Identikit of the Modena company founded in 1975 by Luciano Salda
boasting 175 employees and a turnover of €32 million. In order to excel, the
focus must be on the person with health prevention services, corporate
volunteering and agreements for employees. The kindergarten, among the first to
be set up in Emilia-Romagna, has been active since 2007. For FARE Insieme, Giampaolo
Colletti interviewed Elena Salda, CEO of CMS S.p.A.
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Pioneers in
what they do. And mostly in how they do it. Because they know how to stay ahead
of the times and venture on still-unexplored paths with initiative and courage.
This avant-garde spirit is what best synthesises the story of CMS, an acronym
for Costruzioni Meccaniche Salda (Salda's Mechanical Constructions). The
company works in the precision metalworking sector for third parties and was
founded by Luciano Salda, who set it up in 1975 when, a little over thirty, he
left his job as a skilled worker in a leading local company and, together with
two partners, deposited one million of the old Lira. CMS currently boasts four
facilities in the two towns of Marano sul Panaro and Vignola. It employs 175
people - mostly metalworkers - with a turnover of €32 million in Italy and
abroad. The company focuses on mechanics and - as we will discover later - also
on people. Even More. Everything is synthesised in that unique balance between
technological and human capital, yet with the latter pushing and strengthening
the first.
People before everything. “We are
technicians, engineers, problem solvers.” This is the first point of the CMS
manifesto and it is an approach that is not just theoretical, as becomes
evident in daily work activities. “Our excellence is founded on the proximity
with clients, on the capability of meeting market demands and on the evolved
use of technology. Our skill is being ready to recognise different needs and
provide the right answer at the right time. Our relationship with our
clients is best expressed when we ask: “show us your project, your idea, and we will
develop it.” Our technicians transform a drawing into a finished product, even
machines featuring three thousand codes. We range from the raw material to the
manufacturing of the machine, down to the supporting supply chain. Work of an
immense complexity lies behind an order of just one line,” explained Elena
Salda, CEO of CMS S.p.A. But take heed. For this company born out of a passion
for mechanics, people make the difference more than evolved tools. “Machines
are definitely important, but they do not make a difference and a good bank
account is enough to buy them. We have a good fleet, evolved machining centres
and robotised processes but the right people are needed to maintain high levels
of efficiency and make sure machines provide the right answer. A skilled
competent team that wants to grow,” said Salda. The trump card therefore lies
in people. Salda has always (and well before others) tried to develop
initiatives to promote the well-being of her collaborators and improve their
quality of life. Corporate welfare projects that have been active for the past
fifteen years. CMS inaugurated the company kindergarten in 2007 i.e. 15 years
ago. It was one of the first experiences in Italy. It is called “Il paese dei
colori” and currently welcomes 42 children between 12 and 36 months. The name
(The land of colours) is inspired by a fairy-tale where diversity is an added
value, as is inclusion and welcoming.
“At the time, I was already convinced of this project because I thought
it provided a concrete answer to the needs of my employees. Integrative welfare
is everything - today, we promote health prevention activities, company
volunteering, flexible hours, specific agreements for employees. For me, the
essential thing is looking at people as a whole. That is why I firmly believe
in dialogue, in exchanging views. My door is always open,” said Salda. Then
there is the will to engage with the community. A win-win approach that sees
the company also engaging with academic and training bodies. “We welcome
students from Istituto Levi in Vignola or ITS in Modena, technical schools with
mechanical or mechatronics courses, for internships. We want to get to know
young people while they are still in school to provide them with a few more tools
along their path,” stressed Salda.
Between past and future. Born as a small assembly company, CMS immediately looked abroad,
investing in machine tool and choosing the scalable formula of a limited
company. “You must always renew yourself to be able to meet the needs of a
changing market. The objective is to always keep up to date and in the know
thanks to the skills acquired on the field. The best moment? The inauguration
of the kindergarten. The hardest one? The facility that opened then closed
south of Shanghai, in China, on which we spent a lot of energy and economic
resources. But one must learn from difficult situations and, after all, this is
what is happening at this moment in history, whose economic and geopolitical
aspects are changing due to the problems linked to supply chains, which are
being put to the test. In this context too, we can see opportunities with new
market spaces. There is also the evolution of the ecological and environmental
transition, which is having and will have an impact on the packaging and
processing of food. We will change the way we produce and I am optimistic about
the future,” concluded Salda. There is the glass half full, essential for both
past and present entrepreneurs.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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