Bergi, new steps towards sustainability

Bergi, a leading manufacturer of machinery for the tanning industry based in Arzignano, is proceeding with the ISO 14001 environmental certification process. Investments continue after the expansion of the headquarters, and a 60th anniversary celebration is planned for 2025

2024 will be an important year of further development, if not a turning point, for Bergi Spa, a leading manufacturer of machinery for the tanning industry, particularly for processing all types of leather. Founded in 1965 by Giovanni Bergozza, the Veneto company will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year, an important and prestigious milestone in what is also a fine family history. At the head of the company is in fact the son of the founder, Mauro, who also holds the role of national vice-president of Assomac, a partner together with his brothers Alberto and Federico. The third generation is represented by Mauro’s sons, Samantha, Nicola and Leonardo.
The Veneto-based company is taking further steps towards sustainability: it is now working to obtain the ISO 14001 certification, which represents an important environmental ‘badge’, linked to the management system that has required a series of ‘green’ actions. These works were carried out with the expansion of the headquarters in Arzignano, which now covers 5,600 square meters, while the one in Gambellara, also in the province of Vicenza, covers 5,100 square meters (3,600 for production and 1,500 used as secondhand machinery warehouse), for an overall total of 10,700 square meters. In the meantime, investments continue, while the number of employees – currently around seventy, out of which 15 are in Gambellara – has remained constant despite the difficult economic moment, particularly in the tanning sector. “Looking at the future,” explain Mauro and Leonardo Bergozza, who we interviewed at the Arzignano headquarters, “the ISO 14001 certification represents a prestigious goal because it best identifies the company strategy, carried out by our family for almost 60 years, which we will celebrate in a few months as the icing on the cake. It is a project that we have been pursuing for a couple of years, the biggest problem has been the bureaucratic process, but we are finally at the end of the road, all that is missing is a small building operation. Over the last three years, at a time when the tanning sector has been suffering, and not only because of the post-Covid period, we have made significant investments, which we felt were necessary to look towards the future. Here in Arzignano, we made use of the call for tenders from the Veneto Region, which guaranteed aid and tax breaks for projects such as lighting, door and window frames, and other structures, which covered part of the ‘green’ investments, which totalled about half a million euros.”
What are the advantages of building the new facility in Arzignano?
“The large spaces allow us to run several assembly lines at the same time. With the birth of the new facility, we proceeded with the restructuring of the spaces: specifically, we have not adopted the Japanese ‘Kaizen’ method, but iwe draw inspiration from it. When we expanded, we moved all machine assembly into the new building, while in the old building we left only the leather handling part, therefore the automation. In the new hall, we created work ‘islands’, each of which keeps the machine during all the assembly phases with the parts that are made by hand, equipped with a workbench, tools and all the services available. In this way the operator who assembles the individual machine does not have to move from his workplace, as he has everything at his disposal. We have been applying this system since late spring 2023, so for about a year now, we can say that we are satisfied with the results and therefore with the investment made.”
How are you structured?
“Expansion has led to larger areas, which means better handling of goods, saving time and costs. If in one island a machine is assembled but not loaded as soon as it is finished for organizational reasons, the operator can move and start working on the island next door. The area previously used for the presses, covering more than 1,000 square meters, has become an extension of the warehouse, allowing a more orderly and accessible storage of goods.”
How do you define your commitment to the environment?
“In Arzignano we have installed a photovoltaic system that covers about 90 per cent of our electricity needs. In Gambellara, where the coal-fired forge has been eliminated in favour of an induction electric system, we have equipped ourselves with a new cabin for further energy saving and electricity usability, and with the incentives coming with Transition 5.0 we will decide whether to install a photovoltaic system in those warehouses as well. We have almost completely eliminated gas boilers, keeping only emergency ones in case the heat pumps fail. We are equipped with a rainwater collection tank, which is mandatory in the new shed, and another will be built to serve the old one: this will allow us to reshape the washing of machines and parts with high-pressure hot water, reducing the use of solvents to the necessary minimum.”
What are the strengths of Bergi?
“From design to production, from sales to after-sales, we produce everything in-house, we only have a few subcontractors left for chromium-plating, powder coating and some of the heavy carpentry, for the light carpentry we take care of it. We also manage the electronics and software in-house, which is a great advantage as it means we have a 360-degree knowledge of the machines and can intervene in quickly and solve any problems.”
In the tannery machinery sector, probably only Bergi is able to guarantee the complete cycle…
“Well, if not the only ones, we are among the few. It must be said, producing everything in-house could sometimes cost more than relying on subcontractors, but it allows you to be more flexible and therefore more competitive in customer service. In emergency cases we have the possibility of interrupting routine mechanical processing to give priority to the customer who has an urgent need. Our production is now almost all customized, as it is increasingly tied to different sizes for space reasons, and the ‘emergency teams’ are also ready to arrive very quickly.”
How are your relations with the workforce?
“Ours is more of an ‘extended family’ than an enterprise, and over the years we have managed to calibrate our recruitment well: we have a distribution that ranges from 21 to almost 60 years old, which allows us a slow turnover, those who retire gradually are replaced by young people. For the latter we have no great difficulty in hiring them, if anything the problem is retaining them given the desire for new experiences and to discover different sectors. At a time when we talk about inclusiveness, there are only women in the administration, at office level there are more than 50 per cent. On a numerical level we are at the maximum for Bergi, actually in the past as a group we have exceeded 90, including the Bertech and Incoma brands.”
Yours is considered a modern, environmentally and employee-friendly facility…
“We can proudly say that we have a team with a great sense of belonging, whereby the construction of the new hall and the investments planned for the coming years are aimed at wellbeing in the workplace: thanks to solar panels, the premises are tempered in winter and cooled by air conditioning in summer, which is generally guaranteed in few industrial halls. In addition, there is always plenty of light in the new area. Employees have a canteen, which we created many years ago, where they can bring their own food or order from outside. We are also active in terms of company welfare, so we try to make employees feel part of the project. There are also bonuses at the end of the year if you surpass the target percentage.”
Bergi has always been very committed to social activities, helping local communities…
“At the sports level, we support Real S. Zeno Arzignano (Mauro Bergozza has been president for over 10 years, ed.), a sports club with 245 athletes of all ages in football and volleyball, a record, especially in this phase of decreased population growth. However, we are also attentive to other organisations and associations operating in the area. For example, at the beginning of spring we helped the Moby Dick cooperative, which takes care of the disabled, to purchase a new minibus, which they greatly needed, also involving other entrepreneurs in the valley.”