13   Giugno   2012

New infrastructures for competitive businesses

A conference discussing the present situation

The infrastructures serving the Emilia region’s ceramic district have involved a total investment of around two billion euro. These infrastructures handle around 18 million tons of goods and have a significant impact on mobility in the local area and on the competitiveness of companies. To take stock of the district’s infrastructures, a conference was organised yesterday by Confindustria Ceramica, introduced by Director General Armando Cafiero. The speakers were Villiam Tioli, Chairman of the Transport and Raw Materials Commission of Confindustria Ceramica; Egidio Pagani, Assessor for Infrastructures and City and Land Development of the Province of Modena; Alfredo Gennari, Assessor for Infrastructures of the Province of Reggio Emilia; Paolo Ferrecchi, Director General for infrastructural networks, logistics and mobility systems of Regione Emilia-Romagna; Paolo Duiella, Managing Director of Autostrada del Brennero Spa; Carlo Costa, Technical Director of Autostrada del Brennero Spa; and Alessandro Manni, Public Works Area Director for the Province of Modena. The concluding remarks were given by Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica.

The conference began with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the earthquake that struck the Emilia region, after which awards were presented to the students of the Liceo “Formiggini” school in Sassuolo who attended the Logos course in logistics.

Confindustria Ceramic Chairman Franco Manfredini emphasised the strategic value of infrastructures for the ceramic district, which has made rapid finished product deliveries one of its key strengths with respect to competitors. “The authorities deserve praise for the work they have done to date and must be encouraged to continue in the same way, speeding up the process in order to complete the major projects that are still in progress,” he said. “As for the Campogalliano – Sassuolo motorway link road, we are still waiting to hear the name of the company that will be assigned the work.”

In her opening remarks, Assessor Claudia Severi from the Municipality of Sassuolo stressed the need for the motorway link road to be extended as far as Sassuolo. At the same time it is vitally important for railway connections to be upgraded, both for passenger and for freight transport, she said.

Villiam Tioli, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica’s Transport Commission, discussed the impact that transport logistics has for the ceramic sector. At present, 89% of raw materials are transported by road (finished products 74%) and each year a total of 1.14 million heavy-goods vehicles transit within the district. It is vital to achieve integration with rail transport to maximise the sector’s logistic efficiency and to minimise its costs.

Next to speak was the Provincial Assessor for Roads Egidio Pagani, who outlined the investment programme tabled by the Province of Modena for the district’s infrastructures, focusing in particular on the main road between Modena, Fiorano and Sassuolo which has helped to strengthen the local economy. Other major projects include the Cispadana road which runs through three provinces in the Emilia Romagna region, and the Campogalliano-Sassuolo motorway link road which is to be integrated with the freight terminals of Marzaglia and Dinazzano. Just a 4 km section remains to be built in order to complete the Pedemontana road linking the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Bologna at a cost of around 11 million euro.

Alfredo Gennari, Assessor for Infrastructures of the province of Reggio Emilia, noted that 124 km of new roads have been built in the province for a total investment of 350 million euro. Particularly important initiatives include the Reggio Emilia stop on the high-speed rail line, which allows for faster links between the area and Europe, and construction of the fourth lane on the A1 motorway between Modena and Piacenza. Gennari likewise stressed the strategic importance of the motorway link road between Campogalliano and Sassuolo, a project that also involves the Rubiera ring road.

Paolo Ferrecchi, Director General of Infrastructural Networks of Regione Emilia-Romagna, noted that the region is traversed by major roads and rail lines connecting  Italy with the rest of Europe, forming an integrated system that also involves ports and airports. In this connection, Andrea Gentile, Vice Chairman of the Port of Ravenna group, discussed the work that has been launched to adapt the seabed and wharfs for containers. The PRIT 2020 Regional Programme illustrates the various planned projects, including the construction of fourth lanes on the motorway sections between Bologna and Ravenna and between Modena and Piacenza.

Paolo Duiella, managing director of Autostrada del Brennero S.p.A., discussed motorway upgrading work including the addition of a third lane to the Modena-Verona section of the A22 and construction of a new A1-A22 interconnection, a project assigned to AutoBrennero (work costing a total of 400 million euro).

Next to speak was the Technical Director of Autostrade del Brennero S.p.A., Carlo Costa, who noted how Italy has fallen sharply over the years in the rankings of countries with the most modern infrastructures. This is particularly evident for the rail network, which in most cases still uses rails dating from the last century. Costa stressed the importance of a public-private partnership in building infrastructures, which, he argued, must be backed by a reform of the procurement code with the aim of streamlining procedures. The issuing of so-called Project Bonds should also be considered to allow for funding in accordance with the quality of the projects.

The report by Alessandro Manni, Director of the Public Works Department of the Province of Modena, focused on several works close to the district including completion of the remaining few kilometre section (near Ergastolo) of the Pedemontana Emiliana road between Bologna and Sassuolo, construction of a weir on the river Secchia to make the bridge safe, the building of a new bridge over the Secchia and construction of the Via Emilia Bis with the Rubiera bypass and extension of the southern section of the Modena ring road as far as the Modena Sud motorway exit. Last but not least, Manni warned of the danger of mafia infiltration in the contract awarding process.