INDESIT (SPIREA) MOD. K5 YEAR 1963.

The machine  INDESIT MOD. K5   describes a front loading washing machine, with a rotary drum, comprising a chassis that supports a cylindrical washing tub inside which there is mounted a rotary inox steel drum with a horizontal axis. The washing tub intended to contain a liquid soap, and a drum with perforated walls for containing the clothes to be washed, and which is rotationally mounted inside the washing tub and driven by an electric motor to rotate in both directions with respect to an axis that is substantially horizontal or slightly tilted with respect to a horizontal direction. Generally, this type of machine can rotate the drum at a fast speed in order to drain the clothes contained inside by spinning them. The structure is  without outertub suspensions . Only one cycle  is selectable by the left knob, while the right one was for the temperature. Two toggleswitches were provided to start / stop the machine and the other one to  peform the prewash only (and stop to soak) or the whole cycle.

The main feature of this machine was the sud-saving tank upon the outer tub. To perform such kind of recovery, the drain hose  have to be fitted  in a tank under the top lid to contain the drain water (see pictures).
When Performing the cycle until the end and after that  taking away the cloggers of the tank to let the water percolate down to the tub upon the drum ready with the laundry for the following cycle..............
(let's see modern AAAAAAAAA+++++++++++ where they go.....................)

The chassis structure is made of an very heavy main vertical internal steel plate holding the core of the system and  holding machinery parts toghether with. The chassis structure frame is made up of resistant elements including metallic plate elements shaped by cutting and folding, assembled and joined together by screw or deformation attachment devices, or by welding. The machine is an example of a chassis holding parts structure instead of a normal steel sheet cube chassis of the self holding type like many other machines. The entire body is carrying on a floor heavy steel plate which can be moved all around because of the presence of 4 weels which are serving even to oscillatory combination body behaviour during the spin.

THIS HERE IN COLLECTION IS AN ORIGINAL INDESIT (SPIREA) IN RIVALTA (TO)  MADE.

INDESIT (SPIREA) was originary from Orbassano Near TORINO In Italy and indeed the Product here shown comes from there.

It was a very big industry conglomerate present in all European lands even In Norvay.

IT was fabricating domestic appliances like Washing machines (INDESIT K5) and dish washers and even fridges (almost lasting forever).

In the 70's they started producing tellyes and radios for cheap market but good products.

As example of the television sets produced by INDESIT  here an example of portable B/W tv set.
 and here an example of INDESIT Color tv set.

And not last an INDESIT B/W tv set with tubes chassis.

Here you can see an INDESIT 2 doors Refrigerator from the same era of time like the TV above shown.

INDESIT has a very heavy controversed history which is made of high loss of work places for people, financial disasters, loss of market, closing of production location and finally a complete destruction of one of the bigger Italian industry on European level.

It was then brand name aquired by Merloni Elettrodomestici known as Ariston the reconverted to Indesit company......................

INDESIT INDUSTRY (Photography showing original INDESIT factory near Turin in 1980 with 52000 Square meters) was founded in 1953 in Turin with the denomination of Spirea, by three members: Armando Campioni, Adelchi Candellero and Filippo Gatta.
The society moved some years later to Rivalta of Turin, and another three times it changed denomination up to 1961 (SPIREA - INDEL - INDES - INDESIT), when it assumed the definitive social reason and the mark Indesit was born. (INDustria  Elettrodomestici Spirea ITalia)

The three founders belonged to that race of pioneers who in the second post-war Piemonte region of Italy showed that they are not particularly influenced by the excessive power of Fiat and the monoculture of the Cars (still actual). They choosed to set up a factory to produce household appliances   !

They have understood that they can do like Americans with lower costs and better on the plane of style because they work with designers and advertisers (In Turin there was that genius of Armando Testa) that in that decade begin to collaborate closely with the industry.





 Giving life precisely to that phenomenon that will be made in Italy. The intuition is rewarded and the products of Indesit do not struggle to find a market first in Italy and then also ABROAD. The growth of the company, in the Roaring sixties, is constant, also because its products in just over a decade are no longer prohibitive for an ever increasing number of Italian Families.

