La Sportiva had already stopped production lines at its factory in Italy ahead of the ministerial order imposing the closure of the factories for unnecessary goods. Now the outdoor company is converting part of the machinery, originally designed for cutting and sewing leather and rubber, for the production of masks and gowns to be used by the civil protection workers in the Trento province, where the factory is located. The first prototypes were made last week, using the technical fabrics supplied by Vagotex and Texbond, two Trento-based companies. The production of 1,000 items per day is now underway, with a plan to reach 3,000. The plant of La Sportiva in Ziano di Fiemme, which normally houses 369 employees, now has eight people working who were recalled from redundancy (“cassa integrazione”). La Sportiva is waiting for the products to be officially approved and certified, as they must comply with the standards established by the Italian National Health Institute (ISS).
