Venice businessman says working in Suzhou was worthwhile decision

Luciano Marzaro, general-manager of the Chinese branch of Carel Industries Group, said he made the right decision moving to Suzhou, Jiangsu province for work in 2018.

"It was the perfect choice for both the company and myself," Marzaro said.

Carel Electronic (Suzhou) Co began operating in July 2019 and represents the largest single investment ever made by the Italy-based group. It covers a floor area of 15,000 square meters, making it the second largest among Carel's nine manufacturing bases across the globe.

"We increased our investment in Suzhou, as it has lent strong support to our industrial chains and has the capacity to help us localize our products," Marzaro said.

He added that most of the company's raw material suppliers are in Jiangsu and only a small portion of the equipment is imported from Italy. The Chinese market also consumed 55 percent of the company's products.

"Suzhou has provided our company with an environment that is efficient, market-oriented, and extremely active in the circulation of essential productive factors, helping us reach a higher level of globalization."

Marzaro added that with the help of the Suzhou government, the company resumed operation in March 2020 and generated profits of nearly 30 million yuan ($4.6 million), realizing a year-on-year growth of 13 percent.

Aside from Suzhou's friendly business environment, Marzaro was also attracted by its perfect integration of classic and modern aspects.

He attended Suzhou International Day as well as the 2020 Italy Theme Day on Nov 28, 2020, where he once again fell in love with the city due to its flowing waters and soft dialect. The event was organized to celebrate the 50th year since China and Italy established diplomatic ties and the 40th year since Suzhou and Venice became sister cities.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife is still in Italy and my daughter can't come back to Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. I hope everything will get better as soon as possible and our family can be together in Suzhou again."