On March 10th we issued an important communication to our customers and collaborators that, despite the emergency situation that is affecting IMA is still open and operational through smart working, remote connection, videoconferencing service via Skype and obviously taking all those precautionary measures that we are required to follow at this very difficult moment.
Ten days have now passed, but the situation has further worsened. In our areas (Bergamo and Brescia) people are dying in big numbers relentlessly and there are no more places in the cemeteries. Funerals cannot be celebrated. It’s a real war, we’re all locked in our houses because the enemy is invisible and is very very strong.
IMA is still open, even if it is with reduced staff. I go from home to office and from office to home.
We are trying to do what Government is suggesting us to do, but at the same time we need to continue our business and it is really tough as we have a lot of pending orders to deliver which are bound to L/C payment form and of course if we are not able to deliver these orders on time we will lose them or they will be cancelled by customers.
In fact, we have already faced cancellation of confirmed order recently.
In particular a customer from Pakistan, through our agent, has informed us to hold uts order which was already already in production because of this uncertainty. It’s not only a matter of Italy. Now all the world is affected and lock down is the only solution we have to fight against this monster.
This is a general situation, we can survive this month but at the end of March, after we have have produced and delivered all the existing orders, then our business will be stopped because no new orders are arriving and all our sales team locked in their houses with no possibilities to move and to promote the business.
Also from the next week a lot of our suppliers are ready to close their business for one or 2 weeks or maybe more. This also will affect our business. Express courier that usually make fast services are stopped. In this week only two of them are operating and granting us delivery of spere parts.
China is through with the war and is restarting business however Italy is in the middle of the fight and peak is not arrived yet.
Let’s see. We must just wait and stay home to keep us safe.
Then, when all is passed, we will think about how to start again our business!!!