GUSBI, specialized in the manufacturing of polyurethane molding machines, looks to the future with hope. We talked about it with Irene Bianchi, Sales Department Manager
“Our beating heart is polyurethane”, says Irene Bianchi, Sales Department manager, member of the third generation in charge of the family business founded in 1946 in Vigevano, one of the oldest industrial districts of the Italian fashion system. The company’s core is the production of machinery for footwear, Gusbi has specialized in the manufacturing of polyurethane molding systems. “Over time we have experienced that our technology could be useful in all the sectors that use this type of material.” Today Gusbi provides “turnkey” systems that run worldwide, destined to the footwear industry and other sectors. During this period of health emergency, the company looks to the future with hope, relying on a sustainable development and on the enhancement of the available resources.
Irene Bianchi
Irene Bianchi, how has the pandemic crisis affected your business? During the first lockdown imposed by the Government Decree in March, we decided to suspend production, although we were allowed to work, and to carry out only those tasks that we could manage remotely. At a time of great confusion, we had to figure out how to handle the situation. The lockdown allowed us to set the company for all the regulations regarding the workplace safety and the anti-contagion precautions.
The next edition of Simac Tanning Tech expected for February will instead be postponed to the second half of 2021. What do you think will be the consequences of this decision? I am happy with this decision taken by Assomac, I believe it is the best solution especially for suppliers who, like us, work mainly with foreign countries. If the fair took place in February, we should have started organizing it in a climate of full uncertainty towards the future, assuming all the risks of a possible noshow of foreign customers, especially those from extra- European countries. Simac Tanning Tech is an international event that attracts buyers from all over the world and when travel restrictions are in force, the risk is to waste an edition, compromising the efforts that the setting up of a fair normally requires. The rescheduling to September let us breathe a bit and make the necessary considerations.
What consequences did the cancellation of the trade fairs you usually attend internationally have for your company in terms of visibility and orders? Physical presence at the fair cannot be compared to a virtual fair. However, in the impossibility of participating in person, the online shows have proved to be an intelligent solution and the only possible remedy. The virtual exhibitions we joined were a useful and necessary tool to stay positioned within the different countries. Some events had a positive response, others less, but this depended on the structuring of the single IT platform. As long as the pandemic situation prevents the return to normality, the virtual fair must be promoted and made as effective and efficient as possible. Technologies exist and are ready to support us more and more.
In this emergency situation, how did you guarantee customer service? Let’s say that we managed to stop the problem, thanks to a well-structured organization. Given the exceptional nature of a pandemic that hit the whole world without distinction, customers were the first to come to us with real teamwork. We managed to organize some trips to those countries where a two-week quarantine was not required, on the contrary we must thank our customers for their full cooperation in becoming aware of the difficulties and in finding an alternative solution.
The growing consumer’s attention to environmental issues and to the purchase of guaranteed products is leading the efforts of the manufacturing industry towards production models that are efficient from an energy point of view, less polluting and respectful of ethical and safety standards. How do you face this challenge? We were among the first to use the Green Tag promoted by Assomac, the labeling system on the energy-environmental performance of the sector’s technologies, consolidating a path we had undertaken for some time. We are grateful to the Association for carrying out this project which will allow us to be ready when there is a boom in demand for green certified production plants. In Europe there is already a good level of awareness in this regard, thanks also to the driving force of the big names, more attentive to product and process sustainability. The essential lever would be support policies aimed at sustainable development and eco-technologies.
www.gusbi.com