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 Ceramic and bricks |
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| First Members’ Meeting of Federazione Ceramica e Laterizi The first members’ meeting of Federazione Confindustria Ceramica e Laterizi, the second-level organisation founded by Confindustria Ceramica and Andil in July, was held this afternoon at Novotel Bologna Fiera. Chairman Franco Manfredini officially opened the proceedings, after which Catervo Cangiotti, Chairman of Andil, was elected Vice Chairman. A discussion was then held of possible shared development strategies in the fields of energy and the environment, the study centre, communications and publication. Next, Giuseppe Schirone from Prometeia gave a presentation on the situation in the building industry in Italy with an analysis of the forecasts for the coming two-year period in the various market segments. “To inject vigour into the struggling Italian building market, it is essential to effectively launch the Housing Programme, the results of which are still very limited,” argued Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica and of the Federation. “Another crucial factor, particularly in the field of large-scale works, is that of more rapid payments by the Public Administration, because there is a real risk of work coming to a standstill at a large number of sites.” “The Federazione Ceramica e Laterizi reinforces our representation activities, allowing us to exert a greater influence at the various negotiation tables,” noted Catervo Cangiotti, Chairman of Andil and Vice Chairman of the Federation. “Equally important are the possible synergies in the services offered to member companies in a number of areas. This is an important activity, particularly at a time of major change like the present.” “Cooperation between our Associations in the areas of environment and energy has already yielded significant results,” argued the Federation’s Director General Armando Cafiero. “For example, the Emissions Trading initiatives have helped optimise the framework conditions for implementation of this new legislation for our companies from 2013 onwards, while activities relating to industrial demand of natural gas have enabled participating companies to recover almost 13 million euro on purchasing costs. However, much remains to be done in developing increasingly integrated synergies that will help bridge the competitiveness gap with respect to foreign rivals.” Trade Federation was born... At its last meeting, the Executive Board of Confindustria recognised the constitution of the new national trade federation “Confindustria Ceramica e Laterizi”, which came into being as a result of the merger between Confindustria Ceramica and ANDIL, the Italian association of brick and roof tile manufacturers. The Federation was set up to facilitate operational relations and synergies between the two associations with a view to stepping up external promotional efforts in Italy and the European Community. Its objectives also include promoting the improvement and efficiency of its offering for businesses, by streamlining and optimising the services and resources available to member companies. In particular, the purpose of the new federation is to bring about major synergies in the many areas of shared interest (energy, environment, communication, studies centre, R&D, etc.) and representation at both national and international level, where the two associations belong to the same European federation. These synergies will be achieved at zero cost, and with no additional charges for members. With 445 member companies, representing some 40,000 employees, Confindustria Ceramica e Laterizi is a major player on the economic stage in Italy, and represents turnover in the order of 6.4 billion euro, of which exports account for almost 60%. These figures do not include the internationalisation of production, which relates to 19 foreign subsidiaries, employing a further 6,300 people and generating turnover of 875.5 million euro. The Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica, Franco Manfredini, who now joins the Executive Board of the new federation as Chairman, announced that: “The formation of Confindustria Ceramica e Laterizi strengthens the role and importance of these two key sectors in the national and international building industry. The creation of this new federation will enhance the capacity of Confindustria Ceramica and Andil to represent the legitimate interests of its member-companies to best effect”. Catervo Cangiotti, Chairman of Andil, added: “I warmly welcome the decision of the Executive Board of Confindustria to recognise our new federation. At a time of serious economic crisis, alliances provide a vital means of improving services to members, and optimising running costs. This is the spirit in which we have formed Confindustria Ceramica e Laterizi, and we will work in close collaboration with our “parent company” Confindustria”. |
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