Transmec

Our story

A story that continues to be written, day after day, with the dedication and vision of a family.

The Beginnings

It is 1850 when, in Pavullo, among woods and houses with red roofs, Domenico, with his two-wheeled cart drawn by a big horse, transports goods, braving the seasons.

Thus begins an activity that has endured from generation to generation and has continued to grow alongside technology, Italy and the world.

It is 1912 when his son Gaetano takes over and in 1917 shapes the future by purchasing the first truck: a Fiat 18BL. A bold leap, the first of many, along the road that will accompany the Montecchi family towards tomorrow.

The War

In the 1930s, despite the difficulties dictated by the Great Depression, "Autotrasporti Montecchi Gaetano" was born with the legendary Fiat 18BL, the "Conte Rosso", which transported wood and wine from the Apennines.

But the war broke the balance: the vehicle was seized and the sons Afro and Domenico went to the front.

Gaetano persisted with horses and, at the end of the conflict, the "Conte Rosso" was found, ready to start again.

Reconstruction

After the war, an Italy deeply wounded by conflict redeemed itself by embracing ambitious reconstruction projects and Gaetano Montecchi was ready.
Other drivers joined his son, who continued to work for years in the company, contributing to its growth and its reputation for seriousness and professional diligence.
The 1950s also saw the company expand its transport routes to Southern Italy.
The truck used was the Fiat 666, a real gem capable of reaching a maximum speed of sixty kilometres per hour.
The Modena – Bari or Modena – Taranto route took about 24 hours, during which the drivers alternated at the wheel to ensure a good average speed.
At that time, mainly flour and fresh fruit were transported, but the most stable and continuous job for the company was the transport of "Cirio" tomatoes from Vignola to Naples.
These were years of intense economic growth and the demand for transport grew at an exponential rate.
For a certain period, the services of available trucks were even auctioned to the highest bidder: competition was scarce and experienced companies had enormous opportunities for expansion.
It was at this moment that the reins of the company passed into the hands of Domenico Montecchi, who founded "Domenico Montecchi International Transport", while his brother Afro took care of national transport.
It was 1957: Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the founding Treaty of the European Economic Community, starting a process of economic and political integration.
The first lines with Germany were opened, and from the large colourful market in the centre of Vignola, trucks loaded with cherries left for Munich, Dusseldorf and Bonn.
Soon, other lines were opened with the Netherlands and Belgium for the transport of plaster statuettes, destined for the many Italian immigrants who worked in the Belgian coal mines.
But soon the Montecchi brothers' trucks were loaded with ceramic tiles produced in Sassuolo for Northern European countries.
Towards the end of the decade, the company's transport lines reached as far as Czechoslovakia.
The trucks used at the time were Fiat 691s, extremely robust, with simple mechanics but good load capacity and decent speed.

The 70s-80s

In 1971 the Montecchis left Pavullo, too decentralised, to move to Vignola under the new name TRANSMEC, TRANSport for the MEC (European Common Market), still printed on the truck tarpaulins today.

But growth did not stop and in 1979 the company moved again, this time to Spilamberto in a larger area, near the new Autostrada del Sole.

Meanwhile, the new generation of Montecchi – Danilo, Massimo, Mariangela, Lucia and Maria Cristina – joined the company.

International Outlook

In the years leading up to the new millennium, Transmec began its international expansion with the creation of Transmec UK and Transport International Transmec in 1990, and, in 1995, Transmec Belgium.

In 1996, the headquarters moved to Campogalliano, still the beating heart of the company.

The horizon widened further and in the following years Transmec Poland, Transmec Uluslararası Taşımacılık in Turkey and TDBG Deutschland were founded. In 1999, the creation of Transmec Servizi completed the decade of transformation.

The New Millennium

The increase in sea and air shipment traffic pushed the Group to expand its horizons towards Central and South America, leading in 2000 to the creation of "Transmec Overseas", now present in Santiago, Chile.
In 2003, the family decided to invest in the logistics sector by founding "Transmec Log" with offices in Campogalliano and Milan. In the same period, "TDBG España" was born, the second joint venture with D.B. Group, which grew over time to consolidate with offices in Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, Granada and Bilbao.
The ever-increasing demand from new world powers led to opening up to India, founding "Transmec India" in 2005.
The company now has five branches in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. Meanwhile, Romania has become the main gateway to Eastern Europe, as well as a rapidly growing country and home to production plants of major multinationals. For these reasons, the Group founded "Transmec Ro" in 2007, which now has its headquarters in Oradea and continues to grow with offices in Bucharest, Timisoara, Brașov and Sibiu.
The desire to diversify gave rise in 2011 to "Transmec to Be", the logistics company specialising in the grocery channel.
In 2012, the Group took an important step by dedicating a 30,000 sqm area of the Campogalliano building to a state-of-the-art automated warehouse for logistics management. Always dedicated to reducing its footprint on the planet, in 2014 the Group celebrated the departure of its first owned train from Zeebrugge (Belgium) to Curtici (Romania) in collaboration with P&O Ferrymasters.
The path towards sustainability continues and in 2016 the private railway terminal in Oradea (Romania) was inaugurated, managed by the new company "Intermodal Vest", co-owned by Transmec Group and P&O Ferrymasters.

The Journey Continues

In recent years, Transmec has accelerated its evolution by focusing on innovation, logistics and sustainability. In 2019, T-Data was born, specialising in outsourced e-commerce services.

In 2022, the Campogalliano headquarters expanded with two new 50,000 sqm warehouses, increasing logistics capacity.
Expansion continued in 2024 with entry into North Africa thanks to the acquisition of TNA Cargo, strengthening transport links with Tunisia and Morocco.

In the same year, Transmec published its first Sustainability Report and inaugurated a robotised area powered by solar energy, the result of the work of T-Log, the Group's industrial logistics division.

In 2025, the growth path continued with the acquisition of the S.T.C. Group, consolidating its presence in intermodal transport between Europe and North Africa. An expansion that reflects a clear vision: to connect, innovate, grow, carrying on a story without borders.