Uncategorised
The year that just closed was perhaps the most challenging of my life, from different points of view. Above all, the event underscoring it – and I am obviously referring to the pandemic and its economic impact – is the first real crisis to affect society at large since the war events of the last century. The work of many has been jeopardised, social relations have become brutally rarefied, attempts to preserve the essential elements of conviviality have yielded partial and, at time, fruitless and frustrating results. Some have lost friends and relatives. And the financial end result of the crisis is yet to materialise, eventually unfolding in all its destructive force next year. For my country, Italy, the crisis has been ravaging economy and society, in large measure already compromised by three or four decades of sputtering economic growth and policies which are at best short-sighted, if not, frankly, ignorant and treacherous towards the younger generations. Is it finally time to take stock? We will find out in a few months, when the country, now at a crossroads, will have to choose whether to take on the challenge of international competition (with all that such choice entails), or to opt for economic stagnation and degrowth, effectively witnessing its economic and geopolitical marginalisation.
At ASTW, partly by good luck and partly by skills, we had a year full of achievements. A datum for all: in 2020 our turnover doubled compared to that of 2019. This is an extraordinary result that makes us proud. This achievement has been made possible by the great work, selflessness, sacrifice and creativity of everybody at ASTW, first and foremost our employees, who, in spite of the difficulties worked ten times harder to meet our customers’ growing needs. I take my hat off to them!
But there were other notable achievements in the year. ASTW was awarded a non-repayable grant from the Liguria Region and the European Union for the digitisation of business processes, in addition to two important quality certifications for translation services (ISO 17100 and ISO 18587) and, more recently ISO 9001, which sets forth quality management system requirements. We have also expanded the number of our associates, added new members to our internal team, and invested in technology. In addition to making us proud, these achievements means that we have to make our Company even more competitive, with the medium-long term goal of transforming it into a source of innovation and new solutions for new problems.
The average age of the ASTW team members is less than 35 years: I think this is also a good sign. If, in Italy, we gave more space and opportunities to skilful and energetic young people (by encouraging entrepreneurial activity and liberalising internal markets), the benefits would not only be enjoyed by those directly involved, but also by the country as a whole and its ability to generate wealth and, ultimately, a thriving future to our children.
Domenico Lombardini, ASTW Founder and CEO
