Formerly Bekaert, the Nuova Icom season gets underway

A new chapter has begun for the Bekaert plant in Macchiareddu, in the Cagliari area. As of yesterday, the plant – which previously produced tyre reinforcement cords – is now operating under the umbrella of Nuova Icom. This Sardinian company, which employs 1,100 people, operates in the metalworking sector, with contracts ranging from the construction of industrial plants to metal structural work, pipework and major infrastructure projects for the energy, oil & gas and renewable energy sectors.

At the plant located in the Cagliari metropolitan area, there is not only a change of name but also a shift in philosophy and objectives – and no redundancies. For the 150 workers who kept the factory running until yesterday, a new chapter is beginning, with a focus on production and both domestic and foreign markets. “The starting point is the training of all workers,” emphasises Alessandro Calledda, managing director of Nuova Icom, “who will immediately undertake retraining courses before being integrated into the workforce.”

One of the new company’s strengths, as the CEO emphasises, is training. “Those who pass the courses are hired; those who fail are sent back for further training and then, after a second test, are hired,” he explains. “The added value comes from people who are committed and work as a team.”

The operation did not result in any redundancies but, as the Regional Authority has also emphasised, it led to the recruitment of new staff – with immediate appointments followed by further hires once the training programme had been completed – totalling over 150 employees. “This is a positive development,” adds the managing director, “in a landscape marked by many ongoing crises.” It is another step forward for Nuova Icom, which was established following the going-concern acquisition of Icom from the insolvency proceedings. “Our philosophy,” he adds, “is to see opportunity in danger, rather than the other way round. And so to strive to find other solutions as well.”

The trade unions are also taking a positive view of the new direction being taken by the former Bekaert plant, now known as Nuova Icom. “We can say that this is a beacon of hope amidst so much gloom,” remarks Marco Mereu, secretary of the Fiom trade union in Cagliari. “The positive aspect of this situation is that, for once, we have a Sardinian entrepreneur taking over such an important company in Sardinia, and that all the workers will still be employed and no one will be left out in the cold.”