CARLSBAD, Calif. (BRAIN) — A move to reorganize its labor structure has sparked a protest at Campagnolo’s Vincenza, Italy, factory. But Tom Kattus, Campy’s North American general manager, told BRAIN that the disruption should have no impact on delivery of Campy parts and groups to bike suppliers or distributors.
“We just don’t anticipate any problems,” said Kattus, who was at the IBD Summit this week when he learned of the work stoppage. The reorganization affects 68 jobs and some of those were part of early retirement packages, he said.
Kattus said the company takes these issues seriously, but it’s been part of a multi-year effort to restructure the company now that it has two factories operating in Romania. “It’s really about creating efficiency within the company,” he added.
In a statement issued by Valentino Campagnolo, the company’s owner and president, he said the reorganization was inevitable “to ensure production continuity at the Vincenza site.”
That site also includes Campy’s research and development facility and new product development. "The plan aims to recover market share and margin that have eroded in recent years, due to the declining competitiveness of our Italian facilities,” Campagnolo’s statement said.
The restructuring drops the site’s employment level from 399 to 331. The company’s trade union is protesting the decision.
"It does not include any real intention to invest to make the Vicenza plants more efficient and increase its competitiveness, in order to face the new challenges of the global market," a spokesman for the Italian trade union said.