La Meccanica 2014: creativity, innovation and responsibility for development and quality

So that only words do not remain, I want to explain what they mean to us. Being innovative today not only means “inventing” new products or developing technology but also, and above all, it means creating culture while being both creative and critical. The ingredients for in­novation therefore become people, skills and ideas, in a virtuous cycle that must be continuously driven, since innovation is based on the exchange of knowledge: the best ideas arise from sharing thoughts. This is why, today, people are even more important than technologies. We need to focus on concepts such as teamwork, cooperation and the ability to tackle difficulties with pas­sio¬n and determination. Encoura­ging innovation therefore means developing a winning mentality.

Today, we are in the midst of an enormous Cultural Revolution, whe­re battles are fought based on the ability to produce and disseminate ideas. It is also essential, however, to invest in creativity, which is a strate­gic lever for development. Therefo­re, in managing human resources, it is extremely important to know how to develop people’s natural creativi­ty. As Marcel Proust wrote, “The real discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”. This year, as its “new eyes", our company has chosen the young students of the Scuola Italiana Desi­gn in Padua, which has developed a number of “creative” graphic solu­tions for several versions of our pellet mills. This extraordinary experien­ce has allowed us to consider new and different approaches and has confirmed the importance of ongo­ing interaction between schools and companies, as well as the need for higher investments in school programs and facilities that foster creativity and innovation.

And this leads me back to the com­pany’s Social Accountability policy with regard to the context in which it operates. In fact, La Meccanica has started many projects aimed at company “networking” (Progetto PriiAM) and creating synergies with schools in the local area (Progetto Azienda Formatrice). Both projects are described on our website.

Finally, as we begin a new year, which I hope will be fruitful for everyone, I would like to confirm our desire to grow through ongoing investment in innovation and creati­vity to ensure the quality of our pro­ducts and an ever better service for our customers.

Roberto Reffo CEO La Meccanica