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um, the possibility to ask for payments to be suspended, by extending
the ‘Joint Agreement’ to July 31 st 2011. However, for
those companies that already took advantage of the Agreement
and started to pay off their debts, there is the possibility to extend
the amount of time remaining on the loans by up to three
years, so taking the pressure off the payback plan. It also needs
pointing out that the banks, under this agreement, have taken
on the responsibility to grant companies, that have increased
their capital, loans that are equal to a multiple of the actual increase
in said capital. I believe that these types of agreement are
extremely positive, as they lay down the conditions that are
needed for economic recovery and they highlight a closer and
more trusting relationship between the banks and small/medium-sized
companies”.
The average size of Italian companies is much smaller
than those of many of their foreign competitors. How do
companies feel about joining forces and what initiatives
are underway in this respect?
“On the understanding that the dimensional factor (or rather
the size of a company) is not always synonymous with efficiency
and quality, there is still no doubt that Italian companies could
be more successful on an international level if they were to join
forces, as this is becoming increasingly more necessary if they
want to be able to compete on foreign markets. With this in
mind, Confindustria is pursuing the so-called ‘Business Networks’
Project, sustained by a national law (n. 122/2010 that
states urgent measures with regards to financial stabilisation
and economic competitiveness). It backs forms of aggregation
between companies, aimed precisely at tackling better the challenges
that crop up on the global market, even though it is not
always easy to fully understand this aspect. This does not take
away the fact that Italian firms are still an icon of quality, reliability
and safety in various industries, Fluid Power included,
and I would like to say that, despite the average size being smaller
than foreign competitors, they are well-rooted and consolidated
on the world’s markets”.
What role does an association like Assofluid have to play
when it comes to supporting companies?
“Some time ago, Assofluid set up a project aimed at increasing
the number of industry-based trade fairs that it attended
around the world, so as to further promote Italian produce
abroad: Assofluid considerably stepped up its presence in those
countries that are considered to be the most interesting from
both a commercial and economical development point of view.
Over the last few years, the association has attended trade-fairs
in China, Germany, India, Russia, America and Turkey. Attendance
is based on the organisation of associative groups (set up
during Hannover Messe and IFPE in Las Vegas) or in collaboration
with ICE and Promos, so as to further enhance Italy’s
presence in the events.
Then there are a number of initiatives and services, of benefit to
members, that support day-to-day corporate business, which
range from services of a statistical and technical nature, to promotions
and information, without ever losing sight of the various
conventions that are underway and other opportunities that
arise as a result of being part of the world of Confindustria.
Last but not least, and I feel must underline the fact, is the work
that Assofluid is doing in terms of training and sharing its scientific
know-how in oil hydraulics circles. It is with this spirit
that, in collaboration with Cetop (European Fluid Power Com-
Last year, production within the oil hydraulics industry went up by
43% and the pneumatics industry was up by 51%.
mittee), the training programme was set up which, so far, has
led to the certification of a number of centres that specialise in
teaching and certifying about twenty people who leave with a
qualification at the end of the course. In fact, I believe that,
now more than ever before, specialisation can be an added value
that is absolutely indispensable if you are to get ahead on the
employment market, even more so in an industry such as ours,
which is also at the forefront and which offers numerous possibilities
to improve and develop. I also think that this, on an
equal footing with the work being done with Confindustria, is
a great help to our associated companies”.
What does the event at Hannover Messe represent for the
Italian industry?
“There no point trying to hide the fact that Hannover Messe is
the trade-fair par excellence for the Fluid Power industry. It is a
reference model, capable of offering a worldwide showcase, and
a chance for the most important operators on our market to
meet up. Let’s not forget that Germany is one of the world’s leading
countries as far as fluid power is concerned and this is also
another reason why Italy is, without a doubt, the foreign country
with the highest number of exhibitors taking part in this
event. Therefore, attending means reinforcing even further the
value of “Made in Italy” produce for all oil hydraulics and
pneumatics companies, whilst, at the same time, making direct
contact with all the main competitors, also on an international
level”.
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