When a company's margins decline, among the first expenses to be cut are those for workplace safety and quality control.
This is the warning raised to Radar by Alberto Cellino, president of Confindustria Sardegna.
With rising costs, he explains, the urgency of continuing production and revenue may push companies to postpone prevention spending and reduce product inspections. "The goal is to survive," he says.
According to Cellino, energy, gas, and diesel prices are squeezing margins. For Sardinian companies, the cost becomes even worse when the goods have to reach the mainland. The president of Confindustria cites the example of a fully loaded truck loaded from Sardinia.
A year ago, the crossing cost between 400 and 500 euros, with a negotiated fare. Today, he reports, the cost has risen to 800-900 euros.
"Sardinia has enormous export potential. The challenge is reaching markets," Cellino observes. The sea should be "a highway," but the cost of the crossing reduces the competitiveness of Sardinian goods. Price increases, he adds, could be passed on to final prices and weigh on families' purchasing power.
The ETS, the European system that puts a price on emissions, also affects the cost of maritime transport. Now, the Region and trade associations have agreed on two freight routes to propose to the Government: the Cagliari-Genoa route and the Olbia-Marina di Carrara route.
both throughout the year.
According to Cellino, this "new" territorial continuity could reduce transport costs by approximately 30 percent and foster competition on other routes as well. The new connections, he adds, would ensure the transport of live animals even during the summer months.
In the immediate future, Cellino points out the €60 million allocated by the Region to offset the higher diesel costs incurred between March and August. According to the president of Confindustria, disbursements are imminent for various sectors, from agri-food to transportation. It remains to be seen, he notes, whether and to what extent trucking companies will pass on the benefit to businesses that have already paid higher rates.