New Derthona N7 warehouse
It will be Europe's largest temperature-controlled one. Rivalta Spedizioni srl is building it in Torre Garofoli.
Quietly, without proclamations, but concretely, the largest European controlled-atmosphere warehouse (after all, it is called Derthona N7, the atomic number of nitrogen) built by Rivalta Spedizioni srl, a company that to most people says nothing but that now has about ninety employees scattered throughout northern and central Italy and has a turnover of about 50 million euros, is rising in Torre Garofoli. So we wanted to approach Franco Traverso, the company's managing director, who is justifiably proud of the progress, all due to his family's activity, that Rivalta Spedizioni has made, with whom we clarified the magnitude of this investment, of about 7 million euros.
But first a little history. The idea for this company was born in 93/94 to Tullio Traverso, father of the current ad, who was an executive at Interporto and, though still young, nearing retirement.
"He understood," says his son, "the enormous potential of the interport, moreover evidenced by its expansion, and of the area and involved me and my sisters, Stefania and Monica, in the project. In 2000, due to health problems he left the task of managing and growing the company to us, never failing to give us suggestions and advice strong from 30 years of experience in the sector. The company, which at the beginning had 5 employees and only one office inside the Interporto di Rivalta Scrivia, now employs 84 people divided into different companies always part of the group, has strengthened its direct presence in the territory with openings of offices in Genoa, La Spezia, Trieste, Alba, Romentino di Novara, Livorno with divisions dedicated to logistics, customs practices, transport, and from now also warehouses. The group expressed in the year 2011 a turnover of about 50 million euros.
Franco Traverso, 42, is originally from Genoa but lives in Sale and since the beginning of his business has
operated in the inter-port or local area. The group has in the city a commercial activity for now marginal in the Iper area called "sottocosto" plus other stores of the same chain in the Genoa area. The company's headquarters just in recent days was moved from the Interport management building, which has always been the company's headquarters, to the Plt in Torre Garofoli, and employs about 25 people.
It appears to Seven Days that Rivalta Spedizioni srl, of which you are ad, is planting a warehouse in Torre Garofoli for intensive storage of hazelnuts. Is this true?
Yes, it is true, our company is concluding the construction started in August of a facility (Derthona N7 this is the name of the warehouse) with controlled temperature and atmosphere for storing mainly hazelnuts and other materials that need this special treatment.
Can you offer us some numbers: capacity, costs, full employment, effective start date?
Scheduled to begin operations at the end of this month, the complex has an area of 10,000 square meters of which 6,000 are refrigerated in a controlled atmosphere and the remaining 4,000 at room temperature. The capacity is 8,200 tons of goods in the refrigerated part and as many in the room temperature part. We have already started the hiring of four people for the full-scale start-up which we expect to reach by June, the staff employed will reach 10 people clearly in addition to the company's existing staff. The investment is about 7 million euros.
There was a rumor in town that the plant was Ferrero's. What to say about it?
No, the rumor is completely unfounded, and out of respect for the customer I would ask you not to make any allusions in this regard. Certainly the Piedmontese confectionery group that has been our customer for over 20 years will occupy space at our site, but the ownership is and will remain with Rivalta Expeditions.
Are you connected with the warehouses at the Interport that have a tradition of storing hazelnuts?
With Interporto in Rivalta Scrivia there is a 20-year collaboration, it is true that Interporto has always been involved in the storage of food raw material, it is equally true that our company has always coordinated the flows of primary transportation from origin to storage platforms.
This year, thanks to the importer's particular sensitivity to environmental issues, it was decided to channel traffic in the Tortona area through the massive transfer by rail of goods landing at the ports (Genoa and La Spezia in primis) exploiting the potential of the Rivalta Scrivia RTE Terminal and consequently the subsequent storage in this new type of warehouse that both our company and the Rivalta Scrivia Freight Village have created ad hoc as you have already highlighted in previous articles, thus further enhancing the Tortona area as a primary logistics hub for northern Italy. Therefore, no competition with Interporto di Rivalta and the other major local operators, but on the contrary maximum synergy for the enhancement of the facilities and the territory.
