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CPL CONCORDIA Group Newsletter

47

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no.

Year XII - no.4 December 2014

GREEN HEAT IN POLAND

The 10 MW cogeneration plant built by CPL is up and running. It will contribute to the remote heating of 15,000 users in the city of Piła, thus reducing the use of carbon power plants with significant economic and environmental benefits

BANKS STRIVING TO SAVE ENERGY Credito Emiliano entrusts CPL with its Global Service across 9 provinces, while BPER Group carries out an energy audit of its branches CPL CONCORDIA TOGETHER WITH THE FONDAZIONE VERONESI FOR YOUNG CANCER PATIENTS COOPGAS, a CPL Group company selling gas and electricity, supports the Project “Gold For Kids”, for medical treatments in the field of Paediatric Oncology

from the editors

TG1 Economia, Giuseppe Tanferri and a dedication to work in 2015 On 29 September 2014, TG1 Economia,

celebrated his 100th birthday this

Drawing inspiration from his commitment,

the economics programme that airs

coming January. A partisan commander

we believe that the most sincere wish we

on RAI 1 after the news, broadcast a

and the first Mayor of Concordia after

can have at this time is for Italian society

piece on our cooperative. It included

the Liberation, he was a partner and

to rediscover the authentic work values

footage of the control room for remote

Chairman of our cooperative for almost

that it was founded upon, as written in

control servicing of our plants, the latest

twenty years. CPL CONCORDIA has

the first clause of our Constitution. This is

generation electronic and mechanical

chosen to dedicate a book to his life

a joint responsibility of business men and

meters produced by Meter Italia, and

experience, entitled “L’uomo con la

women, employees, politicians and social

the activities in the energy and gas

lanterna” (The man with the lantern),

parties alike, so as to allow everyone to

sectors, particularly with regard to

by

work with dignity and to operate in the

Fabio

Emiliano

Manfredi

and

methane networks and future projects.

published by Wingsbert. The book will

interests of the common good.

Because one thing that we have always

be presented to the public for the first

Happy 2015 everyone.

tried to do as a company is look ahead,

time on 15 January 2015 at CPL central

to the future, to give the cooperative

headquarters in Concordia sulla Secchia.

new prospects and new tools.

Tanferri always fought for the work and

WE were taught to do this by past

continuity of the cooperative and he

partners, such as former Chairman

would often say “It’s through the work

Giuseppe Tanferri, who would have

that we understand the people”.

CPL CONCORDIA is associated with

Editor-in-chief FRANCESCO MANICARDI

The quarterly newsletter brought to you by CPL CONCORDIA Group Year XII - n. 4 December 2014 Registered with the Court of Modena on 26.05.2003 under n. 1673

Editors GABRIELE BATTISTI SAURO CORSI MARCO DAL DOSSO MARIO GUARNIERI EMANUELE MALAVASI E-mail: redazione@cpl.it Design and Layout Gabriele Greco - Communications Manager CPL CONCORDIA Marco Maini - kina.it Printed by TIPOLITO SALVIOLI - salvioli.it

CNews online - http://en.cpl.it/cnews

Get free access to C-News contents from the CPL CONCORDIA website by downloading the QR Code Reader!

Watch the broadcast that Tg1 Economia dedicated to CPL CONCORDIA cooperative on 29 September 2014

Partner

Have contributed to this issue: SERGIO ALEOTTI MATTEO BARUTTA ENRICO BENETTI CLAUDIO BONETTINI MARCO DAL DOSSO PIETRO GENTILI VIRNA IODICE FRANCO LONGAGNANI LUCA LOSCHI GIORGIO LUPPI MARIKA MENOZZI SILVIA ORLANDINI MAURO PASCUTTI ERMANNO PASTORATO FEDERICA PIGNATTI MARCO PULEGA DARIO SACCHETTI DANIELE SANTORO

Published by CPL CONCORDIA Soc. Coop.

Via A. Grandi, 39 41033 Concordia s/Secchia (MO) Phone: +39.0535.616.111 Fax +39.0535.616.300 Website: www.cpl.it Mail: info@cpl.it

LEADING ARTICLE

At the company’s service: the new organisation

As of 1 January 2015 CPL CONCORDIA will officially begin the reorganisation it has planned in order to compete on the national and international markets as well as to face the challenges posed by today’s difficult and altered economic context in an efficient and innovative manner. took place at CPL CONCORDIA. And also on this occasion, in collaboration with the same consultant, the work carried out by so many of us, both as individuals and through the creation of 4 specific work groups, has been fundamental. A first important statistic is that among approximately 60 group members, at least 50% were new to this type of discussion.

The work groups, which were responsible for designing the proposals and deciding upon the reorganisation plan itself, focused specifically on: the new Organisational Structure, the Internationalisation Process, Efficiency in CPL and Business Intelligence.

What does this process aim to achieve? By analysing these four areas in a harmonious way, we can say that the reorganisation has structured and arranged the various elements of our Cooperative as we work towards a determined goal: to organise the company so that we can face the future with even greater efficiency and new regulations with which to approach international opportunities. As well as to meet the need for new tools with which to monitor the execution of the activities according to the new “rules of the game”, set and required in part also by the complex economic situation.

More specifically, “structuring and arranging the various elements” means identifying specific new activities that had previously been divided into multi-speciality sectors, thus providing for the identification of new managers that can be trusted with such activities so as to highlight our know-how.

We have come up with a single “Research and Development” Sector, dedicated to innovation, the sharing of “good practice”

Claudio Bonettini (53) - cbonettini@cpl.it General Manager of Operations of CPL CONCORDIA

Why a reorganisation? This question might be interesting for someone who never reads a paper, watches the news or browses websites. As noted by major international economic experts, and as confirmed by our chairman Roberto Casari during the latest assembly, the current social and economic situation, which materialised in 2008, cannot be defined simply as a cyclical (and thus momentary and transitory) crisis, but is actually a new context that every subject (including both public and private, businesses and individuals) must get used to. And to do so, they must adapt to the altered production, economicfinancial and market conditions, meaning they must rethink and redesign their business capacity to be more competitive.

Eight years have passed since the last significant reorganisation

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

and the identification of tools to promote CPL’s activities (whether traditional or innovative), in order to effectively manage the new proposals and/or opportunities to be proposed to the market as well as to succeed in obtaining financing and contributions for innovative projects. Another innovation is the creation of the Laboratories Division for the development and manufacture of electronic equipment for CPL’s in-house processes, as well as to meet the needs of its external clients. A central workshop is in the works, which will serve the entire company and handle both traditional activities such as the manufacture of gas equipment, as well as the manufacture of Power and Cogeneration plants.

Finally, the definition of other divisions, such as the new ICT and Billing (invoicing and billing) divisions.

The Odourants & Services and Plant Construction Divisions are not new activities but a new controlling responsibility, while the Engineering service will consolidate all of CPL’s engineering divisions, bringing the number of staff members to a total of sixty: we believe that the development of in-house design is a strategic choice that will benefit technological growth.

The new organisation will also involve the definition of International Areas in which to penetrate the local market with the subsequent development of a complete organisational structure, starting with the countries in which we already have offices, such as Romania, Poland, Argentina, North Africa, South-East Asia etc. Areas of Italy will also be affected by the reorganisation

efforts, in order to ensure the availability of competent qualified resources with an extensive knowledge of the company, who can be tasked with different and/or new jobs, while at the same time allowing for the growth of the intermediate levels.

There has been an important change with regard to production at CPL CONCORDIA, with just one General Operations Management office being tasked with the coordination of all the production efforts via a process of delegation and development. In taking on the role of General Manager of Operations, in addition to being grateful for the trust placed upon me, I have had the chance to speak with each of the individuals selected to cover the new roles: young people who, for the most part, are new to these roles of responsibility. While talking to them, I have noticed great determination and zero hesitation, as well as a complete willingness to carry out their new roles to the best of their ability.

The same willingness has been shown by all those who held, until yesterday, wider roles of responsibility, who have been asked to take care of developing new opportunities.

Being at the service of the cooperative: this is an important value in which we trust. This fundamental condition gives rise to the ability to ensure flexibility and the ability to reallocate resources according to CPL’s needs even by rotating staff throughout the entire production cycle and the various territorial areas in which our company operates (if necessary).

CNews n. 47 December, twenty fourteen

In this issue

BUSINESS AREA

BUSINESS NEWS

06

All systems go for the remote heating of the city of Piła

09

If schools put on an energy “coat”

12

To make a flower it takes... 60% less energy

15

The first CPL Heat Management service in the North East is in Malo

16

A competitive Global Service for Credito Emiliano

32

CPL and the Fondazione Veronesi in support of sick children

18

Four models for a “smart future”

34

The climate in my company? I think it’s...

