in the metallurgical, mechanical, vehicle and electrical products industries.
