Following Latest Decree, Italian Manufacturers Shut Down Until April 3

Responding to the Italian government’s latest action on March 22 regarding the worsening coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country, HVAC&R manufacturers announced they will be closed for two weeks, until April 3 inclusive.

The Ministerial Decree of March 22, 2020 states that all activities in Italy not considered essential to the country will be closed until that date.

Component manufacturer Frascold, is one such company. “Even Frascold, not being included in the list of essential activities for the country, will close,“ the company said in an email communication. However, it is keeping the shipping department open to process orders in progress until and including March 25, as permitted by the decreee. In addition, sales, technical support and customer-care functions remain operative “in smart-working mode to support you.”

Frascold, located in one of the areas of the world most impacted by the coronavirus,  noted in its message that, to ensure the priority is the safety of its employees  its Rescaldina, Italy, production plant was adhering “to the most stringent safety measures, such as sanitizing the environments, providing masks, gloves and sanitizing gels as well as an extensive use of smart working to combat the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.”

Another company shutting down for two weeks is OEM Enex, said its president, Sergio Girotto. “We are open for several other services to customers, like quotations, urgent  spare parts delivery, definition of orders, administration,” he noted. “This support is managed from remote (smart working) thanks to the strong IT platform implemented by Enex.”

Girotto added, “We are confident that we can re-open production on April 6.”

Manufacturer Castel said it plans to  cease operations until April 3. However, its Vimercate finished products warehouse will remain operational for shipping until March 25, and its commercial, administrative and other offices will continue functioning via “smart-working.”

“We would like to thank all the workers who during this difficult period have continued to work in a state of strong anxiety and concern, but who have nevertheless allowed our company to continue to operate and serve its customers,” said Castel in a statement. The company, it added, immediately adopted “all the security measures prescribed by the authorities” to protect its workers. 

Manufacturer Arneg is also temporarily stoppingproduction. “We do apologize for any inconvenience that this compulsory stop may cause you and we want to reassure you that all the orders in place will beprocessed as soon as we are back,” said Filippo Marzaro CEO of Arneg, in an emil message to customers and partners.

“Should you need any assistance in the next two weeks, be sure that our export managers will remain at your disposal and will do their best to support you,: Marzaro added. In addition, Arneg’s service department is allowed to remain operational toassist customers in Italy with reparation and/or maintenance services. “We can only hope that these strict measures could be helpful and allow all of us to return soon to a healthy, normal life,” he said.

Compressor manufacturer Dorin will close from March 26 to April 3, said Giovanni Dorin. chief marketing and business development officer. “We have general mail (dorin@dorin.com) that will gather all the information from customers and suppliers and these will be screened and forwarded.”

How does COVID-19 affect you?

As the pandemic continues to evolve globally and the effects become clearer, we’d like to find out how the HVAC&R industry is dealing with this. How is the virus affecting your business and what have you done to adapt in these challenging times? Share your view bysending an email to: michael.garry@shecco.com