“Everything is running at full speed”. A comforting message comes from Scandicci. The sender is a leather goods company, Sapaf Atelier 1954, led by Andrea Calistri. “We have successfully implemented a video conference system to keep in touch with our clients – told us the entrepreneur –. We have made distances shorter to get closer to customers, who cannot travel for the time being. In fact, the company, which specializes in top-quality manufacturing for private labels and self-branded, has created a virtual showroom as a suitable solution to ensure ongoing commercial relations. As regards production, he pointed out: “Our plants are running at full speed. At present, we are up to deliveries. Of course, we have put into effect all necessary measures in order to tackle the current health emergency, while abiding by all guidelines and adopting a number of procedures that strictly comply with the regulations issued by Italian government”.
Sapaf Atelier 1954 virtual showroom
“Although we cannot physically meet up, we are not going to stop – remarked Calistri –. We have already arranged a couple of meetings, and everything worked perfectly”. A video call system on Skype enables our company to “welcome” buyers and clients in our corporate showroom. We thought about this initiative aiming not to interrupt relations and connections with our customers all around the world, of course without violating any restrictions in force across the whole of Italian country. In other words, we do not want “to disrupt the chain connecting made in Italy manufacturing to the rest of the world”.
A non-stop production
“Since we work a lot in the North American market and in Europe as well, our production did not stop – emphasized Calistri, who is also the deputy president of Assopellettieri –. We are very much up to deliveries now: for the time being, we are not going through any difficulties apparently, not for orders we are currently handling at least”. Despite that, we are concerned, most of all about winter sales. “We will see how things go, from July to September. I am concerned about our winter collection and the following one, namely the Cruise collection. Even though the virus outbreak is going to decline, we have to see how things will be going in the rest of the world. We are about to go through a difficult year anyway. Consequences will undoubtedly affect and hit the market, though we cannot work them out yet. Since we deal with several clients and small businesses, we hope that diversification will help us”.
Safety in the factory
While aiming to ensure work safety standards in the manufacturing plant, Sapaf have implemented “all the latest guidelines and rules”. Every day, in the morning, we set a meeting with our employees to restate recommendations and take stock of the situation. “Fortunately, we can keep a security distance between our work desks”. When it comes to goods loading and unloading, we make use of surgical-like masks and gloves. Besides that, only authorised personnel are allowed to get in the factory. “We strongly advise everyone to abide by rules in order to self-ensure work safety standards”.
The sound of silence in Scandicci
“Scandicci’s industrial area is still bustling, but not so much as it used to be of course – remarked Calistri –. Some companies are not running at full speed now. In wider terms, one can feel something weird in the air. You cannot breathe the usual lively atmosphere. One can rather feel a sort of silence around. We are facing a very difficult situation, both on a national and a worldwide scale – wrapped up the Florentine entrepreneur –. Such is our positive contribution basically: we are here”.
