What can a year like this teach us?
We have reached the end of this 2020, a year that has monopolized the attention of many on a single topic, a year that has united and divided the conscience of each of us at the same time. I do not like to talk about this topic, but I think it is right and in a certain sense liberating to be able to express my ideas about it.
Personally, as a father of a family and owner of Basic and creator of Sun Ballast, I have tried to protect my staff as much as possible, taking the necessary precautions in compliance with the rules. At the same time making sure not to compromise the production and the service to our customers, who are the lifeblood of any business and until proven otherwise are the ones that allow us to put a plate on our table. I take the opportunity of this article to officially line up alongside all those who choose to play the game of Life, taking the good times and the bad ones. I choose to engage my company in the activity of living and contributing to campaigns that aim to help the social and environmental sectors. I conclude my dissertation on the subject with a maxim that can be its emblem:
At school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the exercise and I told them they didn’t understand life.
(John Lennon)
Speaking of Sun Ballast, it’s hard to say how 2020 would have gone without this unexpected challenge. It is probably not very useful and, in any case, due to my character inclination I prefer to dedicate myself to planning the FUTURE rather than reporting what has been. The growth trend of recent years has slowed down from + 80% in 2019 to + 10% in 2020. My “Consultants” say that I should be proud, not for the% growth despite the various Lock-downs but for what it was and what I’ll tell you briefly.
I am very satisfied with how the Sun Ballast guys reacted; it is said that “true friends can be seen in times of need”. The thing that will remain most impressed this year is the enthusiasm and desire to do that has overcome any barrier without even having to fight it. For this reason, I renew my immense gratitude to the Staff and to all the collaborators, without exception. This year more than ever it is clear to me that a cohesive group can face and overcome any difficulty without ever losing serenity and the desire to play.
In 2020 we dedicated ourselves to consolidating the improvements of previous years, establishing a company division on a permanent basis that deals with staff selection and training. Same thing was done for the Quality Division and the Marketing Department. The latter has been involved for several months in the project of the new web site, published at the end of November: www.sunballast.com: completely renovated site, which focuses on the achievements of our customers and the simplicity of access to the information necessary to discover and learn more about Sun Ballast products.
In addition, work has begun on a new logistics hub for the South, in Lagonegro (PZ), with the acquisition of a site of 15,000 square meters. This will bring great advantages both in terms of service speed and in terms of reduced transport costs. We therefore plan to inaugurate the new headquarters by June 2021.
Another milestone was reached for what concerns the European market, where we managed, thanks to the collaboration with some distributors, to have storage units on site. Thanks to this strategy, we are seeing a big increase in sales in the last months of 2020, especially in Germany, France and Switzerland.
The results of the work done in 2020 are measurable in terms of improvement of the materials used for accessories, improvements in calculations and solutions applicable to sizing for wind resistance and system maintenance, especially the filing of a new patent, the result of a long Research & Development work started in the first months of 2019 and finished in the last weeks of 2020.
The presentation and market launch of this brand new and innovative system will take place between January and February 2021. For the moment I can only “put the flea in your ear”.
2020, precisely on November 30th, also brought us Ginevra, the third child of my dear friend, Giuseppe Di Tella, head of production and he too, creator with me of Sun Ballast. A new life is always a miracle that must be given due recognition.
I conclude with the classic wishes using a quote from Giordano Bruno, who said:
It is not matter that generates thought, it is thought that generates matter.
I hope that you can achieve your goals, both professional and personal, and that whatever 2021 has in store you can come out with your head held high.
So, I hope for everyone to defend, preserve and keep alive the ability to believe in their dreams.
Best wishes to all Sun Ballast customers.
Maurizio Iannuzzi
General manager
