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Since both Vitrum 2011 and the year just past with its ominous final quarter are behind us, it is worthwhile to set our sights further ahead, to try to understand what prospects 2012 will offer us.
Let's begin by recalling that 2011 was a special year for the Fenzi Group, given that it celebrated its seventieth birthday. This quite long period enabled the achievement of results of such significance as to strengthen a position of world leadership in every product sector that the company works in: paints for mirrors, sealants and decorative paints. A success that was rightfully highlighted by Dino Fenzi, President of the Group, who during the festivities at Vitrum 2011 made some particularly significant comments regarding customers and personnel: "You have kept us busy for 70 years and thus, thanks to you we have been able to learn a great deal and grow considerably: we want to commit ourselves with you for the next 70 years".
However, the immediate future will certainly not be easy, as Alessandro Fenzi, the family run company's CEO, cannot hide: "The world economic situation is certainly not bright, even if one must say that not all countries are affected equally. Nevertheless, it is also true that in our 70 years of work we have gone through moments much worse that these. As is always the case, difficulties set off a sort of process of natural selection. It may be sad to say, but selection always leaves markets that are better, cleaner and more performing. We hope that in the end the result will be rewarding for companies like our own, which have always been on the cutting edge of innovation, technology and quality".
The current situation is well known. The real economy of the OECD countries is clearly slowing, in view of the fact that 2011 closed with an overall growth of 1.8%, well below that of the not so great 2010 (+3.1%), with GDP growth in the last quarter for the most advanced countries at 0.1%. This slowdown in economic growth is quite differentiated among the OECD countries: in the Eurozone contraction was at 0.3% in the fourth quarter, whilst in the United States growth was 0.7%. Japan's GDP dropped by 0.6% and even the strong Eurozone countries such as Germany and Great Britain lost 0.2%. France was the exception with growth at 0.2%, whilst Italy suffered the deepest drop of all at -0.7%.
For 2012 the World Bank has launched an alarm, because the general economic slowdown risks affecting developing countries heavily. World GDP is expected to grow by 2.5%, (vs. +2.7% in 2011), but a robust improvement is expected in 2013. If the Eurozone countries are expected to see their GDP growth fall to 0.3%, forecasts indicate that developing countries will grow by 5.4%. The slowdown in economic growth and world trade is basically causing a slowdown in the development of emerging countries, especially Brazil and India. Even China has begun the new year with a pulse that is far from recent records.
Therefore, 2012 looks to be, once again, a difficult year of tough selection precisely, in the hope that 2013 will witness a process of generalized growth which, with despite some ups and downs, has not been seen since 2008.