21

An “SII” for consumers’ freedom of choice

22

Energy audit at the Banca Popolare dell’Emilia

24

Five “beating hearts” for gas safety

A new data center with enhanced security

31

A software for the global management of human capital

CSR

COOPERATIVE WORLD 37

MARKETING 26

28

Web strategy for international gas clients

5

Our future at zero marginal cost

All systems go for the remote heating of the city of Piła The 10 MW methane cogeneration plant built by CPL in Poland is up and running in record time, and is the largest project of its kind in the country. The hot water produced by the plant will contribute to heating more than 15,000 users' facilities, thus reducing the load for the three large MEC carbon plants and providing for countless energy and environmental benefits

The inside of the heat power plant: one of the 3 GE Jenbacher motors powered by methane gas.

The new cogeneration plant (to the left of the photo), linked to the carbon power plant, the building on the right.

Mauro Pascutti (39) Works Manager

mpascutti@cpl.it

load with the three large carbon plants, which, during the warmer months (from May to September inclusive), can be shutdown altogether to obtain countless energy and environmental benefits. But intervention by CPL has not just been limited to the construction of a cogeneration plant.

A very important and delicate, though less visible, part has been the almost total refurbishment of the entire electrical and hydraulic distribution system within the already existing heat distribution plant. Only the two carbon-powered boilers were retained (for an overall power of 35 thermal MW), while the pump system and

1

3 November 2014 saw the official inauguration of the new cogeneration plant that our cooperative has built in Pila, a city in the north-west of Poland, on behalf of MEC, the local energy services management company.

The ceremony, which was attended by all the key governmental figures of the Greater Poland voivodeship and the city of Piła, took place the day before an important election in Poland (the renewal of local administrations) and was characterised by two key moments.

The first was at the site where the plant was built: the motors were turned on, and the symbolic cutting of the ribbon was carried out by the city’s Mayor, Piotr Glowski, the chairman of MEC, Pila Dariusz Sobczak and the vice-chairman of CPL CONCORDIA, Mario Guarnieri.

Following this came the time of the official speeches by the authorities, various video clips and presentations, which, among other things, highlighted the record time in which this initiative (the largest of its kind in Poland) was completed: the first brick, in fact, only was laid on 5 September of last year (see the article in C-news no. 43, December 2013).

The plant includes three GE Jenbacher methane-powered motors, which are capable of producing a total of over 10 MW of electrical energy and a similar amount of thermal energy for remotely heating the city. The hot water produced by our plant will be fed into the city’s network, thus contributing to the heating of more than 15,000 users’ facilities and thus sharing the

hydraulic distribution system were completely dismantled and rebuilt according to our design so as to increase energy efficiency.

Furthermore, the electrical components and the control system, which date back to the late Seventies, were

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

entirely replaced with completely redundant systems of the latest generation capable of ensuring the plant’s proper functionality under all conditions, thus guaranteeing continuous service for the city and its inhabitants.

The plant is already operational, and we have been tasked with maintenance and monitoring responsibilities over the coming years in order to ensure that its efficiency and reliability remain at maximum levels.

We believe that this plant, together with that which has already been operating for a year in Wroclaw (Silesian Lowland) and was built by CPL on behalf of the multinational company EDF, will serve as an excellent business card and

a launching pad for the continuation of our cooperative’s activities in this country, which currently represents one of the most interesting and dynamic markets in all of Europe.

(below) A view of the carbon plant operated by MEC, the local energy management company. (bottom left) The traditional cutting of the ribbon, in front of the entrance to the cogeneration plant. The vice-chairman of CPL CONCORDIA, Mario Guarnieri, is first on the left. (bottom right) Italian and Polish technicians and workers talking inside the power and heat plant.

If schools put on an energy “coat”

As part of its Global Service and maintenance regarding the 110 buildings of the Province of Modena, CPL has carried out important redevelopment work aimed at energy saving: the creation of exterior heat insulation and finishing systems, solar heating plants, and new condensing boilers. All linked to the European ELENA program dedicated to assisting Towns that invest in energy efficiency.

Another aspect that our company is working on as part of the contract is the survey and mapping of the equipment to be maintained, an activity carried out internally by the CPL Information&Communication Technologies (ICT) department with the support of colleague Katia Mazzoni.

The contract also includes energy saving redevelopment works to be carried out by the end of the first year of the contract (1 October 2014). Such works are, in part, mandatory, as indicated in

Sergio Aleotti (43) - saleotti@cpl.it Work Manager for the Emilia Concordia Area

A

t the end of the summer of 2013, CPL CONCORDIA was awarded the tender for the ”Global Service” of the buildings owned by the Provincial Administration of Modena, for a total economic value of 16.6 million Euro and a contract duration of seven years. The awarding of the tender was originally planned for October of 2012 but, due to the 2012 earthquake that affected the Modena area, the Provincial Administration decided to postpone the procedure for 12 months. The Power Service contract initiated with our cooperative in 2004 alongside the other maintenance services was extended to cover that period.

The contract, which covers a portion of 60 buildings, including the Palazzo Provinciale, the Prefecture and the various Middle and High School institutes throughout the Province (for a heated volume of roughly 900,000 cubic meters), is primarily focused upon the provision of ”Power Services”, including the routine and extraordinary maintenance of the heating systems.

Other services that CPL will carry out on all 110 buildings used by the Administration (which cover an area of 230,000 square meters) are the maintenance of electric systems, anti-intrusion, fire protection, video-surveillance systems and elevators. The execution of said services involves at least five maintenance teams on a daily basis, organised by work technician Massimiliano Testolin.

The Global Service will be carried out on 60 buildings, including the Palazzo Provinciale, the Prefecture and the Province’s Senior High School buildings, for a heated volume of roughly 900,000 cubic metres the tender specifications, while others were proposed by CPL as technical improvements at no added costs to the Administration, thereby significantly contributing to the award of the contract.

The overall level of investment is approximately 2 million Euro.

The project managers in charge of the redevelopment activities are Claudio Gardosi, for system design, and Marco Marinelli on the building side. Specifically, the mechanical work that we are doing includes the complete redevelopment of 15 thermal power plants with the installation of condensing boilers, the creation of a forced ventilation system (mandatory), and the construction of 3 solar power plants (proposed by CPL). Other optional

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

THE SURVEY OF THE FACILITIES One fundamental aspect of the contract is the survey and mapping of the equipment to be maintained, which are activities carried out by CPL Information&Communication Technologies (ICT) department.

operations, which have been proposed by CPL and are currently being finalised, include the replacement of window and door fixtures, the insulation of roofs, and the construction of exterior thermal insulation and finishing layers on the façades of six buildings in total.

One particularly interesting aspect has been the link between these works and the ELENA-Modena programme that provides assistance to towns investing in energy efficiency. ELENA (European Local ENergy Assistance) is a programme designed to help local and regional authorities develop and invest in the field of sustainable energy. This programme is activated by the European Commission in collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Once the Auditing and Monitoring activities had been carried out by the European Commission in the city in early autumn, engineer Piergabriele Andreoli, Director of the Agency for Sustainable Development and Energy in Modena (AESS Modena) thanked CPL on behalf of the Agency for our staff’s participation: ”The contribution made by your presence and the professionalism shown in welcoming the European Commission were greatly appreciated and have significantly increased the value of the initiative”, declared the AESS director.

(opposite page) The Istituto superiore “C.Cattaneo - G.Deledda” in Modena, which will see the refurbishment of its doors and windows, exterior heat insulation and finishing.

One of the buildings of the ”Wiligelmo” High School specialising in scientific studies counting almost 800 students.

The installation of solar panels on the roof of the Fermo Corni Institute in Modena (above) and the “look” of the “G.Guarini” Surveyors’ School with its new external heat insulation and finishing.

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

To make a flower it takes... 60% less energy A reduction in fuel supply costs for the company Floricultura Trevigiana F.lli Barbazza, which has converted the heat generators for its 15,000 square metres of greenhouses for use with wood chips. The environmental savings: -550 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. CRISTOFORETTI SER, the energy saving company that built the plant, will also handle the sales of Energy Efficiency Certificates

Ermanno Pastorato (34) epastorato@cristoforetti.com Project manager Cristoforetti SER

T

he agricultural company Floricoltura Trevigiana F.lli Barbazza, which is of significant historical importance for Italy’s plant nursery industry, has been operating in the sector for over 50 years, specialising in the production of bonsais and a wide range of other ornamental indoor plants. On the operational side (we are in the Veneto region), the greenhouse nursery business requires a significant consumption of fossil fuels in order to produce the heat needed to sustain the cultivated environments in the wintertime.

