Gruber countering the crisis
South Tyrol’s Gruber Logistics – together with the entire transport industry – suffered a hefty collapse in spring. The crisis didn’t end its employee identification campaign and further development measures, however.
When government measures to contain Covid-19 reached their peak in Italy earlier this year, many logisticians reduced their activities and furloughed many employees. Gruber Logistics, headquartered in the South Tyrolean village of Auer, in contrast, chose a different approach. Even tough the company’s sales in Italy fell by 30% in April, Gruber continued to bank on its forward-looking strategy. Before the Covid-19-induced economic downturn started, Gruber Logistics had launched an internal drive to grow strongly and keep its employees engaged with the company.
Keeping the campaign going
The campaign, tweaked slightly, was continued during this rather turbulent spring. Andrea Condotta, Gruber’s head of public affairs, said that “we brought employees together through online training sessions, as well as through games, and continued to show our presence in the market.” The South Tyrolean logistician tried to keep the reduction in working hours to the minimum possible and simultaneously sought new clients in the downturn. CEO Martin Gruber underlined employees’ crucial roles – “the people who work for us represent our competitive advantage.”
Sales returning to normal
Condotta said that the enterprise’s sales returned to the pre-downturn levels again in June. Of course the losses that Gruber made in the months before that will be difficult to compensate for completely in the course of 2020, however. On top of this the situation varies greatly in each of the 15 countries where Gruber operates.
Last year, Gruber Logistics invested approximately EUR 350,000 in its research and development department. One of the foci of Gruber’s research activities is developing and using alternative fuels. It is set to maintain its commitment to this field, despite the difficult international market conditions.
