SERRAVALLE. From those who are in crisis and cannot hire, to those who boast a solid and rapidly growing structure and are unable to hire as much and as they would like, especially in the local area. The latter is the case of Progress Rail Signaling Spa, the name assumed since July 2022 by the Casalguidi company Ecm, which produces railway signaling and safety systems, a brand purchased in 2018 by the American giant Caterpillar which in turn controls Progress Rail.
In 2022, the company with its factory in Serravalle recorded more than 75 million euros in turnover, results which have probably now been further strengthened by benefiting from an increasingly global turnover. And which legitimize a hiring plan of 100 people within two years, with the paradox of not being able to respect it by limiting ourselves to the Pistoia area, where finding a sufficient number of suitable profiles has become an almost impossible task. So much so that we had to extend the research radius to other larger cities in central Italy, thinking in the meantime about how to participate in the project (the memorandum of understanding between the University of Florence, the Municipality and the Caript Foundation dates back to February) to make Pistoia is a university center also and above all in the engineering field with a railway outlet, in the hope of increasing the supply of specialized workers if not in the short term at least in the medium to long term.
Growth
Paolo Covoni, CEO of Progress Rail Signaling SpA, speaks of an “exciting moment”. «Our daily commitment – he explains – lies in the development of systems at the top of technology in the railway sector, in line with the strictest European and global safety standards. The quality and level of our systems is confirmed by the countless successes achieved on national and international markets. In Italy alone, we have acquired numerous contracts in the last two years, many of which were financed with Pnrr funds, contributing to modernizing the Italian railway network. Furthermore, on an international level we have been awarded important contracts in Albania, Macedonia, Thailand, Tanzania, Turkey and South Korea”.
Personal SOS
It is on the subject of human resources that some complications arise. «In 2018, at the time of the acquisition by Caterpillar, we had 191 employees: today we are more than 300, with a substantial increase in the female population, an added value which we would like to further increase – continues Covoni – We have a hiring plan of at least a hundred units over a two-year period, which we will most likely not be able to finalize. We are mainly looking for engineers and technicians in the electronics, electrical and IT areas, to strengthen the technical area but also project management and tender support. The ability to integrate profiles of this type is one of the most important limitations to our potential. We are unable to find, especially in our area, a sufficient number of candidates to satisfy our needs. To make up for the lack of local profiles we had to open an office in Rome and another in Bologna.” And not lightly: «This is the question that pains us the most: Ecm, the original company later acquired by Progress Rail, was born and raised in this area and has always had a strong bond with it. Our goal would be to continue to grow by taking advantage of the wonderful talents that this area has always been able to express. Unfortunately, not being able to find the necessary number of profiles we are forced, albeit reluctantly, to look elsewhere.”
The University
To solve the problem at its root, taking advantage of the project already started recently, the intention would be to “open a university branch here in Pistoia”. «This area is rich in excellence in the rail and tram sector – underlines the CEO of Progress Rail – If courses aimed at this area were created, a virtuous mechanism could be created which could lead to the formation of a pool of highly specialized personnel who can draw on to develop production activities in the Pistoia area. Progress Rail Signaling could support the creation of these courses both by collaborating on their contents and by offering students the opportunity to carry out internships and degree theses at our headquarters with possible immediate opportunities.” For Covoni «it could really be an opportunity to give our young people important opportunities for professional development and give us greater opportunities for growth in the area. I hope this idea can have a sequel.”
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