DECEMBER 1997

In late 1997, with the increasing growth in orders as well as positive indications for the future, Stola s.p.a. needed to have the best management control system on the market.
They selected Sap software (Systems, Applications and Products in data processing) with the aim of being able to consult orders, company costs and suppliers in real time.
This was a substantial investment of £ 1,700,000,000 (Lire) plus the costs for staff training through tutors.
For an effective use of the system, a cultural change was necessary.
Engineer Carlo Alecci knew the tool very well having used it in his previous position in Comau, therefore, it was he who would convince the less sure as to the benefits.
It was highly appreciated by both customers and banks that the company had adopted a cutting-edge management system.
With everybody’s participation the results were excellent, and by the end of the year Stola was using Sap in all its departments, obtaining important improvements both from a technical and managerial point of view and allowing greater decision-making speed.

FEBRUARY 1998

Engineer Davide AlbanoIn 1998, the need for an advanced quality management system in the master mathematical verification, cubing and engineering sectors became very clear to Stola s.p.a.
From 3rd January 1995, the company was in possession of the FIAT quality qualification certificate which included UNI-ISO 8402, EN29000 and 29001 CEI45014 and ISO10011 / 1.
Since 1997, an organizational model according to the ISO 9001 standard had been active, but it was evident that alone it was no longer sufficient. The engineering, master and cubing divisions were increasingly involved in turnkey projects that could spread over several years, therefore an advanced quality management system became essential, especially for the increasingly stringent technical and contractual requirements of the car manufacturers.
Fiat Auto, Ferrari, Maserati and Volkswagen were amongst the main customers in the design, mathematical verification master and cubing sectors who required certification.
Engineer Carlo Alecci had been looking for a suitable professional figure to increase the quality of the system standards and face the increasingly complex challenges automotive world.
In February 1998 Davide Albano, a young engineer with three years of experience in the sector, was hired by the company for this specific task.
QS 9000 certificate issued by RINA to Stola s.p.a. engineering division for both offices in Rivoli and Cinisello Balsamo. ReleasedEngineer Albano developed and coordinated a work program that, in a short time, led to an update of the old regulatory standard and the introduction of Vision 2000 to implement the standards of the automotive sector QS 9000 (issued by the Big Three, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors) and VDA 6.4 (issued by VW Group, BMW and Mercedes), also including ISO 14001 environmental certification, testifying to both environmental and social responsibility.
The new QS 9000 and VDA certification schemes permitted the raising of quality standards thanks to the introduction of auditing, monitoring (KPI) techniques and methodologies (Advance Product Quality Plan) that allowed the management of increasingly complex projects with greater efficiency rigor and discipline.
Due to the extreme secrecy of projects demanded by clients, the building of styling models and show cars was excluded from the quality management system.
Among the various checks scheduled by customers, one particularly satisfactory one took place in 2001. Dr. Martin Klugel, director of Volkswagen's Quality Center and permanent member of the VDA (Verban der Automobilindustrie) management committee, rated Stola’s quality system with a score of 88/100, up there with the best German certified companies.

Rivoli March 1st 2001. At the end of a week of intense work, here is the indispensable internal certification of Volkvswgen to enable a supplier to work. The sector in which Stola s.p.a. works for the Wolfsburg group is that of Cubing and Mathematical Verification Masters. The certificate is issued by Dr. Martin Klugel.

Following this important evaluation, the same Dr. Klugel went on to suggest to Stola that TUV certification would also be well received by the Volkswagen group executives.
The suggestion was immediately accepted and Doctor Albano worked towards this goal, obtaining certification in the summer of 2002.

The TUV certificate, renewed in the summer of 2004 with two-year validityISO 14001: 1996 certificate issued in the winter of 2002.

Among the performance indicators (KPI) introduced by Albano with the new certifications, the cost of quality highlighted, in a few years, that an increase in preventative control techniques could achieve efficiencies, not just of the economic kind (reduction of higher costs due to low quality, modifications and process interruptions), but also time-to-market that the big manufacturers were gradually reducing, falling from 36, to 24 and then to 18 months in a short time.
A "QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INDICATORS" report was produced every six months for internal use in order to monitor the quality standards achieved.

