A small Italian company that builds engines for cars, boats and aircraft is about to find itself at the centre of one of the Gulf’s fastest-growing technology groups. CMD, based in Basilicata, has completed a deal that hands majority control to EDGE Group, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered conglomerate founded only in 2019.
The most concrete payoff may come from the sky. The two companies are in advanced talks over major orders for engines to power the group’s unmanned aerial systems, contracts that could be signed before the end of 2026. If they are, a company that has spent decades in propulsion workshops in southern Italy would suddenly be supplying a core component of a global drone programme.
Control may have changed hands, but the founders’ family has not walked away. Cousins Mariano and Giorgio Negri will retain a meaningful stake and stay involved in running the company. The arrangement is designed to keep management stable and prevent the know-how accumulated over three and a half decades from leaving with the sale. The two sides will draw up an integration plan together, with the stated aim of protecting CMD’s technological and industrial assets while opening up new business. The Italian company’s manufacturing is based in Atella, while its management and research and development operations are in Caserta. The company stresses that neither its identity nor its links with the local area will be lost, and says the new backing will allow it to raise output, speed up innovation and sell more widely abroad.
Drones are not the only avenue. EDGE is looking at maritime uses for CMD’s high-performance engines, working with Abu Dhabi Ship Building, the group’s naval shipyard arm, and other partners it has not named. Cars, meanwhile, remain part of the picture: the Italian company will keep serving its existing automotive customers while looking for fresh opportunities.
