Construction of Pipistrel’s factory in Italy enters final stage, job applications raining in

14. januar 2016 ob 12.11 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

Pipistrel’s factory in Gorizia is currently being “dressed” on the outside with material made by Slovenian company Trimo. Regarding the construction itself, Ivo Boscarol, the founder and head of Pipistrel, warns: "Construction prices in Italy are 40 percent cheaper than in Slovenia. We have already constructed different buildings in Slovenia, but never for a price lower than 800 euros per square meter, as we now have here, across the border." Foto: Mojca Dumančič

The Ajdovščina-based manufacturer of ultra-light airplanes, Pipistrel, had to move its production across the border in order to make planes for the U.S market. In the spring it will employ 15 people. When the factory becomes fully operational, there will be another more than 200 employments. A great number of job applications from Italy are already coming in, even though the company hasn’t issued open calls for jobs yet.

Pipistrel made the decision to invest five million euros in Italy as Slovenia has no bilateral aircraft agreement with the U.S., and therefore Pipistrel cannot export its products to the U.S. from Slovenia.

Pipistrel’s mailbox is already full … Ivo Boscarol, the founder and head of Pipistrel: "Only at the end of last week we received 240 job applications. We otherwise get more than one hundred applications per day. And we haven’t even issued any open call for jobs yet… Lately, most of the applicants are from Slovenia. But when we started with the factory construction work applications from Italy were raining in. We have more than eight hundred applications coming from our neighbours…"
In the spring Pipistrel plans to employ the first 15 workers. When the factory is fully operational, there will be more than 200 people working in Italy. Among the first to get jobs will be: a production pilot, three workers for the final assembly of aircrafts, and two workers for preparing and shipping aircrafts. Immediate jobs will also be given to: one worker in charge of preparing documentation and monitoring deliveries to their final destinations, two workers for preparing and installing electroscopes, one worker in charge of preparing and servicing engines, a warehouse employee, one worker in quality control, and somebody in charge of receiving and checking incoming material, purchasing, and selling spare parts.

Boscarol is convinced that the company will find the right employees from the multitude of applicants: "We want professional and responsible workers. In the aircraft industry the responsibility of every individual in the chain of employees is extremely great. There can be no slip-ups because it’s about the safety of the people inside our aircrafts. We don’t ask to see one’s passport or ID, we just want good employees. At the moment, apart from us Slovenes, we also have employed Germans, Italians, Canadians…"
Pipistrel already has around one hundred employees. Together with its subcontractors, around 150 families depend on the Ajdovščina-based manufacturer of ultra-light aircrafts.