COMENIUS PROJECT 2013-2015

CRISIS ? WHAT CRISIS?

An Interview with Angelo Franzoni,

Entrepreneur of SINTER-SIDERIT Company

1- Is there a financial crisis in Europe?

Crisis is not only in Europe but it is worldwide because a few people played financial games. There was real finance and virtual finance.

If we had had global learning and global management training, then I believe, the crisis would not exist.

2- How does it affect your business?

The crisis affected and it is still affecting our work. The crisis is not over yet.The crisis took away outlets for our production and some people benefitted from this.In a crisis time you have to sharpen your wits to survive.

2- How does it affect your business?

Some people behave very badly.

Our customers were losing money, for example, “ILVA Taranto” stopped its production.

You need to link your brain with others and go on together.

It is also a cultural crisis.

3- What do you do to overcome the crisis?

I survive to overcome the crisis. Our firm started cooperating withanother two or three companies because you can not survive on your own.

You need to form alliances buying some capital shares so as not to lose the market.

Then you write objectives in the “Statutes”.

3- What do you do to overcome the crisis?

You need to concentrate forces and work together and wait for a better time for the market, wait for the market to improve.We try to widen our selling horizons. We buy directly raw materials without intermediaries: ores, iron alloys, vanadium for steelworks.

3- What do you do to overcome the crisis?

We also need to know chemistry and laboratory techniques to process raw materials into finished products. We kept our name and our identity because if you change your company name you can not get bank credit.

4- How could this crisis be avoided and what would your advice be to the young people of Europe?Crisis could be avoided with a globalized culture, same books, same aims, same EU directives, so that we can build and create together.Crisis could be avoided through shared principles, through a European government and not different politics in each country.All educational systems have to be European ones but we are too litigious.

4- How could this crisis be avoided and what would your advice be to the young people of Europe?

Young Europeans need to have courage to do something and they also need to dream . Dream an aim, so courage and mind are important.They also need perseverance to reach their objectives. You cannot give up on a project, you have to finish it.

5- Is there a crisis only in Italy or also in the countries where you sell and buy your products?The crisis is everywhere. Europe is brought down. China is increasingand it is producing 70% of all raw materials in the world. It is producing twice the amount that the rest of the world produces. Outside Europe countries are flourishing.

5- Is there a crisis only in Italy or also in the countries where you sell and buy your products?

We are buying 90% of our products from China.The Chinese government is stable. Our government talks, makes laws but bends the rules.Governments have to do their tasks.

5- Is there a crisis only in Italy or also in the countries where you sell and buy your products?

India is not as good as China maybe for its different social organization.Africa was and is impoverished of all its raw materials.Comenius has to be compulsory for all the schools.Students have to go abroad and get European competences.