Since the ”energy” item is an important factor for companies operating in the field of floriculture, businesses in this sector are constantly on the lookout for solutions that will increase efficiency while containing consumption. One of the most widely used technologies in greenhouse redevelopment operations is that of biomass heat generation (which mainly uses wood chips and pellets), above all considering the interesting incentives that such systems currently enjoy thanks to the possibility of obtaining Energy Efficiency Certificates (EEC), also known as ”white certificates”.

For its base in Maserada sul Piave, Floricultura Trevigiana opted to change its existing heating system, powered by low sulphur oil boilers, and to install a new wood-chip powered system.

This conversion has allowed for a fuel supply cost reduction

of roughly 60%. In terms of operations, Trevigiana has tasked CRISTOFORETTI SER with the design and implementation of the system, as well as with the submission of the documents required to obtain EEC. The work also involves the dismantling of the ”thick oil” system, which is now obsolete and highly polluting, as well as the reclamation of the two existing tanks. The biomass system has been built according to technological criteria that are capable of handling load variations and any climatic emergencies that may arise.

Another asset of the plant is represented by its wood chip storage unit: a structure built underground in reinforced concrete, so that material can be easily unloaded from trucks without using any extra mechanical equipment, thus minimising the effort required by the company’s personnel. On the floor of the storage unit are rakes that, with a slow and continuous movement, allow for the transportation of the material to a system of augers which, via their rotation, convey the wood chips to the heat generator’s combustion chamber.

With these types of plants, there is a rapid pay back on the investment (in this case less than 3 years), in that the significant reduction in fuel supply costs is linked to the income deriving from EEC sales; this latter activity is carried out on behalf of the client by CRISTOFORETTI SER, as an energy saving company accredited with GSE. In terms of the end client, it is interesting to note that wood chip purchasing costs have only undergone limited fluctuations in recent years compared to those of fossil fuels, which are highly conditioned by variations in the cost of petroleum.

INVESTMENT PAID BACK IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS Pay back is expected in less than 3 years, thanks also to the sale of Energy Efficiency Certificates on behalf of the client by Cristoforetti SER.

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Even the environment is grateful, in that biomass represents a renewable energy source since the environmental balance of carbon dioxide emissions equates to zero. In fact, the quantity of CO2 released during the combustion process is equal to that absorbed during the growth cycle of the plants from which the wood chips are taken.

Despite the announcement of a revised incentive calculation, with a subsequent reduction in the quantity of certificates assigned to greenhouses for upcoming projects, investments in the sector for the construction of biomass plants are still expected to be of significant interest in the future, and will represent an interesting opportunity for our company.

The reduction of the production costs allows for greater competitiveness on the national and European markets.

SPECIFIC FIGURES REGARDING THE PLANT Usable heat output of the biomass boiler: 1100 kW Type of boiler: mobile horizontal grid, for pellets and wood chips up to W55 Inertial heat accumulation: 3 with an overall capacity of 90,000 litres Wood chip storage capacity: approx. 225 m3 Extraction system: 2 rakes Filtration system: multi cyclone filter and sleeve filter, powder emissions > 20 mg/Nm3

(bottom left) The biomass plant with wood chip storage unit on the right, and the 90,000 litre storage equipment on the left. (bottom right) A detailed view of the flue-filter serving the plant: the planned work also involved the dismantling of the “thick oil� system, which is now obsolete and highly polluting.

The first CPL Heat Management service in the North East is in Malo

Following important Global Services contracts, the area has initiated the heat management of buildings in Malo, a municipality near Vicenza: not only energy redevelopment with high-performing boilers, but also maintenance and remote controls managed entirely by the cooperative’s Veneto offices.

Matteo Barutta (33) - mbarutta@cpl.it Project Manager for the North East Padua Area

S

ince September 2013, maintenance technicians have been working in the municipality of Malo, in Vicenza, on the first heat management contract to be entirely run

by CPL CONCORDIA in the area of North East Padua. Malo is a municipality in northern Vicenza that covers approximately 30 square kilometres, and has 15,000 inhabitants.

CPL CONCORDIA has been awarded the heat management service, fuel supply and maintenance of the heat plants that serve local government-owned buildings, including the preschools, nursery schools, a middle school, sports facilities, administrative buildings, the Carabinieri barracks, and municipal warehouses. Of particular note is the Gothic church of San Bernardino, built between 1456 and 1463, which is the current seat of the District Council and contains an intact cross vault curved choir with traces of an original fresco.

All of the systems underwent technical evaluation during the tender; this gave rise to the redevelopment project that includes the upgrading of all heating plants serving the buildings to the current standards, as well as a significant energy redevelopment in relation to the main systems: the replacement of the existing boilers with new condensing boilers, the refurbishment of the distribution lines, and the installation of control units to regulate and control the main climatic parameters. In addition to providing for economic savings for the managing body, such operations also considerably improve the comfort of the users and reduce the harmful emissions released into the atmosphere. All systems have been equipped with remote control units for viewing the buildings’ environmental conditions in real time.

The Coster-type system was designed and created by technicians at the CPL headquarters in Padua, and is managed by a fixed station in the North-East area offices. This system interfaces with the city web protocol, a management platform of the Malo district, which automatically generates reports in the event of anomalies.

Despite representing a small contract with respect to CPL CONCORDIA’s overall turnover, this nevertheless marks the first time that a Heat Management system has been coordinated entirely by technicians in the North East Padua area, who have been involved in numerous Global Service contracts for many years. The hope is that Malo will represent a positive trend for the future.

15

A competitive Global Service for Credito Emiliano The three-year service contract, which covers more than 160 buildings belonging to the CREDEM bank group and spans 9 provinces throughout the region of Emilia Romagna, is now in force. The three-year contract requires the engagement of CPL personnel, the monitoring of maintenance performance, and the computerised management of all the activities carried out.

An internal view of Palazzo Spalletti Trivelli in Reggio Emilia, the central headquarters of CREDEM Group, which will be one of the buildings covered by the CPL Global Service agreement over the next 3 years.

Giorgio Luppi (47) - gluppi@cpl.it Technical Service Manager

as well as the snow removal activities, when needed. There are four CPL Areas involved in this new contract, under the direction of project manager Sergio Aleotti, the sole reference person for the client. Our operational response has been assisted, once again, by the collaboration between the various areas of CPL; in this case, it was the Campania area that supplied additional resources that allowed us, in less than 15 days, to be entrusted with the systems in time for the winter season.

While one might think that it’s a contract like any other, this is not the case. Like public institutions, bank groups also have a number of assets to be managed with the support of highly qualified services: for example, the monitoring of maintenance performance or the computer-based management of all the activities. But while the public clients have been experiencing significant economic limitations for years in terms of spending power (as well as a total lack of investment), with inevitable repercussions on service quality, the large private clients are economic operators that are required to compete on the market according to strict logics.

Speed and efficiency are the key characteristics of the contract; the client, who wants to stand out as both an economic operator and as an employer, has tasked us with the activities of acknowledging, acting and reporting. Although this was a true tender, one might note the speed with which the contract was formalised, with less than 90 days from initial contact to the start of the service on 1 October 2014; a dream scenario compared to the time frames that our public institutions are used to.

Therefore, it’s a different segment of clients to be watched, one that’s rife with both commitments and opportunities: our partner has often shown us the care with which it has drawn up the contractual documents, particularly the sections regarding compensation and penalties. We have noted that, in addition to the penalties, there are also certain rewards, and this seems to be a great incentive, above all due to the message that underlies this line of argument. I believe that this is a message that we should consider at every level of our organisation, and I have decided to take advantage of this opportunity to share it with all my colleagues.

I

don’t often have the chance to participate directly in negotiations any more, but this time I couldn’t resist interacting with a client as prestigious as CREDITO EMILIANO, a bank group operating on a national level with more than 636 sales points, including branches, business centres and financial stores, and over 32 billion Euro in assets, including its insurance activities.

While our company already has relationships of a financial nature with CREDEM, for some time now we have also been interacting with their technical division with regard to certain services that CPL promotes in terms of Information&Communication Technologies. In late June, my colleague Emanuele Malavasi passed me the contact information of their Purchasing Manager, so that we could discuss the possibility of establishing a global service contract. Upon arriving at the CREDEM building on Via Gandhi, I met with their representatives who, after the initial formalities, told me: ”Luppi, we need to take care of the global service for Lot 2 (the most ’sensitive’ one), and we can’t afford to choose the wrong supplier: can you tell us how you will perform the service? Every so often we receive your company magazine, C-news, and are quite interested to read about all the things you are doing around the world...”

