Autonomous and verticalized in all phases of the supply chain

Guaranteed and safe production, with satisfaction

Marco Torta, Arcoplastica (Andezeno, TO), a leading company in the sector of thermoformed and extruded plastic materials.

«We have never stopped business, to ensure the operational continuity of our customers, almost all engaged in the food sector, and aware of the responsibility to keep the supply chain active» comments Marco Torta, who summarizes what has been done in the company.

«Fortunately we were able to find facemasks and sanitizing gel already in early March, which allowed us to immediately implement the distance between the workers and comply with the indications, which were then incorporated into the various DCPMs.

In addition to producing in compliance with the rules, we therefore immediately guaranteed the health of our employees, for whom we have also activated insurance. We are also studying a bonus to be paid in welfare to the workers who supported us in the period of March-April, allowing us not to stop the plants.

For the moment, we have not had the need to activate social safety nets, but instead we have, where possible, resorted to smart working, involving in particular the commercial, accounting and administration sectors (approximately 70% of the staff).

Whenever possible, however, we expect a gradual return to normal business hours: in fact we believe that, for our reality, the "traditional" form of work is more efficient and effective.

Also in relation to finding the raw material, we reacted promptly from the first signs of the emergency: also in March we decided to acquire massive materials, mostly from abroad, which guaranteed us full operation».

The choices and technological investments undertaken in the past prove useful to face the situation. Torta is convinced of this, specifying: «The company choice to be as "autonomous" and verticalized in all phases of the supply chain has allowed us not to suffer delays and not be penalized too much in this difficult period. We have three extruders with which we internally produce PET-PP-PS-PLA and 19 thermoforming lines, with which we convert the finished product starting from the material made with our extruders. All equipment is new and avant-garde, in line with the "philosophy" I4.0: and this made it possible to solve some problems very quickly (by means of remote diagnostics), avoiding the movement of technicians, even so impossible in this moment in time.

Although it is still difficult to make an objective assessment of the trend of these months, Torta expresses a cautious optimism: «Certainly, we recorded a significant drop in sales in the technical sector, but it is realistic to think that it was due to the serious difficulties of the entire sector rather than to a loss of Arcoplastica's market share. Fortunately, the technical sector affects only about 10% of the company's turnover, while the remaining 90% is linked to the food chain, where the losses have been more contained. This being the case, we will probably not be able to match the 2019 turnover, yet we consider ourselves lucky, because we operate in a sector that has not stopped. And then, we can look to the future with greater faith, triggered by the awareness that the perception of plastic packaging has been completely re-evaluated, going from a "demonized" article to a hygienic, light and safe means, which has allowed us not to stop the chain of food supplies in the most tragic period of the pandemic».