INSIGHT- A washing machine factory tests Italy’s industrial future

Avatar photoByReuters.com

One of the many symbols of Southern Europe’s industrial decline must be the sight of one particular washing machine factory that now makes fewer than half the washing machines it did when Italy joined the euro. Rather, today, the Porcia plant is also a testing ground for the region’s industrial future. Home appliance maker Electrolux, which owns the factory, wants to cut the salaries of some 5,000 workers, meaning that lowering labour costs is the only way its washing machines, fridges and other home appliances can compete against rival products made in eastern Europe and Asia…

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