Cartes continues production after earthquake damage

Italian finishing systems manufacturer Cartes has continued production despite the recent earthquake which damaged its main production plant, writes Carol Houghton.

Production has been disrupted after an earthquake hit the north Bologna region where the plant is located. The magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck in May, killing at least 17 people and causing extensive damage.

‘Cartes is still alive,’ said company president Mario Lodi. ‘No staff were hurt in the earthquake and we expect to be working at 25 percent capacity within one month.’ Orders are still being delivered internationally and all customers have been informed of the disruption.

The factory, located less than 20km away from the epicenter, suffered structural damage and the roof of one building collapsed. Production has been moved temporarily to an 1800sqm showroom, located one km from the damaged facility. Extra storage space has been created, giving Cartes the capacity to build two machines a month.

The company plans to rebuild the damaged factory. It expects construction of a new warehouse to take four to five months.

The company’s second building was not destroyed and the structure is currently being made safe. It should be back in action by March 2013.

Pictured: The Cartes factory suffered structural damage and the roof of one building collapsed

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