An extract from the half-yearly report "MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INDICATORS for QUALITY"

FEBRUARY 1998

In the first months of 1998, Director of the Alfa Romeo Style Center ,Walter De Silva involved Stola s.p.a. in the construction of a model for a Alfa 156 station wagon.
At the first presentation the management of Fiat Auto was not enthusiastic, however, an insistent Marketing Director, Giuseppe Perlo, was able to convince the top management to include this intriguing variant of the 156 sedan in the product range.
The project code was 932 AF and its proposed name was Powerwagon, later changed to 156 Sportwagon.
Following this decision, the Fiat Auto Technical Department immediately entrusted the bodywork and interior finishes engineering including structural calculations to Stola s.p.a.

Clearances and tolerances diagram of the Alfa Romeo 932 AF project.

Alfa Romeo 932 project table.The Stola technical team was practically the same as that which had previously developed the 156 Sedan for production, consequently the work would take place between the offices of Cinisello Balsamo and Rivoli, under the direction of Gottardo Bustreo, flanked for the management part by Carlo Biassoni .
From the outset, before the milling of the style model, the Surfacing Team directed by Carlo Mantovani, worked with the designers of the Arese Style Center using the Icem-Surf software, initially for the C class and then later for the A .
Among the design team leaders were Di Benedetto, Depetri, Carena, Maffei, Mollo, Bonafede, Poggio and Di Nunno.
Like the sedan, the Sportwagon was developed on Computervision Cadds 5, with Optegra used as the archiving system for Fiat, managed by Paola Busato.
With a view to technological innovation, the tailgate was developed on Parametric Technology’s Pro-Engineer , using the parametric methodology for the first time.
The structural calculations were, more than ever, essential to transform a sedan into a station wagon. They were carried out by the La Rosa Team from the Cinisello Balsamo headquarters using the Nastran, Abacus and Radioss systems; as always, software and hardware were managed by Gianfranco Morlacchi.

From the reliefs of the rear part of the style model of the 932 AF, the studies of the tailgate both of the exterior and of its frame.

The development of the mathematics of the 932AF began starting from the same saloon version already made in Stola s.p.a. in 1995.

In that period, given the large number of projects under development within Fiat Auto, M.D. Paolo Cantarella, aware of the fact that Roberto Stola personally owned several companies in the sectors of design, construction of production means such as molds and assembly lines, sheet metal forming and assembly of sub-groups, asked him for something extra.
The 156 Sportwagon, which was a derivative of the sedan, would have to be assembled and finished on the same line in the Fiat plant in Pomigliano d'Arco, therefore, an extremely interesting opportunity presented itself for Roberto Stola, as his companies were also located in Pomigliano d 'Arco, in the province of Naples
The companies in question were Stola Sud, Stampitre and Tecnostampi, based respectively in Pomigliano D'Arco and Avellino, and Sat in Beinasco , Turin.
For Fiat Auto, Stola s.p.a. could provide complete product engineering from mathematical surface development, style and master model and finally cubing.

Complete diagram of the sheet metal details of the 932 AF derived in part from the sedan. Highlighted in orange you can see the freshmen that Sat will have to design and build the molds for production.

Sat: milling of the tailgate moldSat: one of the mold matrices of the tailgate.

Sat: test molds under press.Sat: dimensional control of the printed part.

Sat: computer simulation of the interaction between robot and man in the assembly and welding operations of the subgroups.

Sat: assembly and welding project of sheet metal subgroups.

Sat: assembly and welding project of sheet metal subgroups.

Stampitre: the two transfer molding lines for the production of sheet metal.Stampitre: the two transfer molding lines for the production of sheet metal.

Stolasud: two images of the assembly and testing of the parts before being delivered to the assembly line..

