The industrial transformation of Mirandola, an agricultural area in the Po Plain, took place in the 1960s, elevating this Cinderella to princess status. Growing rapidly, the biomedical sector has achieved international importance, with over 2000 people employed in about 80 firms, some of them with links to multinationals or large Italian companies capable of supplying not only financial resources and technology, but also the distribution channels for distribution on a world scale. Some firms have become European leaders, thanks in part to modern robotised, computerised systems for the manufacture of biomedical devices.