Page 7 - Professional Parquet

encounter and exchange regarding the topics of
nutrition, energy, and sustainability, it also
gave important visibility to Italian building en-
trepreneurs. Our constructors and producers of
building materials demonstrated great com-
mitment in the development of the Expo pro-
ject.They proved capable of bearing the burden
of an international project like the Universal
Exposition in remarkably short times under
particularly difficult conditions, especially for
reasons linked to external problems and factors
that hindered the project's completion.Through
its authorized dealers, Mapei sold a great num-
ber of products and systems for the construc-
tion of the event's infrastructures, halls, clus-
ters, and complementary works. Projecting
Mapei's result, I believe that the companies in-
volved in the event's construction achieved a
very positive result.
In your opinion, did Expo keep the promise
everyone hoped for of relaunching Italian
companies in national and international
markets?
I supported this project right from the start, and
now that the event is over I can say that I'm
more than satisfied. Above and beyond the
number of tickets sold - a number higher than
I had imagined - our Expo's most important re-
sult is undoubtedly the rediscovery of our val-
ue, the awareness of what we are capable of
achieving, and in which ways we stand out
from the rest. Hosting an event of such a glob-
al dimension as Expo allowed us to demonstrate
our qualities and capacities in international
markets.This has also enabled us to understand
the mistakes we have made in the past and that
as a community and as companies we cannot
afford to make again.
The current trends in the parquet market
are high-quality products, green products,
and products that approach the world of
design. Can these aspects provide the sec-
tor's companies with an additional source
of stimulus?
While these three elements are certainly capa-
ble of restoring wood flooring to the position
it deserves, I might add that entering the world
of design demands an exceptionally high lev-
el of quality: today - and more than ever to-
morrow - eco-sustainability, low environmen-
tal impact, and human health protection can
no longer be neglected and will become more
and more important as the characteristics that
wood flooring - and obviously also its respec-
tive laying products - must have.
What are the winning elements in the short
and long term in which flooring compa-
nies should invest?
They should invest in the professional training
of their installers and retailers, otherwise all
the quality they succeed in obtaining might go
to waste in the moment the floor is laid, to the
disappointment of their customers. Investments
should also be made in planning effective com-
munication for final consumers.
What does 2016 hold in store? What are your
forecasts for the construction business?
Our forecasts for 2016 are tempered with a
cautious optimism. According to the 2015 Fed-
ercostruzioni Report, production will rise from
-9.5% in 2012 to -0.1% in 2016. In any case
however, unless the government makes sig-
nificant mid-to-long term investments, the sec-
tor's recovery will be quite slow in coming.
The subsidies for building renovation, which
have been prolonged, by the way, and the Art
Bonus in support of sponsorships in favor of
art and culture could stimulate building and
have a positive effect, but exactly how much
remains to be seen. I
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