Indesit was producing "white" household electrical appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, dishwasher and kitchens,  television sets and shops fiscal recorders and portable radios. Despite their economical market sector they were very well made in fair semplicity and combined very long lasting simple construction.

All mechanical parts and general components of the household appliances were made by INDESIT Itself (even fridge compressors) with few exceptions as example electronic components were aquired from known fabricants but development , design and product fabrication/production  was all Indesit made on his own.

The company knew a swift productive and commercial development in the period of the economic boom, becoming the third one of the sector at national level .

 It conquered wide shares are in the national market which foreign countries of the household electrical appliances even in UK, and Germany were they have commercialized under the Quelle brand (Indesit fridge rebranded Quelle.



In the sixties and seventy, Indesit was counting quite eight rich productive installations, of which five to the North ( between Rivalta,  and Orbassano, ) and two in the South (Teverola and Carinaro (Council of Europe)), where they were used about 12.000 workers.

In those years, in the time era of the "fashion" of the refrigerator as the status of the modern family, the company expands its facilities, and despite a first crisis of 1962, the production volumes are flying exceeding two million and 500 thousand pieces annually and the workers Employees become 12000. At the beginning of the seventies, Indesit has seven factories in the North (freezers, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions), not counting the induced, and we start to build plants in the south in the province of Caserta.

In the same period to the Indesit there was tried a system of televisional broadcasting to colours named ISA, whom the Torinese company proposed in 1972 to the RAI, but whom it was not accepted by the Italian Government (guess why), because not conformable to other European systems!!! .

Starting from 1973 Indesit have had a new Crisis. Competition from Eastern technology is pressing, small businesses begin to be absorbed by monopolistic preordained organized Giants.

In 1977 the company denounces a heavy budgetary deficit, in 1978 the prices of the products are increased, but the sales are lowered because they are not Competitive. In 1980 for workers, the layoffs start, no more televisions will be produced at None (to). On 12 June 1980 Indesit communicates the total crisis in the household appliances sector in addition to the electronic Sector.
 The workers exhibit protest at pinerolo, orbassano, Torino and None.

There was acquired also the mark Hirundo, with which a line was proposed in the white sector (refrigerators, washing machines and other household electrical appliances), as well as apparatus in the brown sector, like radio to transistor branded Indesit-Hirundo. Such a mark today is not long time more used.

Indesit participated for 6 % in the Sèleco of Pordenone, to the epoch in which the control was held by Giovanni Mario Rossignolo, giving installations in disuse for the television sets manufacture. Zanussi and Rel were the greatest shareholders in Sèleco to that epoch.

In 1980, the Indesit went to big crisis and was put into checked administration, of which it went out in 1984, when it was recapitalized for 74 milliard lire and there new members  entered. Still for the Torinese company the crisis continued and the recovery was not going; following this in 1985 it gave his electronic division to the Olivetti .

In 1981 Indesit is divided into three holdings, the redundancies confirmed, but following the mobilizations you get a government intervention that buffers the Procedure.

In 1984 Indesit officially announces that its problems are structural, that because of this it is no longer possible to continue to limit the damage with forms of rotation on the work of part of the re integrated work force, and for the workers  "surplus " is required the cash zero Hours system to fund the unoccupied workers.

Much was the negotiations to find an industrial and financial partner, but the situation was so heavy to lead, in the same year, the company to the extraordinary administration, on the grounds of the law Prodi, and the Court of Turin appointed commissary the doctor Giacomo Zunino.

 For a long time now the work places had drastically decreased, and were reduced to a little more than 7.000 workers, the greatest part of which in case integration then unoccupied.

Even though it was commissioned, the company improved gradually the accounts, and in 1987 it was purchased to the auction at Merloni Elettrodomestici's already known for the mark Ariston and until then principal competitor in Italy of the Indesit itself. In the operation the of the Marche group invested quite 50 milliard lire in the acquisition of the society, and another 100 milliards it were provided for the reorganisation and the curing .
Indesit became the first mark of the company, and the factories were maintained only of None, Carinaro and Teverola.The factory in Orbassano is closed, None (Turin) unfolded and resized, until the last 400 workers are fired at the end of the year 2012.

TODAYS THERE IS NO MORE OF ANYTHING OF INDESIT SPIREA !!


R.I.P. ITALY !