Mauro Cattaneo works in the Mould Workshop at NTS.
In NTS for more than thirty years, he has recently surprised all the colleagues with a great gesture.
INTERVIEW TO MAURO CATTANEO
Mauro, which initiative have you promoted?
To celebrate my thirty years in the company, I made about a hundred party favors with white and green sugar candies, which is in coincidence also NTS corporate green.
Then I personally gave the party favors to the Management and my work-mates.
I believe that these anniversaries deserve to be celebrated, as they remind us of the values that really matter, the ones that make us wake up every morning with a strong motivation.
Tell us, what values matter to you?
Continuity, perseverance, union and will to learn every day something new.
Working for many years in NTS taught me that being a united team allows you to improve yourself both personally and professionally.
In which sector do you express your working energy?
I deal with mould maintenance service, sometimes it is also known as “moulds first aid”.
NTS peculiarity is having an own workshop that takes care of construction and maintenance of its customers’ moulds. This helps productive continuity, for this reason it is a highly appreciated service.
During these years we equipped ourselves with efficient organization and machineries that help us to always keep our customers’ moulds in perfect conditions: we plan ordinary and preventive maintenance for them. When needed, we intervene immediately, in case of unforeseen events that require a prompt action to reduce waiting times caused by a break.
What do you remember about these thirty years in NTS?
It does not seem that so many years have passed.
I remember the founder of NTS, Gianrenzo, and his brother-in-law Bruno, tireless workers.
There were no Saturdays nor Sundays, they were always here and brought here their children as well, to make them breath the company atmosphere.
When I joined NTS I was 23 years old, my first working experiences had been in the wood sector and I knew very little about plastic. But, leading the company, there were people of great depth we could count on: their constant presence and their hard work contaminated and trained us all.
That same energy has been transmitted to the new Manzoni generation as well.
How important is the human relationship between management and employees?
It is essential. How many times I got together with Gianrenzo in the workshop.
On Saturdays, after work, it was not uncommon to meet up with him and other colleagues for a simple aperitif with bread and salami. I keep a beautiful memory of those moments.
I believe that moments of conviviality and exchange are really important to be aligned with each other, to create team and share the company goals.
When you are fond of your job, week-end sometimes does not exist, there are no obstacles to improvement.
Everything is fluid, simple and even in hard times you work in a constructive way.
Which features help you the most in your job?
I like feeling useful, especially in circumstances where you must act promptly, maybe because a machinery has stopped and it is necessary to intervene quickly. Concentration and problem solving are often required in my job.
What do you do, when you are not at work?
I have been a CSI soccer referee for twenty years.
Players often remember me for my fussiness in applying the game rules and I believe that, in the end, fairness is always appreciated.
I have always tried to set a good example, even with my colleagues at work, because I believe that observing the rules is one of the first teachings to transfer, especially to young people. I often notice that young people find it difficult to recognize the authority and I do my best to make them understand that respecting the roles is important, when you are in a social context.
It is a concept on which I am very focused because I find it useful in all the fields of our lives, even at work.
Today we interviewed Gianluigi Benedetti, manager of NTS Technical Mold Design Department.
Here since 1986, he tells us about his passion for work and music.
INTERVIEW TO GIANLUIGI BENEDETTI
Which business evolution have you witnessed in thirty years of activity?
I’d say to an epochal evolution. We went from the drafting machine to 3D design but, what’s even more important, is that we turned from a craft company into an international and structured reality.
I think that the most surprising aspect in the history of NTS is for sure its pioneering attitude, the constant wish to get involved and to keep growing during the years.
Personally speaking, I am a man who constantly looks for new professional challenges and without them, I think I wouldn’t have remained here for such a long time. NTS is always able to challenge and surprise me.
Is it important to adapt to change?
Change is a part of life. The market inputs, for example, are fundamental to make us understand how to retain long-standing customers and find new ones. If we were always the same we would not have any competitive advantage to spend: innovation is deeply rooted in NTS’ DNA.
In your opinion, what’s the strength of Technical Department?
All our designers have spent an initial period in the mold workshop.
This means that before being able to “design” they are able “to do”, I’d say this is hardly a small thing. An approach which is always rather pragmatic together with the gained field experience allow us to make the difference – especially in all those situations – and it happens most of the times –that are out of the standard since their beginning.
