Innovation and strategic integration in Italian logistics: the CAL model

A further strategic leap was made by the company in 2008, within an economic framework that saw the logistics sector explode and a consequent surge in labour. "Packages were moved with arms," recalls Modugno to emphasise the large human presence in the sector. The increase in manpower led to a focus on the social aspect, prompting CAL to be the first to develop industrial relations and Modugno, thanks to his experience in this area, to take on the role of president of AGCI's labour services sector, active in negotiating contract renewals at the national table together with the unions. In logistics, the workforce is characterised by a broad cultural spectrum, with a significant percentage of employees coming from abroad. It is therefore crucial to manage this growth with an inclusive approach aimed at enhancing every nuance of professionalism so as to turn cultural diversity into an advantage.

It is in this sense that another fundamental pillar of CAL is highlighted: trust, understood as the ability to glimpse potential even before it manifests itself, accompanying each person on his or her development path, supporting and encouraging each path of personal and professional growth. It is no coincidence that the company has thrived, and thrives, on internally grown talent. "It's easy to have a star performer on your team and put them on the field," says Modugno. "Much more difficult to have confidence in an as yet unexpressed talent by giving him room to emerge."

The latest important innovation concerns territorial expansion, which has seen CAL extend from the province of Milan to the whole of northern and central Italy. A development born out of a concrete need: the intuition that, in order to offer complex services, a more solid turnover capable of supporting an articulated organisation was necessary. The idea was to provide the market with a structure capable of implementing interdisciplinary governance policies with financial solidity and advanced skills in industrial relations management and multi-sector logistics engineering, with particular attention to security issues, in addition to the necessary operational capabilities.

In the course of time, amodular company was thus created, made up of companies specialising in different and complementary services: operational warehouse management, lean management projects, process analysis, personnel recruitment, etc. A single interlocutor able to guarantee the customer acomprehensive service encompassing all facets of logistics.

The key factors behind CAL's rise were three: integration, simplification and innovation. Integration means enhancing diversity, not only of the cultural sphere but also of the working background: the more operational component of the company merges with the more technical one to provide the customer with a complete service.

Simplifying means streamlining and making efficient structured processes, denoted by recurring criticalities and redundancies. The logistics operator must act as a simplifier of complexity.

And finally innovate, to understand or anticipate the future of logistics, given that the transition resulting from industrial automation will require both technological skills - to conscientiously govern the advent of innovations - and relational skills - to accompany staff in the paradigm shift.

The combination of these ingredients has led CAL, under Modugno's leadership, to establish itself as a strategic and proactive partner that does not just execute orders but offers innovative and comprehensive solutions.

*Director of the Academy of Strategic Communication