On Saturday 9 May 2026, employees, families, local authorities and friends of the company gathered in Besenello to celebrate the new factory together. A €12.5 million investment that tells a story of roots, generations and responsibility towards the community.
A celebration of roots and the future
Saturday 9 May 2026 saw the official opening ceremony of the new GDA Srl factory. A day with a deliberately different tone to Friday’s event, which was dedicated to Italian and international customers, retailers and business partners, as it was designed to welcome employees and their families, friends of the company and local authorities.
A choice consistent with GDA’s identity: to continue to embrace industrial growth without sacrificing the human and relational dimension that has characterised the company since its foundation. The invitation’s slogan, ‘With you since 1982.
Growing together’, sums up in a few words an entrepreneurial journey that began in the Adami family garage thanks to the determination of Oliviero and Zita, and has now become a European benchmark in the wood and aluminium cutting tools sector.
The figures behind a strategic investment
The figures speak to the scale of the operation: a total investment of around €12.5 million, over 6,000 square metres of production and office space, and 30 employees, most of whom are from the Vallagarina area.
The plant is situated on a 52,000-square-metre site owned by GDA, leaving significant scope for further future expansion: a concrete sign of the strategy of establishing roots and continuous growth in the local area.
The new industrial hub integrates production, warehousing and logistics, with the aim of reducing order fulfilment times and increasing product availability for foreign markets, which currently account for around 70% of GDA’s production.
This production capacity translates into approximately 20,000 blades per month, ready for distribution in Italy, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with a view to entering the North American market in the future.
The authorities: recognition of GDA’s journey
The ceremony was attended by the mayors of Besenello, Walter Battisti, and Calliano, Lorenzo Conci, together with the provincial councillor for economic development, Achille Spinelli, and the president of the Trento Artisans’ Association, Andrea De Zordo, accompanied by the president of Vallagarina, Barbara Tomasoni, and the Rovereto Area Manager, Maurizio Defant.
Councillor Spinelli particularly highlighted GDA’s ability to successfully navigate the generational handover, a delicate moment that often determines the very future of a business, emphasising the Province’s commitment to supporting precisely these transitional phases. He also noted the public support for the investment, linked to strengthening the competitiveness of Trentino businesses.
Words of appreciation also came from Andrea De Zordo, President of the Artisans’ Association, who emphasised the symbolic value of GDA’s journey as an example of tenacity, foresight and planning ability – qualities that have enabled a small artisan business to evolve over time into a leading industry, spanning three generations without losing its identity.
Words from the Adami family: a dream come true
Particularly heartfelt were the words of Gianluca Adami, who now runs the company alongside his sister Donatella. Adami described the new building as the realisation of a dream built on careful planning: a space designed for those who use it every day, a tool designed to generate value, with a significant investment in people’s well-being and safety.
He then went on to emphasise an aspect he considers non-negotiable: for GDA, respecting the local area is not an obligation but a duty, and that is why, even though 70% of production is destined for global markets, the construction of the new headquarters was entrusted entirely to local contractors.
His thanks were then extended to the people who made this achievement possible: his parents, Oliviero and Zita, who in 1982 laid the foundations for what is now GDA; his sister Donatella, with whom he shares projects and a vision on a daily basis; all the staff, from the longest-serving to the most recent, who have brought experience, enthusiasm and innovation to the company; and finally the municipalities of Besenello and Calliano, the Autonomous Province of Trento and Councillor Spinelli, with whom we have worked side by side towards a goal that, for us, goes beyond a single investment: the restoration, regeneration and rebirth of a derelict area of the local landscape.
During the tours of the company, it was also an opportunity to hear from the founder, Oliviero Adami, who, with his usual down-to-earth approach, summed up the philosophy of a lifetime: in the end, it is the product that speaks for itself. If a blade works well and lasts, the customer returns. It has always been this way, right from the early years when the company was taking its first steps.
A philosophy that combines high technology and traditional craftsmanship
Since 1992, the company has borne its current name – GDA, an acronym for the children Gianluca and Donatella Adami – who have taken up the baton and continued the growth.
A growth that today competes with major German rivals in the high-end market, where quality, not price, makes the difference, and which is divided into three main sectors: primary wood processing, panels and aluminium.
“We strive to combine high technology with traditional craftsmanship,” explained Gianluca Adami, speaking about the company’s production philosophy. “To stay in the market, you need an industrial vision, but we want to maintain human contact and everything we’ve built over forty years: long-term relationships with suppliers, quality control on every single blade, and attention to the well-being of those who work here.”
A philosophy that translates into concrete technological choices: all the machines in the factory are networked and managed by software developed in-house, fully in line with Industry 5.0.
A connection to the local area that goes beyond logistics
The company’s roots in Besenello are no coincidence. Its strategic location in Val Lagarina, between Trento and Rovereto, ensures efficient motorway and rail links, in an area that is home to a historic Italian toolmaking district.
But the connection with the local area goes beyond logistical convenience: the 400 kW photovoltaic system, the focus on energy efficiency and the decision to make the most of local resources and workforce confirm a corporate vision that intertwines economic development, environmental sustainability and responsibility towards the community.
This aspect is also highlighted during factory tours: the new facility stems from a concrete need for growth. In the previous premises, the machinery, whilst already state-of-the-art, was arranged in a rather impractical way.
Today, it is housed in a more spacious environment that integrates production and warehousing, enabling the company to maintain a large stock of products available immediately, to the benefit of an increasingly international clientele.
The company barbecue: sharing, fun, family
The day concluded with an informal and deeply human moment: a barbecue lunch outside the factory, which brought together staff, families, children and friends of the company in an atmosphere of joyful sharing and merriment.
Lined tables, the scent of grilling, laughter and toasts: the party continued into the afternoon, giving GDA staff a precious opportunity to come together, away from the pressures of daily life, and celebrate what they have built.
In a way, it was the most authentic image of the day: the new factory, with all its technology and automation, seen for a moment as what it truly is, even before it is a production facility. A home, built together. A home where people, families and the local community continue to be, today as in 1982, the true driving force behind GDA.