How does your staff react to the entrance of a new resource?
We do our best to be welcoming and kind. What we search for in new hired staff is enthusiasm, proactivity, ability to get involved. There is a great team spirit among colleagues, we work side to side and believe that confrontation always generates good ideas.
NTS strongly believes in training of human resources. Is it a useful approach to business?
I think that the multilevel training paths we undertook up to now have been a great motivation for the improvement of every one of us.
I became aware of many aspects, but one of them has a special importance to me: the ability to listen. Understanding different points of view, adapting the approach to the interlocutor, making confrontations to reach a common goal are all skills that confer added value to a company. They donate efficiency and, especially, offer the staff the wish to constantly improve.
What makes you happy about your job?
Feeling that my team is appreciated.
Recently, after the presentation of a project for an international company of the electromechanical branch, my interlocutor said: “When I deal with other companies, I always have to tell what they have to do. You are able to anticipate my expectations and my requirements”.
When a customer has such a trust towards us I feel satisfied and I am sure I can offer him the very best.
Do friendships also arise at work?
Yes, they do. Sometimes I go out for a pizza with some colleagues and their families: we often end up talking about work and spouses punctually poke us with sentences like “But do you only talk about NTS?”.
What is your big passion, outside work?
Music and, in particular, piano.
I have been attending the Conservatory in Bergamo for eight years and till a few years ago I played the pipe organ for two chorus in the Church. I love classic sacred music, because I adore the dimension of extreme sensitivity in which it leads me every time I listen to it.
Last year I spent three hours in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre to listen to a greatly talented organist. I closed my eyes and felt pervaded by unique emotions; I will never forget that experience.
Vittorio Subacchi has been working in NTS since 1991.
After a long period in the Industrialization Department, he is now the technical manager of the mold maintenance area. We asked him to tell us about his story, as it concerns his job and his life.
INTERVIEW TO VITTORIO SUBACCHI
How did your adventure in NTS begin?
I used to work in the branch of metal carpentry.
I have always paid attention to technology and innovation and started to feel fascinated by the world of plastic. Then, when I got to know Gianrenzo Manzoni – the founder of today’s NTS –editor’s note – I had no doubts about the direction of my future.
I have had the pleasure to work at his side for many years and I remember him as a very illuminated man. He often became upset and said: “If only I could turn all the technology I have in my mind into reality, I would be a happy man!”. He was a tireless innovator and was able to transfer his enthusiasm to other people; moreover, he had a deep respect towards his neighbor, a quality which is now more and more uncommon.
Is it important to work in a contest of reciprocal trust?
For the way I am, I’d say it is essential. I have now the pleasure to work in close contact with Gianrenzo’s sister, Marinella, and I am very glad because I have been able to establish a good relationship based on esteem and mutual trust even with her.
When Gianrenzo died twenty years ago, it has not been easy to keep all the customers but the Manzoni family managed to team up and give continuity to all previous activities, working with strength and determination. I always like to remind my colleagues that the Manzoni family created a company, not thanks to strokes of luck, but with sacrifice, commitment, effort and humility.
How important is it to keep a historical memory in a company willing to project itself into the future?
It is essential, otherwise we risk losing the values on which we are building our future.
I personally thank Rosanna, Gianrenzo’s second sister, and his husband Bruno who have always worked a lot in the company, same as per Marisa, who is Gianrenzo’s wife, that still gives her precious contribution to the company. We owe a lot to all of them.
Is there a feature of your character which helps you with your job?
I like to get on well with all my colleagues. I believe that kindness is an important value: it is normal to have some disagreement or not to share the same opinion, but you have to learn to harmonize the different points of view. I always tend to take the first step when I realize that there is a bit of resistance towards dialogue on the other side, maybe right after a confrontation of different ideas. A great aspect of NTS is being a lively and sparkling reality, where everyone can contribute to the company wellbeing.
What do you think about the new generations which are now coming forward in NTS?
I have a really positive opinion. I believe that in the last few years NTS got enriched by the presence of highly talented people: each one with different features, but every one of them with laudable commitment and motivation.
Specialization is a theme that will make the difference in the incoming year, same thing will be for the generational switch. The old generation transfers a knowledge based on experience and historicity, while young people bring study, novelties, energy: when these two worlds meet each other, the company cohesiveness is granted.
