Tubes big and small in total safety

Work creates sociality, companies invest but…what about the incentives?

Fabio Gussoni, CEO Scandolara Spa (Garbagnate Milanese, Mi), production of aluminium and plastic tubes for the packaging of cosmetic, oral care, pharma and food products.

«The generous legislative production Anti-Covid 19 which began on Sunday 8 March, has provided for the so-called necessary activities, including plastic packaging and metal containers for food and pharmaceutical use: for which Scandolara has fortunately never stopped working  and has not even yet had to activate  social safety nets »underlines Fabio Gussoni, entering into the merits of the organization of the work.

«Our company has a strong industrial connotation, organized over three work shifts from Monday to Saturday from 06:00 to 06:00, and for most functions, presence is required either in production or in support activities. Only a few "central" figures could have been de-materialized and operated in smart working; we have therefore decided to favor elderly colleagues or those who, in the family, had or still have relatives who are a lowered immune system  or who are affected by particular pathologies... Overall, a dozen out of a total of 238 employees. At this moment, only colleagues from the sales department located in the north of Milan take turns to observe some periods of smart working, but as soon as we have the opportunity to return to the company, we will all do so with great enthusiasm. We are actually tired and tried and tested by staying at home and not directly interacting with colleagues because, after all, work is the truest expression of sociability... My thoughts go to a seller who cannot shake hands and greet his customer or to the quality manager who must, remotely, judge the quality of a process or product...».

Gussoni also notes with satisfaction the diligence with which all the preventive measures have been activated in the company: «In advance of 15 days from the "Save Italy" Decree, we had  prepared the use of the necessary medical devices, the frequent sanitization of work environments, the "social" distancing both during the canteen break and entering and leaving the premises, anticipating or postponing entering/exiting the company by 30 minutes, so as to avoid gatherings. But - he adds - let me emphasize that Scandolara has been ISO 15378 certified for some time (as specified in the requirements of the Quality Management System for companies manufacturing materials used in the primary packaging of medical and cosmetic devices) as well as ISO 9001: it is therefore in our DNA to respect stringent procedures guarding against any danger of contamination».

In the face of some slight delays by non-strategic suppliers following the closure of certain areas in Italy or abroad, Scandolara did not experience any particular problems with the subcontracting or the procurement of materials, so much so that «contrary to any forecast, for the first quarter we recorded a surge in the order backlog, thanks above all to the food and parapharmaceutical sector.

The situation between April and May was different, however, when we were hit by the effects of the closure of the entire professional beauty sector (beauty treatments, beauty salons, Spas, hairdressers ...). Unfortunately - the manager reasons - we must consider that the 11 weeks of lockdown will never be recovered by the affected product sectors. Do not think of recoveries along the way; what is lost, remains lost! We can only hope that consumers will return to the "pre-Covid" consumption of goods and services as early as this promising start to summer. But it is true, however, that the recovery should be supported by economic incentives and shock absorbers, both for exhibitors and consumers; however, apart from a few "lucky" ones, there are still millions, and I mean millions, of citizens waiting to receive the subsidy for the month of March».

Gussoni concludes his discussion with a second, albeit calm, polemical note: «The emergency forced us to unexpected expenses, generated by theAnti-Covid package, some "one shot ", many other recurring and mandatory; the government has indeed undertaken to recognize the total deductibility of these expenses up to a maximum limit of € 20,000; however, we know that only a few lucky people have won the "click-day" lottery, ensuring the "bonus" for a 50% tax credit with a maximum limit of €50million. In a country like Italy, where there are millions of businesses ... we can only imagine the vying for favor and the confusion».