IMM believe in new generation. The future is in their hands

Chiara Antonioli grad student in “Corporate Languages”, at Urbino University, has just ended the training course in IMM

My name is Chiara Antonioli, I am 22 years old and I study business languages at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo. My university course aims to create a professional figure able to work for companies within international environments.

The interview…

Why did you choose IMM Hydraulics for your university internship?

During my research in order to find a company where to carry out my internship, IMM Hydraulics has caught my attention among the companies present in the industrial district of Val di Sangro. Although initially I was not aware of this company, through the information found on their site, I realized the huge opportunities that a company like this could offer me. In particular because it is a company that has based its Core Value on the creation of an international reality, in fact, the company operates in 5 countries on 1 continent and boasts sales centers in Italy and some European countries, including which France, Germany and England. In this regard, I considered that this was certainly an important factor, the choice was indeed dictated by the interest in having a practical experience of my university career: managing and developing international contacts, in order to collaborate in the success of the IMM company Hydraulics in a global market. Moreover, because I thought that doing an internship experience within a multinational company would have surely made me grow at a professional level, through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge.

Is there an area that attracts you the most?

It was a stimulating professional experience and certainly beyond my expectations. From the first day I found a serene and open environment for comparison; all the people I worked with were immediately available to teach me everything, because training is fundamental to the IMM But what really hit me is that growth is not individual, but collective and as a team. When you work here, you learn that what is important is not learning to perform a task but it is important to do it together, if another colleague has a problem, your time is also his and vice-versa. In fact, teaching something to the other is not seen as a waste of time, but as an enrichment, since each contributes to giving added value to the corporate network. From the first days I was actively involved in all the activities of the commercial area as in the management and in the insertion of orders, sharing knowledge and information with the whole work team, gradually acquiring greater autonomy. I was able to participate actively in the international reality, coming into contact with clients who came to visit the company every day from all over the world. Moreover, the history of the IMM is tangible among all the people who are part of it; the traditional values of respect, collaboration and passion for their work are integrated with an orientation towards innovation, which makes the positioning of this company unique. it was not a job, but a real path from which I grew up professionally with a greater awareness of my abilities, where I also understood that there is need for dedication and passion to succeed in the performance of one’s duties; but also a relationship of estimate and mutual trust between all the members of the company so that a lasting advantage can be obtained over time. In conclusion, this company fully reflects the values that we young people hope to find in the world of work.

How useful was it to live the daily life of the company for the purpose of writing your thesis?

My internship took place within the commercial area and this was a great opportunity to verify if the job practice of the sales employee actually corresponds to my interests. For this reason, at the end of my experience, in which the international reality was on the agenda through the management of orders and customers from all over the world, I can say that my future aspiration is surely to live in such a dynamic environment, in which every day there are new challenges that encourage the generation of new ideas and stimulate the problem solving.

Can you tell us briefly about the topic of your thesis and what ideas / topics you managed to get from this internship?

The everyday life of the internship has contributed a lot to the drafting of my thesis, in fact even if the subject of the paper was the outcome of my Erasmus experience, the internship environment reflects the cardinal principles of my work. First of all, the innovation on which my thesis was based, is one of the group’s main missions, this aspect is in fact pursued both in terms of processes and products in an organic, unitary and shared manner within the IMM Hydraulics. Furthermore, my colleagues who went to trade fairs dedicated to innovation, brought me material from which to draw inspiration for my topic. Furthermore, carrying out daily translations in German helped me to keep the language active, which was fundamental for drawing up a summary of my work in German.

Can you tell us briefly about the topic of your thesis and what ideas / topics you managed to get from this experience?

My thesis work is based on Industry 4.0 in Germany, defined by many researchers as the fourth industrial revolution. The attention paid to Germany is justified by the fact that in Europe the concept of Industry 4.0 derives from an idea of German origin, born with the intention of revitalizing the manufacturing sector through the development of the opportunities offered by technological innovation under way. The IMM within this context hired particular relevance as it has understood the importance of innovation to achieve lasting and non-replicable success. In fact, the company belongs to the Automotive Innovation Hub in Abruzzo, which is a network of globalized companies operating in the field of automotive and mechatronics and also won the Confindustria Innovation Award in 2018. The paradigm of Industry 4.0 is based on the exploitation of new production technologies to improve working conditions, create new business models and increase the productivity and production quality of manifacturing plants; IMM authentically embodies this principle because it shows that even from “small” you can become big by focusing on innovation. All this is proven by the exponential growth of the company, which has stimulated technological and product innovation, which has proved to be fundamental for the transfer of Made in Italy beyond the national boundaries and to establish itself internationally as a point of reference among the manufacturers of fittings and hydraulic pipes.