Introduction
Imola Gru is a Crane Care agency for the brands Potain, Grove and Manitowoc. It has been working for more than 20 years in the field of services dedicated to lifting machines such as cranes, mobile cranes, track-laying cranes, overhead cranes and below-the-hook devices. From the very beginning the activity of the construction site is supported by female figures who organize the office activities.
Not only that, but we are also the first having two women working in the technical staff, and one of them was given the task of opening our Tuscany offices in Pisa in 2002.
Although from a general overview of our industry these roles are traditionally male, the company has always followed a line of equal opportunities, rewarding merit and competence regardless of gender.
Let’s introduce your company, you said that you are a team made up of women, right?
Our sales department staff is entirely made up of women and is able to manage 12.000 technical intervention requests.
A strategic support is provided by Logica, the innovative software created to manage the technical support service, a system able to fill in any technical gaps, putting the operator in a position to easily locate the experienced technician in a grid of options, the day and time he/she can intervene, any parts needed and the estimated time to complete the job.
The technological vanguard does not replace the value of the relationship and customer care, since we are dealing with services, and women have no rival in this field.
How did you join this company?
I joined the Imola Gru team two years ago and I got here because I was looking for a new business challenge and new incentives. I found a collaborative environment and under some aspects almost sympathetic. My task is consolidating partnerships, exploring new opportunities and unifying procedures.
What kind of specialized courses / studies / knowledge is needed for working in the crane sector?
For the non-operational roles are required the same competences as in other sectors, this means relevant studies within the company in which you work (sales, administration, quality… ) combined with a solid experience. It is understood that the less responsible roles may be covered also by figures with less experience. Instead, my colleagues who work in the construction yard are expected to attend specific courses for their practical work, such as that for becoming a NDT operator in order to issue certificates as a result of the checks on the machines, or to “crane maintenance technician 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level” in order to intervene on the different models of cranes, together with all the other generic courses to use DPI, prompt intervention, PES PAV PEI (in order to work on live parts).
There are also experienced technicians working also in off-shore who need special qualifications such as the BOSIET certificate.
Have you ever suffered discrimination at work, because the crane sector is considered a male domain?
I work in the sales department and the first approach with clients is perhaps the moment when you notice the distrust of a woman who works in this industry. You have to prove that you are capable and experienced. But once the ice is broken and I have proved I know the field, I am able to create a relationship of trust. When the collaboration is consolidated I think that being a woman becomes an added value, because the ability to welcome, care and attention that distinguishes the feminine approach, in the long run is strategic to create profitable relationships.
Women are good at multitasking, how do you reconcile work and family? how much time do you spend with your family?
In order to reconcile this job that takes up much of my time, I try to focus on the quality rather than on the quantity of time I spend with my family, so when I’m with them there is a 100% of energy and attention. Obviously sometimes I do my best and others less. I can compare with other women at work, who live the same division between work and family and this helps me finding new ideas and strategies to manage the difficulties. At Imola Gru were born 80 children… a great experience, isn’t it?
Aside from work, how do you like to spend your free time, do you have any hobbies?
One of my passions has always been traveling and visiting new places. Every time I do it I recharge my batteries.
Another passion, not a very feminine one, is the motorbike that gives me a unique feeling of freedom.
What is your project for the next five years?
I’d like to enter new sectors where I think Imola Gru can provide a service of excellence. Now we set foot in the off-shore field but I would like more… I love challenges!
3 tips for young people who want to work in the crane sector
– It is important to have a basic technical knowledge
– being available to travel, in particular abroad, because it is essential in today’s Italian construction industry and due to multiple job offers over the border.
– and then… being able to awake the child within us… who loves “playing” with cranes. The secret is doing a job you really “enjoy”.
