Sunday, april 20th, 2014, our beloved president, dr. Corrado zaini, passed away
The name of Dr. Corrado Zaini will remain forever linked to that of FATRO, a company which was founded and developed under his able leadership as a shrewd and adept entrepreneur, a pioneer initially and then a protagonist of the Italian, and international, veterinary pharmaceutical sector. A man rigorous with himself and with his employees, he put his entire being into his work, never sparing dedication, conscientiousness and wisdom, the same qualities he infused into all the people around him and those who worked with him and supported him.
His great humanity will remain with us, together with everything he taught us and which he was able to create over time: a flourishing and dynamic pharmaceutical company, which we all have a moral obligation to maintain as such and, where possible, expand still further, mindful of the philosophy of Dr. Zaini, based on constant expansion.
Since the unfortunate moment when Dr. Zaini was no longer able to participate in the everyday activities of FATRO, the reins of the company were taken by the FATRO management team, who developed their skills under his guidance and following his invaluable advice. Animated by this spirit, and with their increased responsibilities and independence, they have given continuity and a firm organisation to the Fatro Group, with the support of all the FATRO employees, agents and other collaborators.
FATRO fully intends to continue on this road.
The grief and pain of our loss notwithstanding, and accepting the inevitable unsettlement which will follow this tragic event, it is our firm intent to continue the line taken by our late President, keeping this Italian company, of which we are all proud to be a part, strong and healthy.
It is with the most heartfelt sorrow that we send you all our best regards.
Since the unfortunate moment when Dr. Zaini was no longer able to participate in the everyday activities of FATRO, the reins of the company were taken by the FATRO management team, who developed their skills under his guidance and following his invaluable advice. Animated by this spirit, and with their increased responsibilities and independence, they have given continuity and a firm organisation to the Fatro Group, with the support of all the FATRO employees, agents and other collaborators.
FATRO fully intends to continue on this road.
The grief and pain of our loss notwithstanding, and accepting the inevitable unsettlement which will follow this tragic event, it is our firm intent to continue the line taken by our late President, keeping this Italian company, of which we are all proud to be a part, strong and healthy.
It is with the most heartfelt sorrow that we send you all our best regards.
Silvana Dal Magro Zaini
Dr. CORRADO ZAINI
Born in Città di Castello, Perugia, with his father Gualtiero (pharmacist and veterinarian) in Forlì, in 1947, he founded "Farmotecnica Romagnola" (with the acronym FARO, which would subsequently become FATRO), a small veterinary pharmaceutical laboratory in a building which the bombs had left untouched, taking the reins of the company even before graduating from University.
In 1951, he graduated in Pure Chemistry from the University of Bologna, with a dissertation which was, for those times, avant-garde: "The Biochemistry of the Digestion of Ruminants".
His links with the Bologna Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and more specifically with Professor Albino Messieri, and with the Faculty at the University of Perugia, particularly with Professors Moretti and Avellini were so strong, founded on mutual trust and esteem, that FATRO became both a reference and common-information point for veterinarians over an area considerably larger than the initial Romagna.
FATRO products became ever more appreciated and, in 1963, Dr. Zaini built the first plant of 1,200 m² in Ozzano Emilia (BO).
The company organisation very quickly took on industrial dimensions with research laboratories and different production lines, with sales and after-sales services to veterinarians and breeders.
The 70s saw a considerable consolidation of FATRO drugs in Italy and, at the same time, Dr. Zaini decided to also make its products known abroad, participating in fairs and congresses in Paris, Salonika, Perth and many other places, with no sense of shyness or inferiority complex, but with a strong desire to market FATRO products even in territories and market sectors dominated by the multinationals.
Since then, great strides have been taken and that small laboratory saved from the bombs in the war was transformed into a Pharmaceutical group which includes various companies all operating exclusively in the veterinary field.
Today the Fatro Group is the pride of the Italian veterinary pharmaceutical sector, and remains the only independent, completely Italian-owned, international-scale company in the sector.
The production plants in Ozzano Emilia, Bologna cover an area of 85,000 m² (a further 5,800 m² are currently under construction for the logistics sector). Drugs are developed there for all animal species and vaccines for cattle, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits and fish, while the production of poultry vaccines takes place at the Maclodio plant in Brescia, which today occupies an area of 10,400 m².
FATRO has its own subsidiary companies in Spain, Greece, Poland, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Uruguay and India and exports to over 90 countries.
The FATRO Group currently employs over 700 people throughout the world and can boast that, over these recent years of crisis, it has not reduced its workforce but has, indeed, expanded it. This is very important for a Group which considers human resources to be an indispensable factor in obtaining excellence in quality, innovation and efficiency.
The FATRO intuitions and production choices inspired by Dr. Zaini have contributed to making a wide range of products available to veterinarians, following the company philosophy which can be summarised in its mission statement: “animal health your health”.
This is a mission which Dr. Zaini always insisted should not merely be a form of words but the concrete, everyday operational reality at FATRO, in response to the preventive-therapeutic needs of both livestock animals and companion animals.
Dr. Zaini's activities were not limited to just the industrial field, but covered all aspects of veterinary medicine, from scientific societies to distribution associations, training and universities, always bringing his enthusiasm, energy and ideas to encouraging progress throughout the sector.
For all these reasons, in 2003 he was made awarded an Honorary Degree in Veterinary Medicine by the University of Bologna.
For some time, for everybody within the company, Corrado Zaini has been simply: "THE DOCTOR". He no longer participated in daily company activities but the management team, thanks to his teachings, his crystal-clear example and his invaluable advice, have taken the reins of the company, acquiring increasing autonomy and, with firm organisation and planning, have given continuity and further growth to the FATRO Group in Italy and throughout the world.
The home page of the Fatro Group sites shows the words: “THANK YOU DOCTOR”: these words represent the feelings of all employees, managers, agents, collaborators and anybody who was fortunate enough to know him and work beside him, appreciating his conscientiousness and professionalism, wisdom and great humanity.
