My goal in this book is to track the history of a transformative business through the transformations experienced by the Greek industry during the 20th and early 21st centuries. And conversely, to study the Greek industry through the history of a business and a product that symbolizes, perhaps more than any other, modernization. Let us not forget that aluminum was undoubtedly the metal of the 20th century and the establishment of an aluminum production industry was the vision of Greek engineers, economists, and politicians of all political persuasions. Therefore, it would be difficult to find another Greek business whose establishment and operation gather so many elements that make it representative of economic and political perspectives, state policies, and business choices.

Today's experience shows us that one of the major problems of the post-war industry, which led to the shrinkage of Greek processing, was ultimately the absence of a new industrial policy after the Metapolitefsi. From 1961 to 1974, the political priorities for strengthening the industry and transforming the Greek economy were clear. On the contrary, after 1974, the Greek state remained attached to the already outdated perception of exploiting the country's "natural wealth," disregarding the support of business schemes in the processing sector that would have generated higher added value and been technologically competitive internationally. In this logic, the policy support for the industry, under certain conditions, should not necessarily be considered irrational or wasteful. Instead, since the early 1990s, every "productive" perception for the Greek economy has been abandoned, and all the burden falls on the tertiary sector and the adjustment of the nominal sizes of the Greek economy to the requirements of the Maastricht Treaty.

The "vision of industrialization" faded in Greece in a very short period of time and rather ingloriously, considering its importance for the Greek state from around 1930 to 1990. It was replaced by the ideal of consumption, which did not lead the country very far. In today's conditions, it is not possible to return to the processing model of post-war Greece. The issue is rather how to create the launching pads for a new development model. And the Greek industry cannot be absent from this model, even if its role will be limited compared to what those who built post-war Greece envisioned.