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The story of the Laser Team

How is it dealing with the COVID-19 emergency?

Laser Team, an SME in San Mauro Pascoli (Forlì-Cesena), is specialised in the laser cutting of leather for high fashion companies. The company does not create finished products: Laser Team handles only the careful processing of the raw material provided directly by the customer.

The company has been in lockdown since March 22 due to the Covid-19 emergency. Rossella Bersani and her father Massimo are facing the situation with courage and determination, using the time available to rethink and modernise some of the internal processes ready for the next phase.

Rossella told us how.

The impacts on the company

What impact has the Covid-19 emergency had on Laser Team and how are you dealing with it?

The biggest impact has been on employees and customers. Production is currently down and we have requested use of the redundancy fund for our employees, but we continue to keep in touch by various means, in particular with a WhatsApp group and via chat.

Customers have reduced production or put orders on hold, but the period of difficulty we are all going through is strengthening the relationship between customers and suppliers, motivating us to find solutions of mutual benefit. We are also assessing new ways of keeping in touch with our customers, such as a newsletter that tells the story of Laser Team. In these months, during which fairs and sector events have had to be postponed, maintaining relations by any means is essential.

How are you using the time available during this period of lockdown?

We hit the pause button and began the process of reorganising the business in a more modern and efficient way. We are using the time available to think of more innovative ways in which the company can grow. To understand the value of your work, sometimes you have to stop and look for new ideas, without the distraction of daily work.

Also, in August, we will move production to a larger facility: my father and I are thinking a lot about how to make the production processes more efficient when we move. We are taking advantage of this period to better prepare for the future.

What will the business of Laser Team look like at the end of the emergency?

Direct contact with the customer is an important part of our job: meeting in person to find the most suitable solutions and being able to create the right product is essential, but traveling will continue to be difficult for a long time to come. We will therefore have to find alternative ways to carry out this phase of the production process and arrive at satisfactory and shared solutions.

Even trade fairs in the sector will have to review their organisation and be rethought in an increasingly digital way.

What are “your thoughts as an entrepreneur at this difficult time”?

This period has allowed me to take a step back and understand something more about us and the importance of reflection.

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur today?

My advice is to take advantage of this period to find out more about areas not considered before, even ones secondary to the core activities. This can allow you to put yourself in a perspective of change that can be useful for the future. It can help a lot to draw comparisons with other companies: listening to other people’s stories is a source of inspiration for great growth.