Confindustria Ceramica

19   Dicembre   2013

Logistic Course at Don Magnani

Presentation of logistics course at Don Magnani secondary school in Sassuolo: an outstanding employment opportunity for young people

The Don Magnani secondary school in Sassuolo held an open house yesterday to present its new course in Logistics, the first of its kind organised in the Emilia Romagna region. At 6.00 pm the school’s principal Alessandra Borghi and the course teachers took visitors on a guided tour of the school’s laboratories. The captain of the Sassuolo football team Francesco Magnanelli and his teammate Lino Marzorati were amongst the guests. Following the tour, the principal Alessandra Borghi met Confindustria Ceramica chairman Vittorio Borelli and System chairman Franco Stefani in the school hall to discuss the role and importance of logistics in the Italian ceramic industry.


 “Alongside its manufacturing operations, the Sassuolo ceramic cluster is also an important logistic centre considering that each year around 23 million tons of ceramic materials pass through the area,” noted Confindustria Ceramica Chairman Vittorio Borelli. “These materials consist of 8.5 million tons of incoming raw materials, an equal quantity of outgoing finished products and 5.5 million tons of short-range transits, which essentially involve movements of semi-finished and finished products between the various factories and between the factories and the suppliers of services and raw materials, as well as transport from neighbouring regions. To get an idea of the scale of the phenomenon, one need only consider that the transport of these goods is in the region of 4,580 trucks a day, calculated considering an average transported weight of 20 tons per truck and 250 days of operation. Logistics costs equate to 14.9% of our companies’ turnovers,” continued Borelli. “If we take a broader view that includes the entire chain of value of ceramic products and not just manufacturing activities, the total cost of logistics rises to 24% of turnover.”


System’s Chairman Franco Stefani commented: “Sassuolo is more important today as a logistics platform than as a manufacturing centre. Consequently, the materials transfer process must be increasingly computerised in order to optimise order synchronisation. Whereas in 1960 it took around 6 months to transform incoming raw materials into finished products, it now takes around 60 days. This means it is essential to employ trained logistics experts who are capable of making full use of the new technologies. One vital aspect is the cluster’s infrastructure network, particularly the Campogalliano-Sassuolo link road which is essential for connections with the Italian ceramic industry’s main markets.”


Lastly, the school’s principal Alessandra Borghi explained that the course comprises an initial two-year period common to all technical institutes, followed by a programme of study that includes company internships and presentations by experts from local companies in subjects such as logistics, information technology, mechanical engineering, English, economic geography, law, economics and transportation. Given the increasing importance of this professional role, school leavers are expected to be highly employable and will have excellent foundations if they choose to attend the degree course in Management Engineering at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

Confindustria Ceramica and System are promoting the new logistics course by providing educational support and organising internships to help introduce students to the world of work. This course covers key subjects for the ceramic industry and therefore offers secondary school students the best possible preparation for their future careers.