In a recent edition of Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy“s main financial daily, a feeling of cautious optimism was reported among Muranese glassmakers.
According to the statement there is no longer a situation…
In a recent edition of Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy“s main financial daily, a feeling of cautious optimism was reported among Muranese glassmakers. According to the statement there is no longer a situation of falling employment levels and falling turnover because there has been a change in attitude where the glassmakers initiate rather than simply let things happen. President of Effetre and the Venetian glass industrialists association Guido Ferro, commented that the past decline of the Murano glass business was largely due to those involved in the sector, although many would find it hard to admit this. Ferro said that for years many “hid themselves behind the artistry of the product“ with the result that realistic market prices were not enforced. A further factor which could explain the recent demise of the Muranese glass industry is lack of proper training. For thirty years there has not been a specific training school and other educational measures have not been implemented due to bureaucratic hurdles. Today Murano glassworks have a turnover level of ItL 320 billion per year which rises to ItL 520 billion when contribution of turnover from mainland Venice is included. This upturn, as Ferro maintains, needs to be sustained. As mentioned in the main body of the article, one way of doing so would be to have a trademark because replicas arriving from Asia but also from within Italy itself (the Campania and Tuscany regions for example) are sold at seriously undercut prices. In 1994 a regional law to apply a trademark was passed, but was largely ignored because it was considered costly to finance and there was passive resistance to it on behalf of the glassmakers on the mainland. Ferro believes that more attention needs to be paid to foreign markets as they have been rather ignored in the past, resulting in a loss of market share in Arab countries, for example. The unique ability of Muranese glassmakers to recognise changes in the market and to be “flexible in production“ prevented an even further drop in foreign market share. He cited the glass used for neon lighting in Las Vegas“ casinos as an example, “Ours are coloured glasses produced using ancient techniques of alchemy. Western ones, however, are varnished. There is no comparison whatsoever between the two for effect and durability”. Environmental issues are another area which should be taken into consideration to uphold Murano glass“ revival. In line with increasing environmental concern, old gas-fired furnaces ought to be replaced by more innovative and economical electrical ones. Meanwhile it was reported in a separate section of the statement that tax reductions worth ItL 15 billion granted to the Muranese glassmakers by the Italian state have been ordered to be given back by the European Union. No action, however, was taken by the Italian authorities when the initial warning was received meriting a firm declaration from Ferro, “We will take the Italian state to court for this”.