Interview: “We didn’t see any sign of reduction in demand”

Inkmaker shut down plants in Europe but doubled the size of its Chinese plant. Production plants in Italy were or are still closed. To what extent were your production sites affected?
Roberto Guerra: Our production plant in Italy has been closed for 10 days even though, based on our type of business, we could keep operating. The board decided to close anyway and to get the plant and the staff re-organized to face the situation which we believe is going to be a reality for many months to come.

We re-opened on 10 April after getting ready with PPE for our staff and for the supplier, proper procedure to keep social distancing and a revised layout and workflow to guarantee the health of the people involved in Inkmaker factory. The same was done in our factory in Shanghai during the shutdown imposed by the China government. At the time we are speaking both factories are operating.

Are only locations in Italy affected?

Guerra: All our offices are affected, Italy, France, UK and Germany and for the staff working in design and software department we implemented home office procedures and an IT platform to keep working all together from different location.

Are there any measures you can actively take which gives you the permission to open your production plants?

Guerra: Being involved in essential industry like food packaging we could keep our premises open in Italy nevertheless also from our side we need to understand what the best measure is to work in a safe environment in addition to the rules imposed by the government.

How has your business been affected by COVID-19 so far, apart from the closures?

Guerra: Supplier chain has been affected and majority of our suppliers in Italy are still closed while in China the situation is getting normal. Working on project basis, we do have a buffer time to acquire and manufacture parts, for the time being our warehouse is compensating the delay on the suppliers’ side. We didn’t see any sign of reduction in demand, the numbers of projects we acquired in the past 3 months were the highest, that’s why we have decided to double our production floor in China.

You have re-scheduled your expansion plans in Shanghai, China. When will the plant be operational?

Guerra: We are proceeding with some renovation and we do apply the required licenses to the local authority which plan for a safety inspection anytime in the month of April. We will be ready in the new extended factory early May.

How will the new plant add to your capacities?

Guerra: We could double the number of standard machines we could ship monthly, from an average of 5 or 6 units to 10 units, the most important, and which added value for us, is the capability to build more complex units were Inkmaker R&D is investing a lot of resources. Smart factory and Industry 4.0 are driving our growth and when you build complete production lines for an ink and paint company it is important to have enough space to work in total safety.

Will a global customer base be served from the Shanghai plant?

Guerra: For the time being Shanghai will direct its focus on the growing Asian market. The Italian plant will serve global customer in all other regions.

How do you rate the situation regarding COVID-19 in China?    

Guerra: China acts swiftly, and the draconian measure implemented early February have produced significant results. The pandemic is under control and most important, the people’s awareness and discipline seem to be present and that’s is the most effective way to stop the spreading of Covid-19.

The interview was conducted by Damir Gagro