After this there were various meetings (together with Mirna Gozzi on the commercial side and Sergio Aleotti on the operational side), during which we addressed the topics raised by the client. At the end of September we signed the contract to take on the service, which covers more than 160 buildings throughout 9 provinces in Emilia Romagna.

The three-year contract requires the availability of CPL staff at three of the most important CREDEM offices, including the prestigious Central headquarters at no. 4 Via Emilia S. Pietro in Reggio Emilia. We will be handling the routine and extraordinary maintenance of the buildings’ heating, electrical and sanitary systems, the labour, and the maintenance of the green areas,

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

Four models for a ”smart” future Technological innovation, the development of prototypes and the consequences for the well-being of European citizens are among the themes receiving public financing from the Regions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. In this way, CPL can obtain extra financial funding to support its R&D activities. From integrated systems of comfort in “zero impact” buildings, to smart grids, low cost electronic meters, and energy efficiency and security in housing complexes

Pietro Gentili (34) - pgentili@cpl.it Finance Office - Grant awards

A

”smart” future. The four Industrial Research and Experimental Development projects planned by the CPL CONCORDIA Group, and recently approved by the Regions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, all revolve around the term ”smart”.

Just two years after deciding to participate in this initiative, there are now 6 active projects that demonstrate our Group’s ability and potential to access these financial funds.

In addition to the four recently approved projects, two more are already in progress: the RIGERS project (on urban regeneration) and the ACCUS project (on controlling the city system), both of which will conclude in 2016.

A characteristic common to all 6 projects is technological innovation, to be achieved through the commitment of staff, external consultants, tools and equipment: the main elements that make up the budgets of the various projects. Innovation that leads to the goal of developing new prototypes and future products, which, due to the intrinsic component of industrial challenge, can often even receive European public funding. There are also factors of technological readiness (or the state of technology, closer to or further from the market - measured on a scale from 1 to 10) and the impact of the projects on the life quality of Europe’s citizens: factors that determine the percentage of non-repayable coverage, which

can range from 20% to 100% of the project costs depending on the financial tool. Participants in this type of project include public bodies (from Public Administrations to Universities) and private institutions (small and large companies, research centres, etc.) that, in an aggregate way, bring together competences and skills to achieve common objectives (for the benefit of the project and the participating players who, individually, would not achieve the same results).

It is technological readiness (or the state of technology, closer to or further from the market) and the impact of the projects upon the life quality of Europe’s citizens that determines the percentage of non-repayable coverage, which can range from 20% to 100%.

In terms of the proposals’ content, the term ”city” is that which accompanies the term ”smart” in the SIDE project presented in the Lombardy Region’s Call for Tender entitled ”Smart Cities and Communities”. The SIDE project involves the design and creation of an integrated system for building diagnostics, including the monitoring of internal environmental comfort parameters, energy flows and the control of HVAC systems, for both redevelopment planning purposes and the development of new ”zero impact” facilities. CPL collaborates with the

Call for Tender by the Lombardy Region: ”Smart Cities and Communities”.

Aim: to create an integrated system for building diagnostics that includes the monitoring of internal environmental comfort parameters, energy flows and the control of HVAC systems, for both redevelopment planning and the development of new ”zero impact” facilities.

Time frame: 18 months (April 2014 - September 2015)

Call for Tender by the Lombardy Region: ”Smart Cities and Communities”.

Aim: to integrate, in an intelligent and coordinated way, all of the aspects regarding Smart Grids, including innovative power generation from renewable and non-renewable sources, the energy efficiency of building shells and plants, and the integration of advanced communication technologies to supply the citizen with services for improved living and participation in the city.

Time frame: 19 months (November 2013 - May 2015)

Call for Tender by the Emilia Romagna Region: ”Research and Development Project with production chain impact” Aim: to develop a new generation of static meters based on mass thermal technology (the mass of the gas in transit is measured with a temperature sensor) for the measurement of gas consumption.

Call for Tender by the Emilia Romagna Region: ”Research and Development Project with production chain impact” Aim: to create a system for the management and security of existing buildings that’s capable of integrating various ICT technologies to manage the energy and security aspects of buildings or building complexes, and to reduce consumption thanks to the optimisation of energy efficiency and the related costs.

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

devices for the metering of gas consumption. The project will cost approximately 1 million Euro, of which 330,000 Euro will be non-refundable. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Cooperativa Bilanciai, the University of Casino and CRIT. The fourth and final project approved, EFFICIENTSEE, involves the creation of a system for the management and security of existing buildings that will be capable of integrating various ICT technologies in order to manage the energy and security aspects of buildings or building complexes, as well as reducing consumption thanks to the optimisation of energy efficiency and the related costs. This system will be installed in the area to be monitored and will have to adapt to different applications (for example a hospital, a school, an industrial building, a university campus) with the aim of optimising energy efficiency and the relative costs, thus guaranteeing increased levels of comfort for the people inside the buildings themselves. The budget is 1 million Euro, 372,000 Euro of which is non-refundable. The project will be developed by XDatanet, a CPL group company, and will be based on a BEMS (Building Energy Management System) approach, to optimise the system’s teach-in ability based on the use of spaces and the behaviour of the people using them. In this way, it must integrate with the systems already present in new generation buildings (equipped with BACS - Building Automation and Control System), as well as with the systems present in traditional buildings (for example with boilers, lighting systems etc.), in order to maintain a high level of practical flexibility.

partners ICIE, NESA, TEVA and ITC-CNR for the development of activities relating to the ”design and development of devices for a smart metering system (such as Power, Water, Gas, Heat Transfer Fluids, etc.), as well as for the ”development of Instructions and procedures to analyse the data of the energy carriers concerned”.

The project also involves pilot experiences for various local administrations in the Mantua area (Pegognaga, San Giovanni del Dosso, and the Consorzio Comuni Oltrepò Mantovano). The SIDE project, which began in April of 2014, will be completed in September of 2015, for a total duration of 18 months. The overall cost is expected to reach 4 million Euro, of which approximately 700,000 Euro will be for CPL’s activities (roughly 280,000 in the form of non-refundable financing).

The SCUOLA project (see edition no. 45 of C-news) was also financed as part of the Lombardy Region’s Tender entitled ”Smart Cities and Communities”. Unlike the SIDE project, here the subject is the ”city system” and, in particular, the ”GRID” power generation network. The aim, in fact, is to test an innovative system that can integrate, in an intelligent and coordinated way, all the aspects regarding Smart Grids, including innovative power generation from renewable and non-renewable sources, the energy efficiency of building shells and plants, and the integration of advanced communication technologies to supply citizens with services for improved living and participation in the city. A2A leads the project with the participation of the Politecnico di Milano and other key partners. With a cost of approximately 10 million Euro, CPL will participate with about 200,000 Euro (of which roughly 80,000 will be non-refundable). Begun in November of 2013, it will conclude in May of 2015.

Turning to Emilia Romagna, and to its financial tools, the GASMET and EFFICIENTSEE projects have obtained approval within the scope of the ”Research and development projects with supply chain impact” tender, for areas affected by the earthquake of May 2012.

In terms of ”smart metering”, GASMET aims to develop an innovative meter, based on mass thermal technology (the mass of the gas in transit is measured with a temperature sensor) to measure any gas consumption that may exceed the current technical limits of the mechanical systems. Linked to the activity that the new CPL Group company Meter Italia is developing, the project will create a new generation of static meters based on electronic measuring technologies, which will be capable of combining the characteristics of reliability, reduced dimensions and low costs. At the end of the planned activities, these characteristics will allow for the widespread dissemination of the solutions obtained and, as a consequence, will lend a substantial competitive advantage to the companies capable of exploiting mass thermal technology and its potential integrations with

The EFFICIENTSEE Project is based on an innovative building security and management system. It will be installed in the areas to be monitored and will need to adapt to various applications, for example, hospitals, schools, industrial buildings, university campuses, etc.

With the approval of these four projects, an important management phase gets underway which, if developed correctly, will allow us to obtain useful financial funds for the company R&D activity. What’s more, the plan to further develop innovative projects directed at our products and services (again with financial support from Europe) will get fully underway in 2015 thanks to the new R&D unit, which will be rendered operation in January of 2015.

While it is undoubtedly a complex and long-term plan, it is nevertheless one that the European Union will be able to back from now until 2020; up until that date, the main aims and themes are already defined, and provide for significant investments in areas that are important to us, such as energy efficiency, the reduction of harmful emissions, and sustainable transport, as well as the aforementioned R&D. It is up to us to take full advantage of these opportunities for the benefit of our company, members, employees and citizens.