What is the proper attitude to start a new project?
First of all it is necessary to understand that at work you can’t behave as if you were at school.
Nobody teaches, nobody is the top of the class: everyone must roll up his sleeves for a common goal since everybody must give his contribution. It is often necessary to keep a certain objectiveness while taking decisions that must be determined by the only parameter that matters: doing what is best for the company.
Where do you see NTS in ten years?
In the future, I see a company able to keep its name and strength.
NTS will increasingly become a hub of great innovation and attractiveness for new international talents. The investment on skilled people, distinctive factor in NTS, is our greater strength.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to keep myself updated as it concerns my job and technology, in general.
I also play many sports and try to dedicate my time to my family: I have a lot of nieces and nephews and my biggest satisfaction is spending some precious time with them to watch them grow.
NTS confirms and reinforces its commitment in Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) by generating its first Sustainability Report referred to yr 2017 according to ONU Global Compact requirements.
Business continuity and sustainability are the core of a commitment which goes beyond promises and proves to be an everyday reality.
NTS’ path proceeds in its strategical evolution towards the empowerment of human resources and the enhancement of their soft skills. In particular, the subjects examined in 2017 have been:
• Safety, Ergonomics and Well – being at work (WHP project)
• Continuous staff training
The attention to these aspects allowed the company to empower qualities such as professionalism and know-how in its team, features that have always been the most appreciated in NTS.
To confirm the strategical direction aimed at “making the difference” with innovative “beyond moulding” services, NTS announced the change of name and logo, with the intent of creating an even more decisive positioning in the thermosetting and thermoplastic market of technical industrial products. The perspective is also building an effective sectoral and geogrphical diversification.
In this branch, we have planned actions of crossmedial communication, with the awareness that an even stronger brand identidy can generate attractiveness of skills and a stronger sense of belonging inside a team wich is already very compact.
Are you curious to find out more?
Read the enclosed Social Responsibility Report of year 2017.
Claudio Fabbris is the Purchase Manager in NTS.
37 years spent in our company, he’s NTS historical memory.
In this interview he remembers anecdotes and noteworthy moments of an entrepreneurial reality in continuous growth.
INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDIO FABBRIS
What do you remember about your first day on the job?
In 1981 there were fifteen of us and we used to work in a quite little place. Marco’s (Manzoni) birth were expected in a few days and the atmosphere was enthusiast and proactive.
That lively spirit never faded in those years, our consequent great growth is the proof of it. The owners’ passion, their constant commitment and their example have been an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I feel a sincere gratitude towards them.
How would you define their style?
Sober, simple, concrete.
Gianrenzo, the founders’ son, had that extra oomph: he joined passion for his job to uncommon technical skills. His vision of projects was always pointed towards future and he was tireless. I remember that he used to work constantly during the weekends, and brought his little kids with him as he considered very important to make them breath a devote business culture, where sacrifice was normality. Today I find Gianrenzo’s passion in the eyes of all the members of NTS Management and I am very happy about it. The new generation will lead us to the future, this is the reason why it is important to share our original values, with new motivation and inspiration.
In your opinion, which features are useful to a young person who approaches working life?
I believe that nowadays educational level is higher than before.
Anyway the culture that young people put on the table today is not enough, it is necessary to show availability, seriousness, will to take challenges.
Each time you reach a goal, you have to set a new one to grow.
Grit and sacrifice are necessary to make great projects, I make a personal example with football: a person must have Pirlo’s feet and Gattuso’s grit to win. Talent and grit alone do not lead so far, but if they are put together they make the difference.
Do you like football?
I love sport, it’s a great outlet.
I have been a football coach for many years in different teams near Bergamo but, at a certain point in my life, I decided to take a bit of time for myself and my family. Today I am a passionate supporter of Atalanta and I often go to the stadium with my daughter.
How do you see NTS future?
I see the will to grow and make progress.
The combination of managerial aspect and family aspect will remain successful because, entering the company, one will always have to breathe that wellbeing that we’re feeling today.
What is your role in the company? Which feature is important in your job?
