In Basilicata, the Stellantis factory in Melfi currently employs 5,425 people, compared to 7,800 between 2014 and 2016. The supply chain, which had more than 5,000 employees in the same period, now has only 3,500. Meanwhile, in Morocco, Stellantis is investing massively. Nearly 300 million euros were injected into the Kénitra factory to double its production capacity, which will increase from 200,000 to 400,000 vehicles per year.
“The situation in the automotive sector in our region is increasingly worrying,” says Francesco Somma, president of Confindustria Basilicata, quoted by Lagazzetta de Lmezzogiorno. “The reorganization of the Stellantis production site in Melfi continues, and the local supply chain is in difficulty.” Only half of the region’s suppliers have secured orders for the new models produced in Melfi. “The next few weeks will be decisive in reversing the trend,” he added.
To read: Fiat Multipla: what price for this SUV made in Morocco?
Confindustria Basilicata fears “industrial desertification” and a collapse of the regional economy. “In the absence of answers, we risk a 50% reduction in the workforce in Melfi’s supply chain,” warn its representatives.
The metalworkers’ unions and the mayor of Melfi, Giuseppe Maglione, share these concerns. “Half of production and employment is concentrated in Melfi,” recalls the mayor. “This is a significant turnover for the GDP of Basilicata, and a crisis that impoverishes the entire territory.” All are calling for a general mobilization to save the local automobile industry, a pillar of the regional economy.
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