The Tuscany Cooperation Development Fund (Sct Fund) has announced that it has invested in Uniport Livorno Società Cooperativa, a company operating in the port operations and integrated logistics sector in the port of Livorno. This is the second investment made by the Fund, established by the Region and managed by Sici – Sviluppo Imprese Centro Italia Sgr Spa.
The investment amounts to 440 thousand euros and is part of a larger operation totaling 880 thousand euros carried out together with the co-investor Coopfond, which aims to strengthen the Cooperative’s capital base, renew the fleet of industrial vehicles, and support the company’s growth path.
“The cooperative system – explained the regional councilor for economy, tourism and agriculture, Leonardo Marras – represents an essential component of the Tuscan economy, capable of combining growth, quality of work, and roots in the territories. With the Sct Fund we want to concretely support cooperative businesses that invest, innovate, and strengthen their competitive capacity. The operation in favor of Uniport Livorno confirms the validity of this instrument and testifies to the Region’s attention towards a strategic sector such as logistics and ports, fundamental for the economic development of Tuscany and for the enhancement of the port of Livorno as an infrastructure of national and international importance. Accompanying growth paths like that of Uniport means supporting investments, skilled employment, and greater competitiveness for the entire regional production system, in line with the development objectives that Tuscany has set for itself for the coming years.”
The Sct Fund is a reserved Alternative Investment Fund, intended for the promotion, consolidation, and capital strengthening of cooperative businesses. It also supports cooperatives born following workers’ buyout processes, that is, when the rescue of a company, or part of it, is carried out by the employees who take over the ownership. It operates through investments in financial instruments issued by unlisted cooperative companies based in Tuscany (or planning to establish themselves there), supporting their development, growth, and competitive strengthening programs. Financed by the Region with ERDF 2021-2027 resources, it is part of the regional strategy aimed at supporting the strengthening of the local entrepreneurial fabric and the growth of micro, small, and medium-sized cooperatives.
“We are very satisfied to be able to support, together with Coopfond, Uniport Livorno – declared Vittorio Gabbanini, president of Sici – a cooperative that represents a consolidated and strategic reality for the Tuscan logistics-port system. The operation supports a path of capital strengthening, innovation, and growth that will allow the Cooperative to seize the development opportunities offered by the evolution of the port of Livorno.
Il Fondo Sviluppo Cooperazione Toscana conferma così la propria missione di accompagnare le cooperative del nostro territorio che presentano le migliori prospettive di sviluppo, sostenendone competitività e capacità di generare valore economico e occupazionale”.
“Il movimento cooperativo toscano – ha aggiunto Enrico Sostegni, responsabile area vasta costiera di Legacoop Toscana – svolge un ruolo fondamentale nella logistica e nel settore portuale, un comparto in crescita che può offrire risposte concrete alle sfide poste dall’attuale congiuntura economica, soprattutto nell’area costiera. Il progetto di sviluppo di Uniport, che è stato supportato anche da Coopfond, si inserisce in un percorso che ha visto la Cooperativa crescere costantemente nei ricavi, numero di soci e capacità produttiva, e per questo accogliamo con soddisfazione l’investimento di SICI e della Regione Toscana: un intervento che riconosce nei servizi portuali un asset sempre più strategico per lo sviluppo della regione, ambito in cui la cooperazione intende essere protagonista”.
Soddisfatto anche Jari De Filicaia, presidente di Uniport: “Questo investimento rafforza patrimonialmente la Cooperativa e consente di dotarci di mezzi operativi all’avanguardia, per migliorare le performance operative e la qualità del lavoro dei nostri addetti. Ci teniamo a ringraziare particolarmente Legacoop Toscana per il prezioso e fattivo apporto fornito durante tutto l’iter, Coopfond per il sostegno e la Regione che, attraverso Sici, dimostra nuovamente la vicinanza alle realtà locali e ai lavoratori. Questa attenzione al porto di Livorno e ai suoi operatori conferma una visione da noi condivisa: investire nelle imprese e nelle persone è il tratto distintivo di un buon governo del territorio”.
