Giuseppe e F.lli Bonaiti: wire drawing in Italy during the COVID-19 emergency

Health, economy, politics, work: the COVID-19 emergency has affected every aspect of our lives to varying degrees. At the center of the controversy is Lombardy, the first hotbed of the epidemic in Italy and one of the major industrial areas in the country. So, while the heated debate on hot topics such as health, unemployment, the role of the institutions, and prospects continues, it's time for companies to take stock of the damage.

We discussed these subjects with Mauro Cogliati, sales manager of Giuseppe and F.lli Bonaiti, a historic wire drawing company of the region, specialized today in the production of wire and wire rod in different types of steel, for numerous fields of application.

How did you deal with the lockdown? Did you have to downright close the company, or were you able to keep some departments operational?
"We had to suspend our production starting from March 19, as per ministerial decree. We set up remote working practices to continue the administration and commercial activities. As a result of numerous requests from essential businesses, we then adopted all the necessary measures (PPE, frequent sanitizations, no business meeting with customers and suppliers) to reopen some of our departments as early as April 20".

Do you think the timing for Italy's restart was right? And are the safety provisions adequate to combat the epidemic?
"The falling infection rate stands to the effectiveness of the containment measures. On an institutional level, however, the emergency could have been handled differently. Probably, the first outbreaks should have been isolated earlier, establishing a real red zone right from the beginning. I do not think anyone expected an emergency of this magnitude, but the possible impact of the coronavirus was largely underestimated. Also regarding the institution's support to companies, there is a considerable gap between saying and doing. In practice, we would have expected incentives or at least low-interest loans.”

Did you have to re-evaluate your objectives and priorities in the short/medium term?
"On closer inspection, the pandemic has only exacerbated an already relatively unfavorable economic situation. At the moment, our priority is to hold on and keep working hard. Should the emergency persist for several months, however, we will be forced to review the company structure, with potential unemployment issues. Will the request for the redundancy fund continue? Is it going to be available for everyone? The fact that the employees are back to work was certainly reinvigorating, but not being able to make predictions even in the short term (medium to long term is practically impossible) is raising concern. I think we all agree that we are living in a moment of absolute uncertainty, with many question marks about the future."

Fairs and events are an important business opportunity for companies: do you think the virus will impact their organization?
"No doubt trade fairs are a great networking opportunity for companies to display their products and do business. That being said, gathering thousands of people from all over the world under the same roof makes you question whether they are really necessary during this critical phase. Personally, I believe that at present we can do without them. We live in the digital age, where everything is just a click away (Expometals is a good example of this), even if the human aspect typical of personal relationships is partly missing".

Many agree that the pandemic will leave a heavy toll on the national and international economy. Do you share these concerns?
"Probably nothing will be the same as before, we will have to change our habits even when doing our small everyday things. Word has gotten around we are about to face a lasting crisis even worse than the financial collapse of 2008. Even abroad, the situation appears to be largely the same: some of our European customers have continued to work, while others had to shut down their production for a few weeks. The future is uncertain and consumption forecasts for the coming months are also unknown. As a result, outstanding orders remain on hold. Not having therapy to treat the disease or a vaccine exacerbates the climate of uncertainty and concern. Unfortunately, in the current situation we cannot afford any mistakes: if this were to happen again, if a new wave of COVID-19 were to hit us, what would we do? Another lockdown?"