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An “SII” for consumers’ freedom of choice With the Integrated Information System (SII is the Italian acronym), the Authority gets to the heart of communication between gas and power distributors and vendors. CPL’s ICT sector has already developed procedures for carrying out the first “SII” processes in the electric field, and is now ready to guarantee the fulfilment of imminent disclosure obligations for gas operators

communication traces and standards for all the players involved (vendors and distributors). In addition to optimising communication exchanges, the new system will also help the Authority to monitor the retail market, and can even be used for further development in the power sector (for example, the implementation of smart grids). And that’s not all: by facilitating the changing of suppliers while still complying with privacy regulations, the new information flows will enhance the contractual power of the consumers’ freedom of choice, in that they will be able to take full advantage of the competition. The system will be rolled out gradually: power distributors have already been operating on the portal, in fact, since 2012; by the end of 2014, the gas distributors will be operational, and will be followed by the gas and power vendors.

CPL’s ICT division, which already manages all the gas and power sales/distribution activities with its software (Mubi and Digas), has already developed procedures to carry out the first ”SII” processes in the power field, and is now ready to ensure the fulfilment of the imminent disclosure obligations for gas operators. Specifically, the files generated will have a layout and content compliant with the regulations and specific web services will be configured that will allow for AtoA (Application to Application) communication with the SII as an alternative to using the Acquirente Unico portal.

Also with reference to SII (as with every other activity entrusted to the vendors/distributors), our Division will support software development with a complete regulatory and operating consultancy service that will ensure the resolution of all the players’ problems in real time, as well as the timely/consistent fulfilment of the obligations imposed by the AEEGSI.

Federica Pignatti (37) - fpignatti@cpl.it ICT Service - Regulatory/rate-related consultancy service

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ith Resolution no. 79/2012, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity, Gas and Water (AEEGSI) approved the Regulation of the Integrated Information System (SII), which is already operational as far as the power sector is concerned and is now set to become obligatory for natural gas operators in the coming months. The SII is based on a database of drawing points and data identifying the end clients, and is designed to manage information relating to the power and gas markets. Following the deregulation of the market, the exchange of data and the updating of business relations have become critical activities, above all considering the numerous users served by multiple operators who collect and retain identification and consumption data. It was also necessary to outline a new approach for the management of contractual relations, with new criteria for accessing the data of the end users. The modification procedure began with Law 129/10, executed by the AEEGSI with Resolution no. 134/08, and Consultation Document 14/10, which introduced the principle of a centralised system, accessible to all operators, to replace the previous method of bilateral communication. This gave rise to the SII portal (set up with Acquirente Unico), which will be the only tool at the operators’ disposal for communicating among themselves and for carrying out all types of requests/activities (switches, sending of measurements, transfers, etc.). The system will ensure a prompt and high quality information flow, with unambiguous

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Energy audit at the Banca Popolare dell’Emilia BPER, Italy’s sixth largest bank group, asked CPL CONCORDIA to carry out a detailed analysis of its energy consumption and environmental parameters. The monitoring, which was carried out using both software and hardware devices, led to the drafting of an Energy handbook and an overview of possible improvements that would be capable of reducing the current consumption levels by more than 30%

(opposite page) The BPER Group extends across Italy with 1300 branches: the Banca della Campania branch is shown in the photo.

One of the buildings (Service Centre) of the Banca Popolare dell’Emilia Romagna in Modena that underwent the energy audit.

Marco Pulega (36) mpulega@cpl.it Equipment and remote control manager - ICT Division

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PER Group, which was founded in 1994 at the behest of Banca Popolare dell’Emilia Romagna, is now the sixth largest Italian bank group, with 11,500 employees and roughly 1,300 branches spread across the whole country. BPER Group’s continuous focus upon technological innovation, energy savings and reducing environmental pollution has led to the decision to carry out an important energy audit in a number of sample offices and branches in order to quantify any energy waste and propose an improvement strategy by reducing or eliminating waste. CPL CONCORDIA has carried out an extensive analysis of power, gas and water consumption, as well as environmental parameters like internal and external temperatures, and carbon dioxide and lighting levels in the offices, in order to identify any areas of possible improvement, so as to draft a true Energy Handbook. Consumption was reported with the buildings’ design and structural data, including their geographical positions and characteristics (daytime temperatures, climatic range, etc.), number of employees, the surface area of each building, and the technical characteristics of the technological systems. For greater accuracy, the electrical systems were split, using separate meters, in order to monitor the different types of consumption (lighting, heating, privileged lines) and to study specific energy-saving solutions. The consumption sampling activities were carried out by installing specific measuring tools at the buildings being audited, which were capable of communicating with a remote monitoring centre installed in the CPL CONCORDIA Data Centre via GPRS. The use of a central server allows for the collection of data from all of the buildings under surveillance in one single database, so that the data can be later compared and analysed. The web-based interface can also be used to view consumption on any platform connected to the network, such as PCs or smartphones/tablets. Once the analysis was completed, a final report was generated that highlighted the following points: • any critical areas identified; • analysis of the data collected and initial observations;

• estimate of potential savings; • general overview of the potential projects to be carried out on the buildings, as a result of monitoring carried out and the characteristics of the sites analysed (territoriality, particular conditions, conditions of the systems and buildings, etc.); • proposals for building automations of different complexities, based on the desired cost/benefit ratio.

The study highlighted potential energy savings in all the monitored buildings that would be capable of repaying the initial investment in the remote control and audit system after just a few years of operation. In particular, at the main Modena headquarters, due to their imposing dimensions and the absence of an automated regulation system, there was the potential to reduce consumption by over 30%, which corresponds to a saving of tens of thousands of Euro and thus confirms the usefulness of the audit itself. Furthermore, by distributing the Energy Handbook to all the branches and making sure that the employees adhere to the simple energy-saving rules described therein, we will be able to see an initial reduction in consumption without carrying out any operations within the buildings themselves.

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Five “beating hearts� for gas safety New storage facilities in Campania and Lombardy ensure the rapid and widespread delivery of the odourant product (the substance that gives methane gas its distinctive odour) throughout the entire country. The client 2I Rete Gas has already requested the supply of 340 tonnes of product over the next two years, which will also be delivered thanks to a new 6000 litre tanker lorry

Stainless steel drums used to hold the odourant product. (below) The new 6000 litre tanker lorry, part of the CPL special transportation fleet for the transportation of odourants.

assignments necessary to meet the end user’s requirements. In this regard, our fleet of vehicles (close to 20 units) will also be differentiated and modelled based on the necessities, in keeping with these new requirements. In fact, we are awaiting the imminent arrival of a new 6000 litre tanker lorry, thanks to which we will be able to quickly and safely supply stock to the clients’ increasingly large, complex and efficient plants, all in keeping with the requirements set forth by the UNI 9463 regulation: a rationalisation plan and a reduction in travelling and restocking requirements that also represent a clear advantage in reducing the risks associated with the handling of dangerous substances.

The range is completed with 12 transfer vehicles with capacities of less than 3500 kg, 2 vehicles with crane arms for transferring and unloading drums with capacities of 5000 and 10000 kg, and a drum transport trailer with a 20000 kg capacity used for stocking the external depots. Last but not least, an improvement plan is currently in the works with regard to the methods for receiving raw materials at Concordia. Each year there are about thirty odourant deliveries to the CPL depot: this is a phase in which the receiving structure must be prepared to safely and professionally carry out extremely complex and risky activities for the unloading of 15 tonnes of material on average from our supplier’s tank. We are getting organised to be able to collect the tanks directly at the rail yards, thus reducing the long motorway trips involved in transporting the products from Belgium to Italy.

In this way, by avoiding the need for third parties, we can keep the entire unloading phase under control without any external ”interference” during what is, for us, the most risky phase of the entire supply process. Therefore, if the winter is truly winter (or rather the coldest season of the year), we will be able to put the choices we have made into action, involving all the personnel at the company and in the surrounding areas who are ready and available to take on the greater amount of work, which in the past has even extended to the holidays in certain cases. More than 20 years have passed since the activity began (at that time the depot was merely a shack), but many challenges still await us as we strive to guarantee safe natural gas distribution through the network.

