FIMPA asks for subsidised-renewal plans to increase safety in buildings

The FIMPA president explained that the automatic door sector, as most sectors of the national economy, is seeing its activity drastically reduced, which will hit bottom during confinement and for as long as the state of alarm continues. “Once the current state of alarm is lifted, a slow recovery will begin, which will increase over months, until it reaches levels similar to before the crisis in late 2021 or early 2022”.

According to Juan Ramírez, the keys to sector recovery will be “firstly, the shorter or longer duration of the confinement period, which will condition the evolution of construction and the reopening of business premises and buildings, hospitality industry, entertainment, etc.”. Another key will be “the availability of financing, fully necessary to reactivate activity, whether in construction or in reforms or refurbishment”.

However, Ramírez points out that “beyond the dark horizon that we are looking at, there will be opportunities in the modifications that will be required in closed establishments, so that they can open safely regarding Covid-19, by automating doors, thus avoiding transmission through contact with manual doors”.

Summarising, he concludes that “it would be a great help that is widely needed, for the public governments to have “subsidised-renewal” plans that would help towards and finance the necessary modifications in industrial, commercial, residential and entertainment buildings, etc., to convert them into safe buildings against this pandemic”.

Proposals by AECIM

The Madrid Association of Metal Industry and Businesses (AECIM) presented the project “The day after”, a document that contains proposals in different areas to guarantee economic reactivation and to commit to modernising the sector after the COVID-19 impact. The plan has five main lines: general measures, healthcare measures, measures to recover competitiveness, specific actions in the labour area and others in the economic and financial area. In general, protection is required for individual and corporate freedom, avoiding limiting the capacity of each company to seek its own feasibility and to maintain employment. Social dialogue is also considered essential, in order to join forces and to complement possible political agreements.

Among the measures proposed, and given the forecast of shrinking in the recovery of consumer levels, AECIM also stated that special plans should be drawn up to back consumption and promote demand, to plan assistance for internationalisation and its promotion through digital channels, and to boost corporate growth by joining forces to gain in size and face possible challenges together.