Deliveries to Southern Italy disrupted, goods stranded and additional logistics costs mounting: Assovernici calls for an urgent solution. Surveys conducted among member companies reveal serious operational difficulties. Restoring the free movement of goods and preventing disruptions from spreading to other parts of the country are essential.
Assovernici, the association representing Italy’s leading manufacturers of paints and coatings for the construction and industrial sectors, warns of the severe impact of road freight transport blockades on the manufacturing supply chain. While welcoming the measures announced by the Italian Government to support the transport sector, the association calls for their swift implementation to ensure the complete removal of the blockades disrupting the movement of goods.
Urgent surveys conducted among member companies regarding shipments scheduled between 16 and 20 October reveal that, in several cases, 100% of deliveries destined for the affected areas have been blocked or severely delayed, leaving goods worth hundreds of thousands of euros stranded. The disruptions affect Calabria, Sicily, Apulia, Campania, Basilicata and Molise.
The difficulties also extend to shipments that have yet to leave production facilities. Numerous transport operators are suspending collections from manufacturing plants to avoid having their vehicles stranded in the affected areas. This is resulting in goods accumulating in warehouses, higher logistics and storage costs, potential contractual penalties, risks of lost sales, supply difficulties and growing uncertainty in production and commercial planning.
“We understand the difficulties facing the road freight transport sector and appreciate the Government’s commitment, but it is essential to restore normal transport operations immediately. Every additional day of disruption increases economic losses and undermines customer service. Action must be taken before the protests spread to other parts of the country, with even more serious consequences for the manufacturing sector,” has stated Benedetta Masi, President of Assovernici.
If the situation persists, it risks triggering increasingly difficult-to-manage knock-on effects throughout the entire supply chain, from manufacturers and distributors to professional users and end customers. Assovernici therefore urges the rapid translation of announced commitments into concrete measures capable of resolving the dispute and restoring the full operation of the national logistics network, safeguarding production continuity, business competitiveness and workers’ interests.