I have been working in the moulding dept, warehouse management, production planning till I became purchase manager. In almost forty years I have held many jobs and I believe that my best feature has always been keeping an open mind. I have always considered change as on opportunity to grow, an incentive. I think that sometimes it is essential to abandon your comfort zone and launch yourself into a new challenging dimension.
This is my belief: I have worked well only if today I am better professional then yesterday.
Is there a business episode that impressed you in particular?
The opening of the company in Romania in 2005, our international turning point.
It has been a delicate moment for our company as many of us were afraid that this delocalization would have taken our job away. But, also in this case, our Management explained that only a kind of plastic working technology was being moved as we were developing a parallel business with the aim of bringing value to the company.
I must admit that this international opening has been good for us, I go once a year to Romania and the exchange with my colleagues is always enriching.
All NTS values have been brought to Romania and the consequence is an aligned, available and very proactive team. We built very deep personal and professional relationships with our Romanian colleagues.
This experience taught me, once again, that we do not have to be afraid of shedding our skin, but that courage and determination are the keys to improve ourselves every day.
As soon as you enter NTS Spa, a leader in the production of moulds and in the moulding of plastic materials, you sense enthusiasm and dedication, together with an irresistible desire to take up any whatsoever challenge to achieve new goals.
On the other hand the NTS payoff is more than eloquent: ‘Beyond Moulding’, overpassing the limits going beyond just moulding, as Marco Manzoni, vice president and strategy manager, explains to us: “2017 was a year of change: in the name, logo and website, to better communicate a certain type of innovation exemplifying a business model focused on an allround service. We have always been technically at our customer’s side to satisfy any project.
Quality of product and application of the zero defect principle are certainly essential, but a rapid response, incessant R&D, cohesion and continuity with the past also count.”
NTS is effectively an enterprise of long standing, founded in 1959 by Alessandro Manzoni, uncommonly courageous and long-sighted, and growing over the years, particularly in foreign markets that today generate approximately 50% of the turnover.
Both the founder’s daughter Marinella, currently president and managing director, as well as the third generation represented by Marco Manzoni, his brother Alessandro and cousin Ombretta, hold on tight the family values also shared by Operations Manager Fabio Daminelli and the entire management.
Apart from the centrality of innovation for which 7% is invested in R&D, the im-portance of relationship stands out from amongst the corporate principles. In the first place amongst employees, thereafter with supply contractors, collaborators and naturally customers.
“With the contribution of qualified coaches we aim at improving our communicative approach, both internally with our colleagues as well as externally with the other stakeholders and, faced with differing customer typologies, we change our service modality.
To our mind, relationships are what create corporate quality. If you take heed of peo-ple’s explanations the piece produced is bound to be better.” A concept amongst others also linked with corporate welfare, internships in schools for young students, development in specific skills by some of the operators who work with machines and robots and who, from workers assigned to heavy jobs, are little by little transforming themselves into qualified workers and also programmers.
The Team from left: Marco Manzoni, Marinella Manzoni, Fabio Daminelli, Ombretta Invernizzi, Alessandro Manzoni
“Robots do not rob the personnel of their job, but actually optimize it, making it more fluid, safer and less heavy. We educate the employees to develop the competences needed to adapt themselves to these continual changes, not only technological but also relational.” But it doesn’t finish here. NTS also participates to the United Nations Global Compact, a project to encourage enterprises around the world to adopt sustainable policies, fostering the enterprise’s social responsibility and rendering public the results of actions undertaken.
For example in the case of NTS, it features projects for human re-source management, enterprise governance, reduced energy requirements, long-term vision and courage to be different, affording the Company substantial development which, we would recall, has two centres: the Italian one in Lallio (Bergamo) focused on cutting edge solutions devised with the aid of robots and vision systems, and the one located in Romania, labour-intensive with numerous workers for the more traditional applications. “Thanks to the two centres we are able to offer various types of service, one in a lower price bracket and the other with a higher added value”, points out Marco Manzoni.
NTS represents a business model exuding the dynamism of a young constructive entrepreneurship, wanting to share strategies and results with its collaborators and also be competitive on domestic and international markets for the next sixty years.
Article from Platinum – November 2018 distributed with Il Sole 24 Ore – Monday 26/11/2018.
