Alfredo Di Tonno and daughter, Antonella
In 1958, at the age of 12, Di Tonno first entered the brick industry through his after-school apprenticeship program at the Di Carmine Kiln in Loreto. His first assignment was transporting the finished bricks. Subsequently he was assigned to maintain the kiln burners. Then, at the age of 14, he followed his uncle, Zopito, to the Improta Kiln in Moscufo. This experience nurtured his passion and knowledge for mechanics; his employer soon sent him to Pescara for in-depth training as a Kiln Mechanic, after which he returned to Moscufo as the Maintenance Mechanic for all the equipment at the Kiln at the young age of 16.
In 1984, with 25 years of experience in the industry, Master Technician Di Tonno founded Later Meccanica which quickly became the industry standard for refurbished kiln equipment in Italy. For 30 years, over 600 heavy clay manufacturers in 20 countries around the world have been relying on Later Meccanica to build and improve their brick production lines. With the resilience of Bongioanni and Morando equipment, together with Later Meccanica’s craftsmanship, the machinery could also be utilized in the mining sector, the recycling and composting industry, and in whiteware production. In 2014 the second generation joined the family business to help further expand its target market.
Key Dates
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1958
Alfredo Di Tonno began working at the kiln in Loreto Aprutino.
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1960
Alfredo Di Tonno started a new job at the Improta Kiln in Moscufo.
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1983
Alfredo Di Tonno acquired Improta’s service equipment to start his own enterprise.
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1984
Later Meccanica was founded. The first refurbished Morando machine was sold in Italy.
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1985
Later Meccanica further developed its target market by expanding distribution into Northern Italy.
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1986
Later Meccanica exported its first machine to Albania.
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1988
Later Meccanica moved its operations to a new 10,000m2 site in Loreto Aprutino.
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1990
Later Meccanica expanded its distribution into South America by selling its first machine in Venezuela.
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1995
Later Meccanica expanded its distribution into Africa by selling its first machine in Morocco.
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1997
Later Meccanica expanded its distribution into the Middle East by selling its first machine in Qatar.
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2014
The second generation (Di Tonno-Redmont) joined Later Meccanica, further developing the Sales & Marketing and Administrative divisions.
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2016
Later Meccanica expanded its distribution into Asia by selling its first machine in Malaysia.
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