GIMAV-SACE Agreement Opens Up New Possibilities and Partnerships for All

Laura Biason, Assistant Director of Gimav, summarizes the key advantages the recent agreement between GIMAV and SACE has in store for member enterprises.    

The agreement that GIMAV recently entered with SACE opens up new, exciting opportunities for Italian businesses that are members of the Association. These are companies that export, on average, 80% of their turnover, thanks to the outstanding appeal and success Italian technology has achieved globally in the area of glass processing. To hold and strengthen a leadership position like this naturally calls for an ongoing commitment, especially in today’s world where the economic and financial dynamics of the entire globe have suffered and, in many cases, continue to suffer significant turmoil. The same countries that have played a leading role in global growth in the last decade -- those that used to be called ‘emerging nations’ and that now deserve a name more consistent with their global economic role -- are aligning their growth with a profound transformation of the service structures tied to foreign trade and internal bureaucratic procedures. If business prospects and profit margins are on the rise for companies, their risk margins and business management difficulties also increase by the same measure. GIMAV has always been deeply committed to its member companies in their penetration of foreign markets and now that member businesses are becoming increasingly internationalized and of key strategic importance, it wants to offer new and more specialized services to optimize risk management, like financing and surety bonds for competitive tenders and orders, credit insurance against unpaid commercial invoices, insurance against political events, factoring and credit recovery, assistance and training.

We spoke with Laura Biason, Assistant Director of GIMAV, about the new services offered by the Association.

Ms. Biason, how does the SACE agreement fit into the overall context of services GIMAV provides to its members?

“Being part of an Association like GIMAV also means being eligible for exclusive financial conditions and services, negotiated with the primary suppliers based on the critical mass of membership. This is the strength of Associations – they have the power to interact with the top players to provide new opportunities for their members at the lowest possible costs. Thanks to these negotiated conditions, members have access to specialized services at savings great enough to even recoup their membership fees.”

Which kinds of companies stand to reap the greatest benefits?

“The agreement with SACE is especially helpful to those who have never been insured with them, but also to existing customers, who will receive upgrades to the services requested. The agreement opens new, amazing areas of assistance and partnership possibilities for everyone.”

Do you think this agreement is an added incentive to join GIMAV for companies that have not yet become members?

“Certainly, the difference between being a GIMAV member or not is increasingly clear. Membership means not being alone when you go abroad, it means knowing you have an Association behind you that paves the way to internationalization and that can provide help in matters of daily corporate operations and also opens access to a host of opportunities and special rates designed specifically for our member firms. These are major competitive advantages that positively reflect on the life of businesses, and which also save time and stress.”