Also this year NTS joined with great enthusiasm the PMI DAY – INDUSTRIAMOCI (Small Medium-sized Enterprise DAY– Entrepreneurship project for students) that is an initiative promoted by Confindustria, since 2010, which sees its associated companies open their doors to the students of secondary and upper secondary Italian schools. By now at its ninth edition, this project involves in Bergamo more than 5.000 students.
The first recipients of this initiative are students – to whom it is intended to transmit business culture – their families and teachers, which play a decisive role in orienting their students, but also administrators of local institutions, media and all those who interact with the activities of the companies.
For this occasion NTS hosted 53 students of the eighth grades of Lallio and Treviolo. After a brief welcome, they visited our production departments to experience firsthand the values of work and business culture. Afterwards there has been a moment of exchange and comparison between students and NST staff.
The aim of the initiative was to show the strength and the innovation of the small and medium-sized enterprises of the manufacturing sector in Bergamo and how they are vital for the socio-economic endurance of our territory, giving a fundamental contribution to the economic and social growth of our Country through the creation of wealth and occupation.
These events allow to publicly show the true potential of the enterprise in transmitting its social role, also helping younger people to orient themselves in their next formative choices and gain a higher awareness of their upcoming future.
The great involvement and the interest shown by the students, made this SME Day very meaningful for all participants.
These days we have interviewed our Eng. Matteo Longhi, Production Planner at NTS.
We’ve asked him to reveal the secret of the good organization.
INTERVIEW TO MATTEO LONGHI
When did you arrive in NTS?
In 2008. My arrival did not correspond to a positive period for the world’s economy, at that time I was in charge of the industrialization of the processes. A few years later – in 2010 – our company underwent a market increase, as a consequence I have been assigned to the production planning, branch that I am pleased to coordinate with great enthusiasm today.
What do you deal with concretely?
I plan the production of the company.
My role consists in managing all the resources (raw materials, labor, machineries) to produce according to right schedules and to the agreed quality standard.
Apart from management skills, I believe that the most delicate aspect of my job consists in interpreting and filtering the requests from the outside in order to find a proper balance for our internal resources.
How do you nurture your balance?
I cultivate a thought each day: there are no preconceptions, stereotypes, receipts suitable to all contexts. Each situation and person deserve a specific and personalized treatment. It is necessary to find a terrain of dialogue with everyone, and never a conflict one.
Another powerful help to counterbalance energies is sport, my way to let off anxiety and negativity.
What kind of sport do you play?
I love basketball. I try to carve out at least two or three weekly appointments.
I am also President of Associazione Sportiva Pallacanestro Ranica.
I believe that sport is a great resource: I try to instill this principle in young people and, especially, in their parents.
Training as best as we can for a competition, behaving fairly, rejoicing in victory and understanding oneself better through defeats are all experiences that do not remain in the playing field but reverse necessarily in everyday life.
Many people in NTS enjoy playing sport. Is it a coincidence?
I believe that in life, after wandering a lot, you feel attracted by people which are similar to you.
Values like honesty, commitment and determination are shared by everyone of us in NTS, therefore a common background among colleagues does not surprise me.
What do you like the most in NTS?
First of all those who work here feel they are part of something.
Decisions are never imposed from above, they are always shared and explained with the team.
I believe that the word listening is really felt at all levels.
A personal example: when I realized my workload was too much, I have immediately been supported by a collaborator.
This allowed me to delegate some operational activities and to focus more on coordination.
It’s been a choice that our Direction made with great naturalness and availability.
I think that the beautiful aspect of NTS lies in this deep attention towards people, that’s it.
Are there other keywords you would use to describe life in NTS?
Transparency and familiarity. Even though the company is now quite extended, there is always that sensation of deep connection which allows you to feel fine and work well. We do not feel single units but part of a team.
Training about soft skills is considered really important in NTS. Do you find it useful?
Even if I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, I must admit that the personal growth path we are facing with Paolo Manocchi is very enriching.
I am learning for myself how it is necessary to create an auto-sustainable corporate system, to have reliable colleagues, create a working team which can operate even when I am absent.
When you focus on the quality of the relationships, you experiment a new way to work: more productive and, at the same time, more satisfying. I hope that this training path will be extended to all roles in the company.
Talking about future, what do you expect for the next years?