An official photo of the 156 Sportwagon.Sat were commissioned directly by Fiat Auto to design and manufacture the moulds and assembly lines for all the specific sheet metal parts, while Tecnostampi would offer support for those same moulds.
Stola Sud, with the collaboration of the Stampitre, were commissioned by Fiat Auto for the subassembly molding and lamination activities with just in time delivery at the assembly line.
There was an ambitious target of 20 months for getting the Sportwagon into production.
With the enormous customer expectation, Roberto Stola dedicated his energy and personal support to the project’s executives, Carlo Alecci, Gottardo Bustreo, Carlo Biassoni and Marco Goffi.
Goffi in particular, managed all the processes for the construction of the production equipment, and then the actual production itself with constant transfers to southern Italy through until 2005.
The Sportwagon was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000, enjoying considerable success, partly due to its name, being the first in the automotive world whose meaning evoked sportiness in a family car.
During its production life, a high proportion were Sportwagons, approximately 70% of volume, an indication of the achievement attained.

2000 The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon goes into production at the Pomigliano d'Arco plant.

June 2000 Turin. On the occasion of the Turin motor show, at the Stola s.p.a. in addition to the S81 Show Car, the body of the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon is on display.

APRIL 1998

January 1998 The drawings of the Lancia Thesis signed by Mike Robison and Flavio Manzoni.January 1998 The drawings of the Lancia Thesis signed by Mike Robison and Flavio Manzoni.

May 1998 Mike Robison with Marco Tencone and Flavio ManzoniIn April 1998, Lancia presented the Lancia Dialogos Concept on its stand at the Turin Motor Show ; it was an absolute masterpiece. At the end of spring 1998, the Lancia Style Center requested STOLA s.p.a. to build an exterior hard see-through styling model as well as an interior hard model with a view to production.
The project was known as Type 841, it was clear from the outset that the inspiration was the Dialogos concept just presented.
In this case, a much more complex and articulated intervention in terms of staff, space and time was immediately required, the aim was to prepare the style models to be suitable for production in every detail.
The Styling Director was Mike Robinson who, together with Exterior Chief Marco Tencone, Interior Chief Flavio Manzoni and their colleagues Giancarlo Concilio, Alberto Dilillo and Andrea Bassi worked together with the Stola modellers to create one of the most extraordinary Lancia cars of the modern era.
This great involvement by Fiat Auto for the realization of the style models at the Rivoli model shop means that the same Stola is entrusted in parallel to carry out the feasibility studies the class A mathematics, the surface verification Masters, and the design of the body, of the moving parts and of the interior.
The involvement of Stola by Fiat Auto for the realisation of the styling models in their Rivoli workshops enabled them to be entrusted with the parallel feasibility studies, class A mathematics, surface verification Masters, and the design of the body, moving parts and interior.

Clearances and tolerances diagram and external profiles of Lancia Tipo 841

Design table of 841-Dialogos (the name Thesis had not yet been thought of) you can see the wording Stola in the role of designer.

Between 1998 and 1999, STOLA s.p.a. realizes the exterior model of the Lancia Thesis for the Cento Stile Lancia.

Between 1998 and 1999, STOLA s.p.a. creates the model of the Lancia Thesis interior for the Lancia Style Center.

APRIL 1998

In April 1998 the American Ford Style Center of Deaborn asked STOLA s.p.a. to build a demonstration concept to show their "Fuel Cell" technology.
Ford's goal is to present this Show Car, called FC5, at the next Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1998.
Their recent acquisition of the Land Rover brand was the reason why the American company went to Turin for a show car, thanks to the good references of the Rover designers from the 1997 Mini projects.
The Ford Project Manager is Joe Bonacchi, who will also play this role over next few years with three other prototypes under the Lincoln and Mercury brands.

Rivoli 1998. Maria Paola Stola and Joe Bonacchi.

Rivoli 1998. Franco Cerva, Joe Bonacchie
and Lucio Giarolo.

The official photo of the press kit of the Ford FC5 with the "Fuel Cell" technology visible for the occasion.

September 1998, at the Frankfurt Motor Show Alfredo Stola poses with the FC5 in the Ford stand.September 1998, the FC5 at the Ford stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Frankfurt September 1998. The Stola modeling team who carried out the work.