Preston & Barbieri

Description

Preston & Barbieri is an Italian amusement ride manufacturer headquartered in Reggio Emilia, in the Emilia-Romagna region. The company was established in 2000 through the merger of two separate Reggio Emilia-based enterprises: Barbieri Rides, which had been operating since 1954, and Preston, founded in 1986 by a group of managers drawn from local industry. Both companies had been producing similar attractions in the same city for years before consolidating into a single entity operating out of a 70,000-square-metre facility. The Emilia-Romagna region has historically served as a hub for amusement ride manufacturing, and Preston & Barbieri's roots are intertwined with that broader industrial ecosystem. When L&T Systems, another regional manufacturer established by former workers of the now-defunct S.D.C., disbanded in 2009, Preston & Barbieri acquired the rights to its ride portfolio. The company has also pursued external collaborations, working with 3DBA on Splash Battle attractions and with D.P.V. Rides on family roller coaster development. The product range spans flat rides, water rides, and roller coasters across multiple proprietary models. These include the Wacky Worm, Grand Canyon, Anaconda and Anaconda 2.0, Mini Coaster, Family Coaster, Junior Coaster, Double Race, and Spinning Coaster formats. As of 2019, the company had delivered 27 roller coasters to parks across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, with installations recorded at venues including Liseberg in Sweden, Hansa Park in Germany, Mirabilandia in Italy, and Palace Playland in the United States.