Enrico Benetti (42) - ebenetti@cpl.it Installations and Services manager Natural Gas Division

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uring the summer of 2014, CPL CONCORDIA was awarded an important contract by 2I Rete Gas, a long-time client in the field of odourisation, even back when the company was known as Camuzzi Gazometri, before incorporating Italcogim, and later becoming G6 Rete Gas and now 2I. It was a familiar client, therefore, one that consists of people and places that have ”belonged” to the world of relationships that CPL has inhabited for over twenty years (sometimes in geographical areas far from our headquarters in Concordia sulla Secchia), that encouraged us to undertake a relocation plan in order to move closer to the user base. A plan that takes on even more significance following the reorganisation project in which our cooperative has been involved in recent months, and its imminent implementation under the direct supervision of Alice Diacci. This proves how farsighted the decision we made a couple of years ago, to create odourant depots in different areas, really was. The ”TIRRENO” depot in Mercato San Severino (SA) and the ”PADANO” depot in Melegnano (MI) integrate the two already functioning depots (the ”ADRIATICO” in San Giacomo degli Schiavoni in Molise and the ”MEDITERRANEO” in Calascibetta in Sicily), and top off, along with the ”EMILIA” depot in Concordia, our logistical structure for the supply of odourants. The start of the activities at these two sites coincides with the effective date of a contract that will require us to supply almost 340 tonnes of TBM odourant over the next 2 years (with the possibility of a third year) throughout Italy, from Valle d’Aosta to Sicily, along the country’s Tyrrhenian coast.

Similarly, we have invested in training technicians who are qualified, prepared, licensed and capable of carrying out the requested activities in a safe and precise manner.

All this using resources already present in the areas cited, without further weighing down the company’s structure, but rather by rendering it dynamic and flexible, so as to be able to fulfil all the tasks and

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

Web strategy for international gas clients CPL CONCORDIA continues to monitor new foreign horizons, through the activities of GES-Gas Energy Solutions, a company based in Germany. And in order to strengthen its visibility, it uses the web as a tool to promote the brand and products (components, systems and services) for natural gas

Marika Menozzi (34) - mmenozzi@cpl.it Communications Office

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ES is a German company whose shares are held by CPL CONCORDIA and by two important companies in the field, and operates on the international market, selling products mainly in Europe, the Middle East and Eastern countries. GES aims to be a reference point for transporters and distributors of natural gas by supplying components, systems and services for the use of natural gas.

The company portfolio is extremely large, and with the layout of the www.gescompany.de website we have sought to detail GES’s services in a clear and user-friendly way; from the supply of single products for gas treatment, filtration/separation, heat exchangers, pressure regulators, ball valves and control systems (SCADA), to the construction of complete projects and stations, including gas measurement and reduction modules. One of GES’s strengths is undoubtedly its presence and localisation in various countries, thanks to a consolidated network of partners and associated companies; this ensures that the client is able to benefit from the best possible availability and on-site skills. With three menu items, the visitors can easily select the navigation path that best suits their needs: browse more than 35 company products, find out about GES in the institutional section or choose to contact the company. Clicking on ”solutions&products” opens a menu listing all products, grouped into four macro fields: gas measurement systems, gas pressure

regulators, station accessories and engineering solutions. In addition to the content layout, the site has also been designed to be compatible with tablets and smartphones, thanks to a responsive design that adapts to the dimensions of the screen, whether connected to a desktop computer or a mobile device. One final observation of the GES website regards the SEO strategy followed during the design phase. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process by which a website is rendered ”attractive” to search engines. SEO strategies must not be ignored when trying to give the company more visibility: more than 80% of Internet users actually use search engines to find information about the products or services that they need.

GES needs to be as visible as possible in countries in which it has begun operating in order to target a clientele that does not yet know about its full range of products and services. With its new website, the GES brand has one more tool with which to become more widely-known on an international level.

A WIDE GAS PORTFOLIO

The GES proposal includes the supply of single products for gas treatment, filtration/separation, heat exchangers, pressure regulators, ball valves and control systems as well as the execution of projects and complete gas metering stations.

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A new data centre with enhanced security The company has dedicated a building with extremely high security standards to this strategic service. With monitoring and combined intervention in case of problems, it is designed to always provide CPL and its clients with the greatest efficiency in supplying a high level of service, disaster recovery and business continuity

An internal view of the new data centre created at the central HQ in Concordia sulla Secchia (MO).

The external units of the air conditioning system, on top of the building, and, at the back, the standalone generator set.

Franco Longagnani (40) flongagnani@cpl.it Data Centre Service

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ata centre is a very inflated term, but few know what it really is, how it is organised and what its purpose is. First and foremost, a data centre is a building housing several systems that allow computational systems to operate effectively 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Not only servers, storage and connectivity, therefore, but also the electrical system, airconditioning, fire-prevention system and other special systems. In this regard, the many professional skills of CPL that have contributed to construction of the data centre have allowed us to obtain the best from our suppliers and have delivered data centre ideas and suggestions with which to improve the system details in both the design and construction phases, thus transforming the infamous “bunker” into a highly specialised and organised structure designed for optimum operational efficiency.

The CPL CONCORDIA data centre modernisation project dates back to 2011 when, having defined the structural, technological and environmental details, it was decided to use the room on the ground floor of “G” block at the CPL central headquarters in San Possidonio (MO).

Having purchased the necessary equipment, delivery was scheduled and work was due to begin in June 2012.

Unfortunately the earthquake that hit the Emilia area radically affected these plans.

The company Management, aware of the importance of the service continuity that the old “engine room” was able to guarantee during such difficult times, decided to dedicate a space on the CPL Campus to it that boasted advanced structural characteristics with respect to the “room sharing” arrangement with the normal offices. In addition to the independence of the systems, its raised position and reinforced concrete walls cast on-site offered new possibilities and ensured greater protection for the systems inside. The challenge of re-adapting the systems designed for a different environment allowed us to consider a dedicated generator set, to redesign the switchboards, and to carry out improvements that had not been previously considered.

What makes a data centre stand out from any other building is its security (that is, the preservation of continuity) and the protection of the data, even in terms of physical protection: this

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means the double checking of the badges granting access to the server systems, micro-sensors linked to the anti-intrusion control unit on both entry sides, and cameras inside and outside the room itself.

The level of protection against human error was then replicated to prevent any anomalies or defects that the system may suffer. The first peculiarity is the physical subdivision between data rooms and electric power supply rooms, so as to prevent any fire that breaks out due to an electric problem from affecting the operation and protection of the servers. A double detection system (optical and VESDA) was installed that allows for the activation (via a double consent device) of the extinguishing system with INERGEN,

CNews no. 47 - December 2014

an inert gas that leaves no residue and allows for risk-free intervention within the rooms by authorised staff. To prevent overheating, advanced cooling systems with direct expansion have been implemented, thus controlling the quality and humidity of the air, and are supported by preferential channels separating the hot air flows and redundant units for each row of racks. Then there’s the monitoring of all the system components, right down to the status of the single switches on the switchboards and the alarm strategies implemented for the various devices: essential tools for a coordinated intervention service that’s fully capable of offering all the security implied by the term “data centre”.

A year after it entered into service, all the systems present at the Concordia sulla Secchia and Mirandola bases are operational, with an absorbed power of 30 kW, and we are now preparing to face the final hurdle: organising the operational management and the relative services.

The idea is to have task-forces with multiple competences that, through routine maintenance, monitoring (also via internal control rooms and contact centres) and united intervention when there are problems, are able to maintain and enhance the data centre in order to provide CPL and its clients with improved efficiency in calmly confronting the large-scale issues (such as service availability, business continuity and disaster recovery) that are most frequently associated with data centres.

Facilities

• Electric power:40kW • physical servers: 100 • virtual servers: 200 • data: >60 TB • vpn: 100 • mailbox: 2000 • ERP: 60 companies in the group

Sales services

• 3 million invoices issued • 500,000 end users managed • 60 sales companies (10% of the market of sales companies)

Contact centre services

• 180,000 contacts for signals • 1,100,000 Gas Emergency Service users

Other services

• 70 cogeneration - trigeneration biogas plants • 50 gas cabinets • 200 heat management users

“Sac” Services

• 34,000 remote readings/month

Distribution services

• 250,000 gas users • 30 distribution companies (10% of the market of distribution companies)

The exterior of the data centre: the raised position and reinforced concrete walls cast on-site offer new possibilities and greater protection of the systems inside.

A software for the global management of human capital

CPL CONCORDIA has chosen to invest in a new information system to optimise the processes regarding the entire life cycle of the company’s employees, from the hiring phase, through management and development, right up to the end of the employment relationship

Silvia Orlandini (34) sorlandini@cpl.it Human Resources Service

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n order to maintain a global outlook and obtain a more efficient management of the Human Resources that work at our company, as well as to deal with information requests originating from the Management and various company functions, this spring CPL CONCORDIA has chosen to invest in a software with which to implement, automate and optimise the processes relating to the management of its staff, integrating them within company’s strategies and procedures. The strategic processes involved relate to the entire life cycle of the company’s employees, from the start to the end of the employment relationship, including hiring, selection, training, evaluation management, skill development, internal mobility, succession plans, and career paths. On 31 July 2014, we initiated the first step of the project, relating to e-Recruiting, or rather recruitment via the company’s

website (both for CPL and for its subsidiary Coopgas), which allows for the optimisation and standardisation of the selection phases, keeping in mind that candidate management is a process linked to the person that even begins before the individual is hired.

