We made a chat with our Internal Quality Manager, Raffaella Villano. Here’s its interview:
Hi Raffaella! Would you like to tell us how did you join Italcoat and what do you do?
I grabbed an opportunity. I have been in the company since December 2013 so this year it’ll be 4 years in Italcoat.
I’m responsible for Internal Quality, in my opinion it’s a very strategic role: who deals with Quality has firstly the task of spreading a culture and driving everyone to seek improvement; a difficult task, but very important at the same time.
You are one of the few women in Italcoat. Do you think your job is still perceived as “masculine”?
I think I’m a lucky woman. I’ve always had a good working relationship with men, I feel respected and listened to. Many women work in the factory by now. Yet, I’ve never perceived this role as masculine. On the contrary, I believe my job is well fulfilled by women. Women are rarely discouraged, they are determined to achieve goals: things that make the difference in this job.
Quality is a key point in the company. How do you interpret this statement?
According to my experience, I believe the role of Quality is fundamental for the company’s growth. From my point of view “make Quality” not only means meeting the requirements of internal and external customers, but also constantly improving our standards, aiming at the excellence of products, processes, work environment and relationships.
Quality should not be seen in a static, but in a dynamic way: it’s the engine of the improvement of the company! Actually, the point is no longer limited to the simple correction of a mistake, as it happens with Quality Control Application; instead, it’s more and more the prevention of mistakes, granted by an appropriate planning of actions. This is a philosophy adaptable to all processes and I believe it must be constantly pursued to obtain benefits and improvements.
Any advices to new employees?
To be proactive, never stop thinking and proposing ideas and solutions. To work hard to analyze, understand problems and contribute to solutions. I think this is what we expect from young people, the commitment to change the working environment. The main satisfaction comes when you see these improvements, aware to be one of the authors.