Genoa – The company Riccardo Sanges & C., a historic Trapani-based firm active in Sicily in logistics, energy services, and as a maritime agency as well as a port company, has entered the Elite network of Borsa Italiana (it is among the 20 companies selected for the second Elite Intesa Sanpaolo Lounge of the year) and its CEO, Gaspare Panfalone, explains to SHIPPING ITALY the reasons for this choice.
The expert Sicilian entrepreneur speaks of “tradition and innovation” when he explains that “entering Elite means “training, networking with the industrial world and access to new financial instruments. For Riccardo Sanges, which has a turnover of over 20 million euros and is carrying out a significant investment plan, it represents both a milestone and the start of a path of further growth”. Among the objectives is to strengthen governance, expand managerial skills and open up to new development opportunities in Italy and abroad.
With the entry and active participation in the company of his children Vito and Angela, the generational handover has already begun, although Gaspare Panfalone is quick to make it clear that he has no intention of stepping aside. There are investments and a new development plan to launch. “At this time, we are looking with particular interest at industrial counterparts for which to develop back-port logistics activities in Trapani, where lines from companies like MSC and CMA-CGM regularly call. There are open areas available covering 130,000 square meters, plus another 10,000 square meters of covered space with all the necessary services and logistics activities close to the quays,” highlights Gaspare Panfalone, who also recalls the presence of customs warehouses for tax suspension operations. Although the western Sicilian port is currently dealing with suspended dredging operations, the seabed still has a depth of at least 8 meters and is even greater in the outer harbor, where excavation to accommodate cruise ships has been completed.
In recent months, the port of Trapani has been benefiting from the decision to move the container terminal from Palermo to Termini Imerese. “In addition to three mobile cranes, in Trapani we can offer a complete cluster of services and logistics for containers, which are growing in terms of volume,” adds the head of Riccardo Sanges & C., a company that is also a protagonist and beneficiary of the creation in 2024 of a new ZES (Special Economic Zone) for which 2 million euros were invested.
In the near future of Sicilian port operations, in addition to containers, break bulk cargo and the entire supply chain for offshore wind power will also play an important role, a market segment which Riccardo Sanges intends to approach with the business card of the Elite program.