42% of the candidates are under 30, and 29% of these are science graduates Once the resources to be hired are selected, the information regarding the candidate (much of which is entered directly during the application phase) can be easily integrated with other functions provided by the software and used immediately. In terms of numbers, just two and a half months after the project was rolled-out, more than 1000 resumes have been submitted to the CPL website alone, roughly 30% of which were linked to open selection campaigns on our portal, while the remaining 70% consisted of spontaneous job applications. Geographically speaking,

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53% of the resumes were from the North, 17% were from central Italy, and 21% were from the South; the remaining 9% of candidates did not supply this information. 19% of the total came from the province of Modena alone, thus demonstrating the high level of interest that the local residents are showing in our company. In analysing the age brackets, 9% of candidates were aged over 50, while 42% belong to the under 30 category, of which 29% are science graduates, thus showing that there are many highly educated youngsters in search of jobs.

The next steps will be gradually implemented during the course of 2015/2016, and will be consolidated over the following years. During these first months, we have worked in synergy with the Information and Communication Technologies service; their support has been and will be important for the success of this project, which has the ambitious aim of integrating people, processes and technology, thus promoting growth, innovation and the creation of value.

CNews no. 47 - December 2014

CPL and the Fondazione Veronesi in support of sick children COOPGAS, CPL CONCORDIA Group's gas and power sales company, supports the ”Gold for Kids” project by the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi for Paediatric Oncology

by Marika Menozzi (34) - mmenozzi@cpl.it Communications Office

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ach year, approximately 250,000 children around the world fall ill with cancer. In Italy, new cancer diagnoses number roughly 1600 cases in children under 14, and 1000 in young people aged 15 to 19. Paediatric neoplasms remain the primary cause of death by illness among children, and have a dramatic impact on patients and their families. The Gold for Kids project is an example of the commitment shown by the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi in the field of paediatric oncology, supporting medical treatment in this field and promoting scientific information and awareness. For this project, the Fondazione Veronesi received the Infant Charity Award in 2014, an important prize awarded to associations dedicated to improving the lives of children. We interviewed Dr. Chiara Segré, biologist and Ph.D. in molecular oncology and Scientific Supervisor of the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, in order to hear her authoritative opinion on the importance of research for the treatment of paediatric cancers.

Doctor Segré, what are the aims of the Foundation and, in particular, the Gold For Kids Project?

Ever since its creation in 2003, the mission of the Fondazione Veronesi has been to promote progress in science, the well-being of the individual and the ethical, civil and social growth of the general public. Specifically, the Fondazione Veronesi acts on two fronts: sustaining biomedical research, and ensuring the proper sharing of scientific knowledge, so that both can become assets for each individual citizen.

In 2014, the Gold for Kids project arose in support of paediatric oncology. There are multiple aims: Gold for Kids wants to support the best treatments based on the highest international standards for today’s patients, while at the same time encouraging clinical research for the patients of tomorrow. To do so, the Fondazione Veronesi works together with AIEOP (The Italian Association for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology) and its foundation, FIEOP, which is assigned the funds collected and uses them to initiate treatment protocols. The second aim is to increase information and awareness on the topics of paediatric and adolescent oncology

among citizens and institutions.

Since 2009, the costs of opening treatment protocols have become unreachable for many medical structures that should actually be using them. What does a protocol consist of and how important is it?

A protocol is an ”instruction manual”, organised and standardised on an international level that indicates precisely how to treat a given illness, in this case an oncological one: which medication, which dose, how often, which exams to perform, and how to

NOT EVEN CHILDREN.

TUMOURS DO NOT SPARE ANYONE. THAT IS WHY YOUR HELP IS SO IMPORTANT.

Cancers in paediatric patients are a relatively rare occurrence and the recovery rate is greater than 70%.

Discover the different ways in which you can make your contribution

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up to 14 years FALL ILL WITH CANCER EVERY YEAR IN ITALY modify or adjust the treatment based on the outcomes of the exams and tests. But a protocol is more than this: being enlisted in a protocol also ensures that all of the patient’s medical and clinical data are recorded according to standardised international and centralised criteria.

Having clinical data available in a centralised and consistent manner allows for the treatment to be constantly improved in the event that any critical areas should be encountered, thus ensuring the progression of medical science towards the goal of fully treating all cancers in children. If, in over 60 years, we have gone from a survival rate of 20% to more than 70% (up to 90% for leukaemia), this is due, above all, to the refinement of the clinical protocols, thanks to analysis of patients’ clinical records and data, and this is only possible if these patients are enlisted in a codified protocol.

The ability to initiate a treatment protocol is not only useful for clinical research after the fact, but also allows for the young patient to have a greater chance of receiving successful treatment today.

Epidemiological studies show how the mortality rate is less than 30% in patients treated within a protocol compared to patients treated outside of a stringent protocol. So why is there a difference if all patients, both inside and outside a protocol, are treated with the same drug? Because joining a protocol means having to comply with a precise process that involves specific quality standards

1000 ADOLESCENTS

between 15 and 19 years FALL ILL WITH CANCER EVERY YEAR IN ITALY

and extra examinations (not always included if the patient is treated outside the protocol) designed to ensure that the treatment leads to better overall results.

Another critical aspect in Italy is the management of adolescent oncology patients (15-19 years) who, for the most part, are affected with paediatric-type cancers. What is being done for them now and what needs to be done in the future?

Taking on an adolescent oncology patient is complex for a variety of reasons. The first main problem regards the treatment: two thirds of adolescents have paediatric-type cancers and should be treated with paediatric treatment protocols that ensure a greater response and a greater chance of recovery. In many hospitals, due to problems of an administrative nature, there is an age limit for the admission of patients to paediatric wards, which is usually set at 14. For this reason, adolescents are often admitted to adult oncology wards, where they cannot receive paediatric protocols, and if they are part of the 66% that have a paediatric cancer, they cannot be treated with the most suitable methods.

Adolescents find themselves in a sort of oncological no man’s land. In this age bracket, in fact, there have not been the same improvements in the chances of recovery as in the under 14 paediatric bracket. Another aspect is the peculiarity of adolescents themselves, with their psychological and physical needs: from the need to have a fertility preservation

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programme during treatment, to the right to privacy, psychological support and continued education.

In this sense, Fondazione Veronesi aims to harness its information channels in order to increase awareness of the problem of “forgotten adolescent cancer patients”, and awaken the competent institutions to this issue by acting in synergy with medical associations in the sector to create a network of oncology centres that are capable of treating adolescent cancer sufferers throughout Italy.

Thanks to research, the recovery rate for those with paediatric cancers is over 70%. What gives you faith and hope in the fight against tumours?

My faith lies in scientific and medical research: if you look back you can see how much progress has been made. Just a few decades ago, 8 out of 10 children with cancer died within the span of a few months or years. Now the percentages have reversed, with more than 70% recovering and reaching adulthood.

This is also true for other non-paediatric cancers: today, if identified early, there is a 98% chance of recovery for patients with breast cancer. It will take more time, and this can be frustrating sometimes, but I’m convinced that research will succeed in identifying increasingly specific and effective treatments for the different forms of cancer, treating these illnesses and increasingly transforming them, thus ensuring that the patients will survive and have a good quality of life.

The climate in my company?

I think it’s...

The 2014 CPL CONCORDIA Climate Survey, which was carried out in accordance with the improvement procedures of the SA8000 Ethical Certification, marked a positive and important ten-year evaluation of the members and workers' thoughts on key topics, such as workplace, social and institutional relationships, opportunities for professional development, and staff involvement

Marco Dal Dosso (37) mdaldosso@cpl.it CSR Manager Virna Iodice (32) viodice@cpl.it Communications Office

C

limate analysis serves to “capture” the situation of our cooperative organisation, thus allowing it to be better understood and improved, all to the benefit of our members and employees. This year, even in compliance with the improvement procedures foreseen by the Ethical certification SA8000 (obtained in 2013), CPL has decided to conduct an “internal climate” survey (10 years after the first survey) in order to gain a better understanding of the evolution of its employees, members and non-members’ ideas on certain key topics. The main aims of the initiative are: A) To analyse important elements that make up the company’s climate: the work, social and institutional relationships, opportunities for professional development, the involvement of people; B) To understand the perceptions, expectations, level of “participation” and “satisfaction” of the people working at CPL in terms of work, social and institutional relationships, opportunities for personal and professional development, and safety.

