Italian aluminium alloy producer Raffmetal closes down for two-week quarantine amid “Corona-virus” pandemic

The Italy-based aluminium alloy producer Raffmetal has extended this week’s shutdown through next week to permit employees a full two-week quarantine period amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Orlando Niboli, President, Raffmetal said: "We have decided to extend the production shutdown for another week to allow all our employees to spend the necessary 14-day quarantine period at home, with a view to social responsibility and as an act of awareness and further guarantee of health safety towards our employees and their families.”

Raffmetal has been operating from three plants and produces over 250,000 tonnes/ year.

As per the company “The shutdown is not expected to affect product deliveries, while scrap purchases will be rescheduled for later delivery to Raffmetal's facilities.”

"We will continue to guarantee ingots delivery service to our customers, [and] our raw material suppliers will be able to resume delivery according to the agreed schedule," the company said.

The nature of the coronavirus outbreak meant that delivery and collection services could change considering the availability of trucks and restrictions to the free movement of goods that various governments may yet adopt in the fight to contain the pandemic.

Many European Union borders have already been locked for non-commercial traffic.

Niboli said: "The production shutdown of these two weeks can be recovered thanks to the commitment and strength of our organization. But I believe that the development of this emergency will radically transform the way we act and operate in a completely new global context that needs to be re-thought."