If I daydream, I see a product made in NTS, completely ours, from the design to the final production, a high technological and high level product.
Let’s not forget that I am always an engineer, after all 🙂
A few weeks ago, as every month, Paolo Manocchi, behavioral trainer – Life Coach, held a cours about effective communication in NTS.
The meeting, open to all our collaborators, focused on the features that a good professional must hone to better work in a team.
In a recent video interview – Paolo Manocchi – tells us about how NTS has been investing in the quality of the interpersonal relationship for several years. One of the aspects he is working at, in particular, is the management of the emotional state. The first cause of micro- sufferance in our everyday life, in fact, lies in the tensional discharges.
According to studies about this topic, it is evident how worked up people are not able to manage themselves by actually hiding their problem. The management of the emotional states, which consists in the ability to remain adequate in context changes, allows people to achieve their goals.
NTS sets the person and his serenity at work at the center. For this reason we have asked for Paolo Manocchi’s precious help, in our constant improvement perspective.
Travel around the world, listen carefully to one’s neighbor and always be genuine.
Today, Andrea Seroldi, Sales Manager at NTS, tells us about his entry into the Company and reveals details and curiosities about his professional and…sport life.
INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA SEROLDI
Tell us about your life before NTS.
I’m a recent purchase: I have been working in NTS since 2017.
I used to work in different companies before, among which a multinational corporation linked to the steel branch and a company operating in the radiological machinery industry.
I have always travelled a lot owing to my job: just for instance, in 2013, I took 97 flights and drove for more than 50.000 km.
Travelling means honing one’s adaptation abilities and improving relational skills, both features are fundamental for those who have a commercial role.
Travels and different cultures have attracted me ever since I was a student; after my graduation in Milan, I immediately enrolled in the London International School of Marketing. I have lived in London for two years, a unique experience that marked me deeply.
Does an international point of view help in everyday life?
It helps a lot. You learn to get along with people of different languages and cultures, you get trained to consider things starting from a pluralistic and multifaceted approach.
At a certain point you understand that you can dialogue with everyone, you just need to create a common conversation ground.
Relationship and its management are the keystones of all good transactions, in life and in business as well.
Is there a vademecum for a good Sales Man?
There are no fixed rules, but some behaviors help to be appreciated.
The first necessary feature nowadays is transparency: today-market is hypercritical and hyperconnected and fairness is the only corporate philosophy that always repays, as it concerns reputation.
“Our business coach, Paolo Manocchi, always reminds us that “it is not important to tell everything you know but it is important to know everything you tell”.
Another thing: you need to listen carefully to the customer’s need to interpret them in the best way. We call it active listening, a way of listening that foresees the proper understanding of the message, a good dose of empathy and a sincere interest towards the interlocutor.
Our company coach, Paolo Manocchi, always reminds us that active listening is the most powerful instrument to guarantee success in professional life and beyond.
Which feature makes the different for a commercial figure?
I think it deals with the ability to work in a team.
A good sales person must team up with professionals of different departments, I am talking about the Technical or the Production department, for instance.
Sales people too oriented towards the market and not very aware of the business reality in which they operate isolate themselves and this makes the sales process more difficult and less fruitful.
What did you find in NTS?
Many things: open-mindedness, the ability to team up, the will to overcome one’s limits, the constant investment of money in each collaborator’s training and the creation, day by day, of a brand with real and tangible values.
Does a successful brand facilitate commercial strength?
Absolutely yes.
Every one of us makes a first brand experience by word of mouth of acquaintances, websites, social networks, advertising campaigns.
Only afterwards commercial figures give a face and a voice to that brand.
It is fundamental for brand and business figures to be aligned on values, tone of voice and standing. All this contributes to generate an expectation in the market.
Obviously it is necessary not to disappoint this expectation, but rather to overcome it: it is the only way to create a true customer retention.
What do you do when you are not travelling or working?
I love sport. I like being on the move and I do running, cycling, boxe.
But my biggest passion is kite, I also became instructor.
Kite is not only a sport to me, it’s a lifestyle.
It teaches patience, when you have to wait for the wind.
It teaches to find a balance as in no time you need to manage board, body, mind and waves.
It teaches to manage unforeseen turbulences as a blast is always lurking and it is up to you to find a way to reach the shore, despite everything.