This survey actually involved CPL staff and, based on their thoughts, aimed

to improve satisfaction at the work place by implementing actions for improvement.

The 2014 climate survey was carried out with the development of an online questionnaire, with the protection of the privacy and identity of the respondents. For the preparation of the questions and the collection of the data, in addition to the collaboration between the RSI, Communication and Personnel offices, we also benefited from consultancy on the part of the external company BilanciaRSI, thus further guaranteeing the anonymity of the survey. The methodology followed in preparing the 34 questions involved a sample of 10 employees and managers in order to better plan and customise the analysis though direct interviews.

In order to process and report the collated data, a number of main clusters (or reference groups) were identified, which allowed us to split the participants into certain specific categories: Gender (Male/Female); Age (under 29; 30-50; over 50); Member (Y/N); Company seniority (up to 2 years; 3-8; 9-15; over 15); Level (Manager/ Senior staff; white collar; blue collar); Work place (main Concordia headquarters; other location); Organisational area (Production – CPL Industrial; Production - CPL Italia; Services); Contract type (Open ended contract; other contract).

Each answer was assigned values from

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1 to 4: I totally disagree (1), I partially disagree (2), I partially agree (3), I totally agree (4).

After the initial presentation of the project with electronic and hard-copy communication, the questionnaire was distributed on 23 April 2014 with an email containing a link to the survey page, which was hosted on the external company’s domain. The questionnaire had to be answered within 16 days.

The online questionnaire response rate was 53.8% (791 people) out of a sample of 1469 people from the following companies: CPL CONCORDIA, COOPGAS SRL, CPL DISTRIBUZIONE SRL, ISCHIA GAS SRL, MARIGLIANO GAS SRL, GRECANICA GAS SRL. Participation was not particularly high, although amounting to more than 50% of the sample. The data relating to the 2006 survey was 64% out of a total population of 700 people. Table 1 (on the following page) details the participation statistics by category, organisational area and company seniority.

The results of the 2014 climate survey were positive. In fact, the percentage of positive responses (“I totally agree” and “I partially agree”) was significantly greater in almost all of the categories analysed.

The questions regarding employee involvement (“say positive things about CPL with colleagues and third parties”, “be proud to be part of CPL”) showed a

CNews no. 47 - December 2014

Blue collar

HIERARCHICAL LEVEL

evaluation of skills and performance), and the preparation of another climate survey 5 years from now.

Through this and future climate surveys, CPL allows its employees to express their opinions on several important topics regarding life at the company: this is an opportunity that must be fully exploited in order to allow the company and all of its components to continuously improve.

results of the analysis by category: Based on these results, the improvement activities that CPL plans to implement regard the policies of staff involvement (an intranet environment in which all CPL employees can make proposals), feedback on activities (encouraging dialogue between colleagues and management during scheduled meetings), meritocracy (strengthening of the systems for the analysis and

strong sense of belonging on the part of 87.91% of the respondents. Responses relating to satisfaction (colleagues, work environment, career opportunities and professional development, recognition, Cooperative) were generally quite positive. The percentage of “less positive� responses related to questions regarding individual recognition and, in particular, individual rewards (48.93% of positive responses). Table 2 below shows the

White collar

38.84%

Manager/Senior Employee 31.09%

42.11%

Respondents Not-respondents Decreased participation

61.16%

68.91%

CPL Industrial

ORGANISATIONAL AREA

57.89%

CPL Italia

51.59%

Services 20.62%

39.83%

Respondents Not-respondents Decreased participation

48.41%

< 3 YEARS

COMPANY SENIORITY

79.38%

60.17%

> 3 YEARS

35.52%

37.65%

Respondents Not-respondents Decreased participation

87.91%

64.48%

62.35%

87.61%

82.52% 76.04%

78.60%

75.89%

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WO RK

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54.43%

Our future at zero marginal cost

The RIGERS project (”Regeneration of the city: smart buildings and grids”) was presented as part of Forlì’s ‘Notte Verde’ event, during which economist Jeremy Rifkin gave a speech on his new book entitled ”The Zero Marginal Cost Society”

Dario Sacchetti (31) dsacchetti@cpl.it International Projects and Smart Cities - ICT Sector

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rom 19 to 21 September, Forlì hosted the “Notte del Buon Vivere” (Night of the Good Life) within the framework of the “Settimana del Buon Vivere” (Week of the Good Life) event held throughout the Region of Emilia Romagna. On Friday 19 September, CPL CONCORDIA took part in an initial series of events at the Forlì theatre. Together with colleague and manager Emanuele Malavasi, ICT’s Production Coordinator, we first attended the presentation of the book by Jeremy Rifkin before participating in “Bar Camp”, an event organised by Innovacoop in collaboration with the Scuola di Alta Formazione Cooperativa Quadir and Legacoop Romagna, by presenting the RIGERS project.

The lecture by Rifkin, which focused upon his new book entitled “The Zero Marginal Cost Society”, was an overview of the key technologies that are part of our lives

and how these will change both the economy and our daily lives. He discussed 3D printers, open-source software, the internet of things (or rather the mega-network where every device will be online, including washing machines and dishwashers), the energy revolution, artificial intelligence and a number of free online university courses that are revolutionising the concept of education.

According to Rifkin, these technologies will essentially lead to three things: 1) a ”sharing economy”, with the development of the concept of ”Collaborative Commons” in which people will share commodities, as is already happening with services such as Uber or AirBnB; 2) a decentralised energy network in which the producer and consumer will often coincide (prosumers), thus resulting in a many-to-many network that’s horizontal, and no longer vertical; 3) the elimination of manual work thanks to intelligent robots. All of this should lead to a society in which the cost to produce a new unit of any item is zero, or rather the “zero marginal cost society”.

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Rifkin’s speech undoubtedly created the right level of expectation and optimism for the second part of the evening, particularly in the way he specifically cited our region as a virtuous example of cooperation, in which a production weave that’s already inherently ready to embrace the new “sharing economy” has already been developed.

At 7pm the “Bar Camp” got underway, and proved to be an occasion for learning about other innovative projects within Legacoop, as well as to network and exchange ideas. It was all based on an 8-minute American-style pitch in which each cooperative presented an idea/product/service/project relating to the theme of sustainable innovation.

Ten companies took part (Indica, Cevico, Conase, Icie, CPL CONCORDIA, Carminia, Deco Industrie, La Lumaca, Fruttagel and Csc) and touched on a variety of topics, including biological viticulture, automated windows, low environmental impact packaging, awareness of the use and reuse of resources, vegetable proteins and smart cities.

CNews no. 47 - December 2014

WHO IS JEREMY RIFKIN

An American economist and essayist, he is the president of the ”Foundation on Economic Trends” (FOET) and president of the ”Greenhouse Crisis Foundation”. As an activist for the pacifist and environmental movement, he is committed to adopting ”responsible” governmental policies regarding the environment, science and technology.

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This final macro-topic, in fact, was handled by Malavasi with the presentation of the RIGERS project (Regeneration of cities: smart buildings and grids), which received first place at the 2012 MIUR grant awards.

Several topics were covered, including the monitoring of energy consumption and production, the optimisation of smart grids, the regeneration of buildings, the multilayer representation of aggregate

data, etc., not to mention various pilot activities implemented in a number of municipalities, including the town of Forlì itself.

Rifkin gave us a glimpse of tomorrow’s world: only companies that invest in R&D, in keeping with the current technological trends, will succeed in remaining competitive and creating well-being for society in the future. The RIGERS project moves in this direction, as do other projects that are currently

in progress. The energy sector, or rather the key sector for our company, will certainly undergo important changes, with new business models to be developed in which renewable sources and energy efficiency will be of increasing importance. CPL has the skills and experience necessary to be a main player in this change process, covering a key role that would benefit the whole of society. Let’s not miss out on this opportunity.

(on the opposite page) Economist Jeremy Rifkin illustrates the central topics of his new book entitled ”The Zero Marginal Cost Society”.

The participants at “Bar Camp”, organised by Innovacoop, in collaboration with the Scuola di Alta Formazione Cooperativa Quadir and Legacoop Romagna.

The press conference presenting the events of the ”Settimana del Buon Vivere”, which was held throughout the Region of Emilia Romagna.

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CNews no. 47 - December 2014

www.cpl.it

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CPL CONCORDIA Soc. Coop.

Via A. Grandi, 39 41033 Concordia s/S. (Modena) - ITALY tel. +39.0535.616.111 - fax +39.0535.616.300 info@cpl.it - www.cpl.it

With 116 years of history and 1,800 employees, CPL CONCORDIA operates in Italy and Abroad in the whole energy sector.