Episode two of the interviews called “Little Talks” with women and men working at Biancalani Textile Machinery. Employees and their point of view can really describe a company’s positive approach toward them. Going into details, Biancalani is renown as a company that aims at the wellbeing of its whole team and that gives concrete opportunities. G1 and G2, service department and foreman in the mechanical workshop respectively, confirm it and say they seized those opportunities.

What is your job and how long have you been working at Biancalani?

G1: I’m part of a team that takes care of post-sale service at 360°. In my case, I also work as sort of a middleman, or I should say middlewoman, between the management and the departments. I’ve studied foreign languages and it gave me the opportunity of being employed in the sales department first and then as an export manager. That was before being hired by Biancalani, I’ve always worked as part of the account management staff then, I sort of belong to it. I’ve worked at Biancalani for a little more than one year, but I’ve already had the chance to demonstrate I’m a hard worker and to take the opportunities to grow. I thought I noticed that Biancalani is a company that believes in evolution and I was not wrong at all.

G2: I’m foreman in the mechanical workshop, I don’t like words such as “head” or “boss” at all. I take care of the workshop team, of organizing the work, of logistics. I’ve worked at Biancalani for 6 years: I started as mechanical worker and I’ve been foreman since eight months. It has been sort of a natural evolution: from the start, I noticed that relationships were very “human” at Biancalani, while in other companies it doesn’t work like that at all. That’s what allowed me to do my best and get where I’m now.

How much do you think your job is important for the company? 

G1: Can I start saying that any single person is fundamental? Because I do believe in the so-called teamwork, it’s not just words. Specifically, I believe my job in the post-sale office and as a middleman between the management and departments are important and quite delicate. There must be a significant sense of responsibility. For example, talking about after-sale service, I think that customer loyalty is built there. So, it is my job to be sure the company is perceived as present, always listening to different needs and with a strong customer service. At the same time, I must take care of the client, listen to their suggestions, meet the deadlines. I feel part of the company because my job is, as the job of others, important to make it work. And as per projects implementation, I feel part of it too, because post-sale service can’t be considered separated from it.

G2: As a previous mechanical worker I’ve observed and understood how things work in the mechanical workshop. Now I happen to have different and many responsibilities, for example it’s my job to decide who must do what and when and how, to choose every day’s priority, to respect production requirements, deadlines and to give guidelines. Furthermore, I must coordinate with other departments: the purchasing office, the accounting department, post-sale service, dispatch and technical offices. So I think that yes, I definitely am part of the whole production process!

How do you think your contribution makes the difference for the company?

G1: As I said, I’m a middleman, so I try to do my best at mediating between people. A careful communication strategy and an effective working method are fundamental. Besides, as I said, I do believe in teamwork but only when everyone of us does their best individually. I believe in communication above all, because if we are in this together, we must act as a whole.

G2: First of all, I HOPE to be able to make the difference! The mechanical team relies on me. As a mechanical worker, I’ve always worked with passion because I love my job and now I try to make sure people can actually rely on me, that’s how I try to make the difference perhaps. But, as I said, we are talking about a team: in the workshop, it becomes super clear that there must be at least two people in order to do anything. Therefore, mutual trust and cooperation are key. I was a mechanical worker and I still am because I know what it’s like and I never back down. So what makes the difference? Undoubtedly, reliability.

What’s the best part of your job? 

G1: Taking care of the client’s needs, absolutely. But also scheduling, so that I have everything under control. I like both these aspects of my job. Lately, I’ve been deepening the knowledge of technical details regarding machines and I’m very enthusiastic: I’m a curious individual by nature and I also think that you should never stop broaden your knowledge and skills as that is the fuel of a job.

G2: The best part of my job is… my job actually. I’ve always liked it and come to like it every day more, I feel pretty lucky about this. I also like having always new goals to achieve and working in a company that really supports your growth, getting the best of each of us. Those are very positive aspects. 

What is the next challenge in the mechano-textile world?

A: Given that I’ve become part of Biancalani since one year only, I’ve been able to see the evolution of AQUARIA^® project, the most recent machine by Biancalani. It will be great to be part of it as post-sale service. In my opinion, that project talks about a continuous evolution, about being willing to take risks. And this makes the difference when it comes to business. Not to mention that, nowadays, technological development is at its peak, especially as per the mecano-textile sector. That will surely bring new challenges and I guess I’m in the right place to get the best out of them.

G2: I guess the real challenge is keeping on earning the others’ respect. Both as individuals, as employees and as a company. I know these may seem few words to talk about such a complex issue, but I really think this is fundamental as it is the basis of everything.