Minister Salvini visits the Automar terminal in Gioia Tauro
On 20 November, the workers and management
of Automar, a leading company in the automotive logistics sector and a
subsidiary of the Grimaldi Group, welcomed Italian Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini to the Gioia
Tauro port terminal.
Also visiting were Nicola Carlone,
General Commander of the Italian Harbour Masters and Coast Guard, Giuseppe
Sciarrone, Maritime Director of Calabria and Tyrrhenian Basilicata, Andrea
Agostinelli, Chairman of the Port System Authority of the Southern
Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, and Martino Rendina, Gioia Tauro Harbour
Master.
Having thanked Minister Salvini and the
other authorities present for their commitment to the prosperity of the port of
Gioia Tauro, Costantino Baldissara – President of Automar and Grimaldi
Group Commercial, Logistics & Operations Director – took the opportunity to
outline the success story of the Neapolitan group in the Calabrian port, with
its maritime connections and through its subsidiary Automar.
“In this port,” Mr Baldissara explained,
“Automar manages an area of 350,000 square metres and will end the year
with at least 250 stopovers by ships sailing to and from ports all over the
world. 250-plus port calls compared to just 35 in 2016, the first year of our
participation in the management of the terminal. In 2023 the number of cars handled
will exceed 320,000, a year-on-year increase of 22% and four times higher than the
volume in 2021. These figures represent the story of a revival, behind which I
feel the strong hope of an entire community made up of hundreds of families.”
Initially identified by the Grimaldi Group
as a new strategic port for the export of cars from Italy, today Gioia Tauro is
also an important hub for the import of vehicles from the Near and Far East
(China, South Korea, Turkey) and the United States.
After completing the new rail corridor in record time during the hardest months of the
pandemic, thus allowing the handling of around 350 trains per year in the Gioia
Tauro terminal, Automar continues to plan further important investments. “We’re
looking at infrastructure and security,” Mr Baldissara pointed out. “Future
upgrades will include new cargo handling vehicles, extraordinary
maintenance of lighting systems, more and more clean energy through the
installation of solar panels, and intensified upskilling of our workforce
through ad hoc training programs. In just over three years, Automar has allocated
over 3 million euros for all this, demonstrating how Gioia Tauro is and must
remain pivotal in the Group's plans.”
The Deputy Prime Minister Mr Salvini
praised the Grimaldi Group and Automar, defining them as examples of Italian
excellence: “In a period marked by massive challenges such as wars,
inflation and high energy prices, it’s essential to recognize the key role of
private companies such as the Grimaldi Group. Their success is not driven by
luck, but by competence and targeted investments, especially with regard to the
young talent who work for the group.”
The efforts of this talent are recognized
and rewarded by the Group and its companies; indeed, Mr Baldissara publicly gave
credit to the workforce and also announced the granting of an extraordinary
bonus for all Automar employees at the end of November.