The present paper describes the collapses in precast industrial buildings caused by the 2012 Emilia earthquake. This kind of buildings, not designed with seismic criteria, has been found very vulnerable for several reasons, such as the absence of connecting systems between the various precast monolithic elements, the inadequacy of connection systems of external precast walls to the bearing elements (columns and beams), the interaction between non-structural walls and structural elements, and the inadequacy of the foundations.