NANJING: Italian companies in China are getting their businesses back on track as the coronavirus outbreak has been subdued, which, in businessmen’s eyes, injects confidence into the European country’s fight against the pandemic.
“Although the automotive business in China is still in low demand, we predict it will come back to normal in June,” said Federico Bonotto, president of FAIST China, an Italian company focusing on auto parts production.
FAIST China has two plants in Suzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province, which resumed production in February after the extended Spring Festival holiday due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“Now all of our 1,000 employees in Suzhou have returned to work,” said Bonotto, adding that the city government has adopted a slew of supportive measures including reducing utility fees and providing financial subsidies to help them resume production.
“The Chinese government has done an excellent job to control the outbreak,” he said. “I’m sure after this hard period, we will have more positive opportunities and achieve rapid business growth in the Chinese market.” Meanwhile, Italian firm Omet (Suzhou) Mechanical Technology Co. has also reopened recently to manufacture elevator components and label printing machines. –Agenices
