Last year's production of FCA in Italy has grown by more than 66 %, to 666.694 cars, and if we also consider commercial vehicles, the increase is equal to 46,9% (to 927.494 units). During the same period there were 2.705 new employees stabilized in FCA. This is what emerges from an analysis by Fim-Cisl.
The Fim-Cisl national secretary, Ferdinand Ulianus, defines 2015 as “a turning point for FCA after a period of severe crisis in the sector. 2015 was characterized by strong growth in volumes, a stable increase in employment and a substantial drop in layoffs from 30% in 2013 (equal to around 32 million Cig) to around 10% in 2015". The new hires, indicates the union, "represent the concrete result of a real industrial policy implemented in FCA, which would serve to relaunch the entire industrial system of our country".
FCA's production data "undoubtedly show that the union choices of recent years have guaranteed the future of a fundamental and driving sector - said the general secretary of Fim Cisl Marco Bentivogli who added : “Our action has made it possible to give employment and income prospects to thousands of workers employed in the FCA plants and all related industries. After Pomigliano, Melfi, Grugliasco, Sevel it's up to Cassino and Mirafiori. Almost half of the recovery of the Italian economy is due to the automotive sector, in particular to the success of products designed and manufactured in Italy and sold worldwide such as 500x and Renegade. In a climate of financial speculation it is important that those who have not lost their bearings continue to discourage those who destroy wealth and to value those who produce it with the ingenuity and effort of tens of thousands of workers”.
As for the different production sites of FCA in our country, Melfi has driven the growth of production. The Lucan plant, which produces the Jeep Renegade, 500X and Punto, recorded a 217% increase in production over 2014 to over 390 units, while the increase in Pomigliano d'Arco was much more contained (+9,4% 177.026), where, according to Fim-Cisl, “2016 opens with an additional request for overtime due to a surge in Panda orders. However, this growth is far from the 270 assumed in 2010 for full employment”.
For the union, it is therefore necessary that "before the restyling of the new Panda scheduled for 2018, FCA allocates one or more Alfa Romeo cars to the Campania site". As for Grugliasco and Modena, after the significant growth in 2014 (+261%), last year ended with a drop in production to 32.700 units, from 41.800, but this year "with the restyling of the Maserati Ghibli and the launch of the new Suv Maserati Levante in the first quarter, which will concern the Mirafiori plant, a recovery in production volumes is expected".
At Mirafiori last year production levels continued to drop to 13.900 units (from 16.894 in 2014) showing that "the plant cannot live on MiTo alone" and expectations are for production from the Levante, even if "a second model is needed to ensure the total recovery of the workforce in charge of the plant".
Production at the Cassino site was also down (to 45.668 units, from 51 in 2014), where only the Giulietta was assembled in 2015. 2016 will see the production of the new Giulia, currently scheduled for 31 March. Small growth in volumes for Ferrari (from 7.050 to 7.400), which follows the path of producing one car less than required by the market. The recent listing on the Stock Exchange, observes the union, will place Ferrari "in a new context with a further perspective". Sevel (commercial vehicle) production was also up, rising 13,5% last year to over 260.800 units, a new record. New growth is confirmed for 2016 which could bring production to 20 units.
