Twenty-five, 250, 40, 80 million. These are the numbers that mark the story of Whirlpool of Naples and a road to relocation that has already been mapped out. Towards Poland? Probably, but maybe also towards Turkey, where, in Manisa, there is a very modern Indesit washing machine factory (capacity 800 machines a year, one of the reasons why Whirlpool bought Indesit from the Merlonis). There is one thing to think about: Whirlpool has 5 washing machine factories in Europe, including the one in Naples. Which, among other things, was the first washing machine factory in Italy, founded in 1949 by Giovanni Borghi with the name of SERIT srl Smalterie Elettriche Riunite Ignis Tirreniche, with its establishment. Then it became SIRI and then Ignis with administrative headquarters in Cassinetta di Biandronno (VA). And for which Whirlpool has recently spent tens of millions transforming it into a super hi-tech, IoT site, very efficient and, importantly, always served by a components district of worldwide excellence. Now everyone is expressing a very indignant surprise because the multinational company leaves and sells a digital factory jewel, the most modern in Europe. But when in October 2018 Di Maio triumphantly communicated that everything at Whirlpool was ok and indeed the multinational not only did not disengage from Italy, but even invested 250 million in all its sites, everyone applauded one of the most formidable largely formal mise en place. As were the other very recent mise en place by Bekaert, Ilva, Mercatone Uno… All that was missing was the triumph from the historic balcony of Rome.
THE OCTOBER DEAL? MERIT OF THE UNION AND THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT
The CISL, on the other hand, clarified immediately that it was a confirmation of shock absorbers and support measures already initiated previously by Minister Federica Guidi and the Renzi government, and that the merit of a stop to relocations and indeed to a return (in 2017!!) to Italy of important manufacturing went to workers and trade unions. All done prior to the Di Maio negotiations. The so-called October 2018 agreement had in fact seemed somewhat "unstable", because in the face of Midea's offers for Whirlpool Emea (still on the table), the shareholders intended to make it lighter and less indebted with inevitable restructurings. Furthermore, the group's sales in Europe had gone rather badly in an endless whirlwind of managers in and out… The shareholders had already sidelined the president of Whirlpool EMEA, Ester Berrozpe Galindo (after a prolonged illness) and appointed the Swiss-German Marc Bitzer president of the Corporation and also president EMEA, in place of Ester. Marc Bitzer – manager of great level and grit – had been appointed as the first European to head an American multinational because, knowing very well the European market and industrial realities of the group, was and is able to "fix" the accounts (ugly), employees and factories (too many) of Europe. Once the job is done, Bitzer will step aside and an American will rise to the top again, commented fellow journalists recently met at the Kitchen&Bath fair in Las Vegas.
BEWARE OF BREAKING, THERE IS EVERYTHING TO LOSE
Di Maio claims to deal directly, hard-nosed (him) with the Americans? Impossible, it is not the practice of US multinationals. The only deputy "legally" to do so is Luigi La Morgia, managing director of Whirlpool Italy, former director of the Naples factory and that of Poprad in Slovakia. Not only that, not even the European president of Whirlpool Emea, the Frenchman Gilles Morel, has come to deal with the yellow-green tandem, he doesn't mind it and thank goodness he didn't do it given the incompetence of both components (the Ministry did the pneumatic vacuum of the best officials skilled in these negotiations). Do you want to teach those bad guys of the multinational Di Maio a terrible lesson by removing the promised 15 million euros? Parties and cocktail parties - so to speak - at Whirlpool, which has always been keen to deal with forced-exit employees with great concessions, incentives, retraining and other benefits and which for Naples would be much much higher than the 15 million lost. That of the Trento plant (much smaller), for example, cost the company 30 million euros and therefore if Di Maio insists on "bullying" the Americans, the Trumpian style in vogue in the States would transform the farewell to Naples into a tragedy. No special treatments, no expenses, a saving - commented in Whirlpool - of over 15 million euros, indeed more.
WHERE IS WHIRLPOOL EMEA?
The built-in is entirely concentrated in Cassinetta di Biandronno thanks to 25 million investments, with the exclusion of the dishwashers which are produced in Poland and Slovakia, and the hobs all produced in Indesit of Fabriano which has become the European center of cooking of the group. The production of built-in washing machines from Poland has been brought to Comunanza, the Indesit site in the Marche region where with 40 million investments they can produce 800 machines a year (not even here has Di Maio made a statement, let alone some Salvinian minister). On the other hand, the cut of 80 administrative staff at the European headquarters in Rho Pero and other probable cuts in the Marches that the tandem government has not been able to avoid. And then there's the pit freezer plant in Siena, clearly lower in terms of production at the break-even level because this type of household appliance is a commodity with very low added value. Now at risk of closure, also given the lack of competence of the government tandem in similar disputes.
WHAT IF NAPLES DOESN'T CLOSE?
Nobody at Whirlpool wants to make a statement. But they also filter hypotheses other than the closure and which follow a bit the trend of other disputes. And that is that the bombshell announcement of a closure and a sale that eliminates the "historic" washing machine factory with highly valuable induced activities is destined to suffer, even rapidly and in the course of negotiations that promise to be very tough (I tell you do you see Di Maio engaged in topics very far from his hobbies?), a downsizing. In exchange for subsidies, incentives, restructuring, aid of various kinds, layoffs of all kinds (all paid by taxpayers of course), the multinational could postpone a decision imposed by the American top. It has already happened in Carinaro (Caserta), formerly Indesit, the first washing machine factory, closing down but now a logistics hub after very hard struggles by workers and decisive interventions by previous governments. Why is this possible? Because the problem is not the cost of labor. In fact, it accounts for less than a third in the production of majap and the Italian factories are all extremely advanced thanks also to the considerable investments by Whirlpool. Which in past years has certainly not skimped. In the meantime, the Chinese Midea is waiting for Whirlpool Emea to become less cumbersome, calmly however because first of all, as happens for the Chinese giants, Midea does not seem to have managers capable of managing the difficult European markets and then because it has a long-term purpose term: known and accredited brands, so as not to be forced to sell their appliances at Chinese prices.
