The Tenero Case
At the beginning of 2006, the Cham Paper Group, which belongs to Industry Holding Cham, decided, for strategic reasons, to close its paper factory in Tenero, in Canton Tessin.
The company knew from the beginning that this step would be difficult to communicate: first of all it concerned a traditional factory with over a hundred years history. a strong union presence and deep roots in the region. Secondly, the company wanted to keep the factory working for a year after the closure decision was taken and needed the 50 employees involved to maintain a high level of motivation. Thirdly, the management knew that the staff at the company's four other factories in Europe would closely watch how their colleagues in Tenero were being treated.
All in all a demanding communications exercise, in which it was also necessary to take in to account the cultural and linguistic barrier between the German and Italian parts of Switzerland.
