Consorzio Zip
In Veneto a public company has promoted development, new jobs and economic growth for 50 years- Mission
- Main activities
- Strategy
- Governance
- Staff
- Quality certificaton
- History
- Projects for the future
- Communication
- Environmental commitment
- Social commitment
Zip commitment: territorial planning and sustainable development
Consorzio Zip carries out industrial policies by managing the whole territory while working for companies and economics. In Padua it has established the largest industrial area, without a break, in the North East of Italy, managed by a single body. It also includes the largest freight intermodal area in the north of Italy [>>>Interporto di Padova]. Over 1500 companies are located here (covering about 1050 hectares) and occupy 1,200 lots with facilities. The area is served by a 7 km long railway junction, 2 motorway tollgates, 5 service centres with post offices, hotels, restaurants, banks, offices, services for companies and people, and a 30 km long fibre optic ring. 18% of its territory is for parks and gardens.
Its future relies on its ability to meet the demands of sustainable development – in environmental, economic and social terms – made by companies and workers.
Established in 1958, Consorzio Zona Industriale of Padua is a public economic body whose partners on equal terms are the Municipality, the Province and the Chamber of Commerce.
It was set up with the aim of making it act as a driving force for the economy of this territory, by creating proper infrastructures and offering services to make it easier for companies to locate here.
Over the years its targets have become more and more ambitious and today Consorzio Zip aims at enhancing the industrial area by supporting and promoting the development of companies and by offering new services and new opportunities to the territory where they operate.
Zip has always carried out development policies within the domestic market and synergy policies within new markets. It successfully collaborates with other industrial areas both in Italy and abroad. Thanks to its several years' experience, Consorzio Zip can propose itself in the global economic market for planning and building industrial areas both in Italy and abroad, with a focus on the environmental balance between industrial production and surrounding territory.
• to manage (by promoting and fostering any public and private initiative) the creation of the industrial and port area of Padua by expropriating or purchasing properties located in the industrial and port area according to what is provided for by law on this matter, and by deciding to purchase real estate outside this territory, which might be particularly useful and interesting for the development of this industrial and port area;
• to promote and see to the study and the carrying out of public works necessary to allow technically-organised industrial, commercial and craft companies to locate here, and to make the industrial and freight village area functional;
• to manage Consorzio assets;
• to carry out any other activity which might be useful to improve the efficency of the industrial and freight village area as well as its system of roads;
• to join other bodies having similar aims which are interested in Consorzio in order to achieve common objects;
• to take part in initiatives with public authorities, public bodies and other parties which aim at planning, creating and managing industrial areas and scientific and technological parks within the European Community framework, and offering consulting services by establishing companies. It can also carry out similar initiatives in countries which do not belong to the European Union, subject to the agreement of its promoting bodies; in agreement with the Province of Padua it can take part in the activities provided for under art. 14 and art. 15, letters a and b of paragraph 2, of the Act 8/6/90, n. 142;
• to promote within the framework of the industrial area of Consorzio the conditions necessary to create and develop profitable activities in the field of industry, crafts and services, by creating and managing, within this framework and in co-operation with the entrepreneurial associations, infrastructures for industry, crafts and commerce, real services for enterprises, vocational guidance and vocational training initiatives for workers, executives and middle-ranking managers as well as young entrepreneurs, and any other social services linked to the industrial, craft and commercial production;
• to join any initiative whose aim is developing lands and properties in compliance with the Act n. 317/1991 and rules connected with it.
It being understood that Consorzio Zip remains indipendent while carrying out its above-mentioned duties and that it is a public economic body, it follows all the provisions concerning the territorial and economic planning of the Veneto region.
In order to achieve the objects provided for in this article, Consorzio can purchase real estate also outside this area.
It plans and builds the industrial area of Padua which covers 1050 hectares.- It sells or leases out different sizes of lots ranging from 2000 square meters; each lot can be directly reached by many different roads, has its own drainage and sewerage system, is powered by a low and/or middle voltage line, is connected to the gas and water mains, is provided with telephone and optical fibre telecommunication network.
