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
Plans for the future
Naturally, Consorzio Zip deals with the future development of the Paduan economy. If that was not the case, it would be injust to those institutional protagonists of the fifties, like the mayor Mr Cesare Crescente, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr Mario Volpato, the rector of the University, Mr Guido Ferro, and the deputies Mr Gui and Mr Bettiol, who – with their far-sightedness – have directed the growth of the whole province till nowadays.
In short, Consorzio Zip is an instrument whereby industrial policies (and, therefore, also development policies) can be carried out and objects can be achieved thanks to an integrated management of the territory, at the service of enterprises, partners, and public and private economy. It has accepted the challenge to meet the request of sustainable development – from an environmental, economic and social point of view – which can answer the requirements of enterprises and workers.
According to a recent survey concerning the need of sites where to build new industrial plants in the industrial area of Padua, and the fact that every year many applications for plots of land are confirmed (a procedure provided for in the Zip Quality System Iso 9001 Vision 2000), the number of enterprises applying for locating in this area or in its surroundings is still great. There is also a high demand of a greater supply of structural and infrastructural services.
Therefore, the Zip Development Plan becomes a Sustainibility Plan where environmental and social advantages exceed profits.
In short Zip must:
- create value = economic sustainability
- distribute it = social sustainability
- carry out all that by preserving and "enhancing" the environment = environmental sustainability
In order to accomplish its tasks, among the main strategical actions to be carried out in the town territory of Padua, Zip has considered the possibility of a new expansion towards south as well as the renewal of the old north area. [>>> see also: Projects/Development Plans 2005 (pdf 555 kb)]
Within the province framework, however, the development will be connected with the creation of "Parco dei 3 Comuni" (Park of the three Municipalities: Ponte S. Nicoḷ, Legnaro and Polverara). It is an intervention concerning an area of about 6 million square meters between the river Roncajette and the main road Piovese, which will include gardens and parks as well as state-of-the-art industries working in the research and innovation sector. [>>> see also: Projects/Harvard (pdf 385kb)]
On the whole, they are choices which might give birth to about 4 thousand new jobs and a turnover of over 1,3 billion euros a year.
Among the strategical actions of social sustainability included in the Zip Development Plan, there is also the creation of new structural and infrastructural services for logistics, road system and residential housing. Within this framework, the most important intervention will be the building of the new Service Centre in via Messico, known by the name "Zippone". [>>> see also: Projects/New Service Centre (pdf 387kb)]
The future of Zip is, therefore, linked to environmental sustainability. In this regard, Consorzio Zip has considered several strategical actions which include many projects involving different partners: from the Scouts of Cngei (National Corps of Italian Boy Scouts and Girl Guides) to Fondazione Cariparo (Saving Bank of Padua and Rovigo Foundation); from the Veneto Region to the town councils of Padua, Ponte S. Nicoḷ, Polverara and Legnaro; from the local University to the Harvard Design School. Consorzio Zip is also involved in the Siam project for the development and the experimentation of a model of sustainable production area, financed by Life Ambiente (Eu) and promoted by Enea (Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Environment). [>>> see also: Progetti/Siam (pdf 554kb)]
However, the development of Consorzio depends also on its ability to pass on to others the considerable know-how it has acquired over the years. That is why Consorzio Zip has promoted and joined several town transformation companies for the creation of new industrial areas in other town territories of Veneto. Suffice it to quote the new area of 700 thousand square meters which is being built at Cittadella or the even more important intervention (over 1,400,000 square meters) which concerns the town territories of Villa Marzana and Arquà Polesine within the province of Rovigo. [>>> see also: linked companies/Zitac and I3]
In 2004 the implementation of a territory computerized network starts again to be carried out thanks to the fact that a new company, operating in other Italian towns, enters the Paduan market of telecommunications.
FastWeb has actually asked Consorzio Zip to use its infrastructures in order to reach all its potential customers thanks also to a very "aggressive" commercial policy.
The Zip technical office has, therefore, been very busy carrying out the works necessary to allow all companies to catch the offer of this new telecommunication company. Actually, according to its original policy, Consorzio builds its own infrastructures and leases them out to all the operators interested in them.
Internationally, Zip is an actual support for all our enterprises which wish to expand towards new markets. Consorzio Zip has undertaken some initiatives in cooperation with similar bodies and companies in many countries, such as Germany, the United States (Illinois), Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, Rumania and Ukraine. Actually, a new logistic infrastructure is under construction at Timisoara, with an investiment of about 16 million euros. The Rumenian city will be the seat of a Service Centre (warehousing, goods traffic, maintenance) of great strategical value for the many Italian enterprises located in this country.
At the same time, with Unindustria Padova (Industrial Association of the Province of Padua), Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo and other important Paduan companies, Consorzio has set up an Ati (Enterprise Temporary Association) to carry out the Intest project aimed at supporting Italian enterprises that wish to build their plants in other countries which do not belong to the European Union. Within this framework, Bulgaria is the country which arouses more interest.
By these initiatives Consorzio Zip offers not only its ability to supply enterprises with infrastructural services, but also its well-established expertise in creating and managing industrial areas as well as providing them with infrastructures.
Furthermore, Consorzio and Enaip (National Agency for vocational training of the Christian Association of Italian Workers) have submitted to the Veneto Region a project for the creation of project managers for industrial areas with facilities, which has been designed for training professionals coming from Palestine.
This initiative aims to offer know-how for planning, building and manging industrial areas by promoting also in that territory the creation of areas which have the same advanced characteristics and are capable of fostering the economic growth also within a context that has a number of problems at present.
In short, it is clear that Consorzio Zip still has a role to play. Actually, the manufacturing sector can not be completely given up because of the delocalization, and the industrial area of Padua can not be turned into a huge commercial or tertiary centre. This territory can still rely on the presence of a number of major enterprises, such as Peroni, Sit la Precisa, Main Group, Miny Gears, Gsb (ex Sangati), Carraro, Morellato, Safilo, Varisco Pompe and Fischer, which has its research and development area in Padua. Furthermore, there is an advanced tertiary sector, with the data banks of Cerved and Infocamere and the seat of Engineering. And there are also the Centro Grossisti (Wolesalers' Centre) with its 70 firms and 500 employees and the Interporto (Freight Village), which might enjoy twenty more years of development by collecting the goods traffic of the well-known Corridor 5 Barcelona-Kiev.
Consorzio Zip hopes that now – like fifty years ago – the Paduan public authorities can make a cross-party and wide-ranging agreement, which, by aiming at a few fundamental objects, can guarantee a further and considerable growth within its territory.
Zip Communication
According to its institutional objects Consorzio develops its communication by many different ways.
Up-to-date information about Zip and its ongoing activities is included in this website and is publicized also by newsletters.
Consorzio has strong relations with the media and takes part in the organization of economic and social conferences and workshops in Italy and abroad..
However, the development of this area implies the knowledge and understanding of its "wealth" and evolution. 
To that end, Consorzio Zip has participated and participates in several publishing initiatives aimed at disseminating and preserving the heritage of this territory.
- Download "Zip at the beginning of the Third Millennium" (pdf 2,3mb)
- Download "Corporate Balance Zip 2003" (pdf 2,6mb)
- Download "Corporate Balance Zip 2004" (pdf 2,0mb)
- Download "Guida alla mostra fotografica storica" (pdf 792 kb)
- Download "Intellectual capital statement 2005" (pdf 1,3mb)
- Go to the index of the book "A winned bet"
- The film "Zip Dance" in YouTube
