Cristiano Paravano, general manager of the Gatto Astucci parent company and member of the board of directors, talks exclusively to WMIDO about the steps takenby his group before theWestern world was devastated by COVID-19, and the evolution in its manufacturing.
Tell us about your group.
Currently we are an important player in the area of eyewear, beauty and jewellery. The group is composed of a number of companies operating in segments like packaging, cases, displays and solutions for in-store communication. Gatto Astucci is the parent company and boasts 83 years in business. Our manufacturing sites are located in Italy, Croatia and China.In 2019, our turnover was 48 million and we had a commercial presence in crucial fashion areas: Italy, France and Hong Kong. Our company is proud to have a strong vocation for manufacturing and it is characterised by a very strong commitment to sustainability: we began the sustainability project in 2013 and it evolves every year.
What actions did your company take to fight COVID-19?
In view of the number of years it has been on the market, I can state that my company is used to coping with economic-financial stress. For us COVID-19 began when it appeared in China and we immediately made preparations to cope with the long wave that would inevitably hit the Western world.The first reaction was to protect people, therefore aspects linked to the immediate management of our collaborators, followed by the economic-financial protection of the company.During the lockdown Gatto Astucci production was the only one we had to stop for a couple of weeks because the ATECO code did not include it amongstthe companies that would have been able to stay open, and also to protect our operators.