- It plans, builds and sells industrial areas with facilities both in Italy and abroad by entering into programme agreements with public and private bodies or partecipating in development partnerships. It offers its know-how acquired during its fourty-year-long experience, and its high qualitative standards in order to achieve objects which can be supported by the community.
- It designs and builds "turnkey" industrial buildings and rustics, according to each single entrepreneurial demand, including the financing programme.
- It designs and implements specialized technological networks and webs.
- It plans and carries out maintenance, reutilisation and reconversion works of industrial buildings.
The global economy is changing, markets are changing and are increasigly connected with the development of telecommunications and the increasing demand for intangible property and services; as a result of this, Zip must quickly adjust its strategies in order to meet the enterprises' new demands.
The new strategy of Zip aims at enhancing its institutional mission of "managing" the whole industrial area of Padua, by following the economic trends of Padua and Veneto and starting cooperation – and not-competition – processes with other bodies and companies.
This body successfully carries out its duties and activities thanks to its ability to promote its own projects and have them approved by the Authorities.
Therefore, it must constantly keep in touch with the Authorities (local and territorial bodies) and all trade associations. This relationship often develops through partnership agreements.
One of the Authorities which are more closely interested in the Consorzio activities is the Veneto Region whose specific legislative and administrative jurisdiction includes both the management of territory, and, therefore, the development of industrial areas, and the economic planning.
Furthermore, it has started to cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affair especially in projects for the internationalization of enterprises within the framework of European countries and non-European countries, and with the Ministry of Productive Activities in the development and financing of specific intervention programmes.
In cooperation with the University of Padua and local productive trade associations (Unindustria, Cna, Upa, etc.) it often carries out common projects, including research projects and scholarships.
It closely cooperates with all the organizations – like Interporto, Magazzini Generali, Acegas Aps – which operate within the industrial area and are part and parcel of the Padua System.
In order to make its intervention increasingly effective, Consorzio Zip often cooperates with the associations representing the sector where it operates: Eine (Bodies for the North-East industrialization) and Ficei (Italian Federation Consortia Industrialization Organizations).
This way a new strategy for the economy of territories has been worked out. It includes regional projects and cooperations with public and private organizations, especially with the Consorzio promoters, and aims at a joint governance..
Its "challange" is entering the global market network, becoming critical mass to be competitive in every sector, both industrial and service, because now being present locally is no longer sufficient.
It is not by chance that Zip has enhanced its presence within the Societies of Urban Transformation operating outside this territory, by establishing a sort of "network" of the industrial areas which have developed according to the "Zip model", and carrying out many different initiatives with and for its partners (Municipality, Chamber of Commerce and Province of Padua).
Its third challange is investing more in the environmental reutilization of this area, and including a social and not only economic approach in its logic of territory service.
In order to ensure its social activity and carry out all its scheduled works, Zip has never resorted to its partners to balance its endowment fund. Actually Consorzio Zip is only financed by the incomes coming from its own activities. Even the latest increase in capital up to 12 millions of Euros, which was decided in December 2003, was free and, therefore, totally self-financed by Consorzio.
So Zip is an important economic presence for its partners, not only for its ability to create value, but also, indirectly, for the taxes which the enterprises locating here pay to the local Authorities by means of taxation and payment of services.
Therefore Consorzio Zip does not weigh on the community; on the contrary, it contributes to creating value.
Long-term plan
The Zip board of directors has decided to practically rationalize all the ongoing strategic actions by a more specific planning. Hence the need to create a long-term Plan which will include especially a long-term Plan of sales and leases, a long-term Plan of works and a Plan of property environmental reutilisation, with a subsequent location of Development Centres.
Once it has been approved by the Board, the long-term Plan is to be verified by the Municipality, the Province, the Cciaa, the trade associations, etc. It proposes Zip as a subject of territorial and economic planning also within the framework of the Plans of Territorial Layout (Pat, Pati) provided for under the new town planning regional Act and in the Agenda 21 Plans which have already been carried out.
