New garment provision protects AVM SpA workers from the elements enabling them to concentrate on their job and provide excellent customer service to passengers.
The city of Venice has a perfect balance of land and water and encompasses centuries of history, art and world-famous architectural wonders. Its public transportation network, AVM SpA, safely carry Venitian citizens and visitors across the city and surrounding areas.
For many years, AVM SpA has worked in partnership with GORE-TEX Professional and utilised GORE-TEX technology workwear to ensure the safety and comfort of the drivers and crews of its buses, streetcars and waterbuses. Roberto Pizzolato, AVM Group’s procurement manager, explains the reasons for the latest collaboration with GORE:
“When it comes to technical workwear, GORE-TEX is recognised internationally as the brand of choice, in terms of protection offered but also premium features such as waterproofness, breathability and comfort. It is no coincidence that the AVM Group has been using jackets made of GORE-TEX fabric in its operations and personnel management for more than fifteen years. A clear sign of how the brand is the ideal solution for the kind of work our operators do and their needs.”
The origin of the collaboration
Before deciding to work with GORE-TEX Professional, Pizzolato and other AVM group managers started by reviewing the technical needs of operators and talking to manufacturers to identify the best PPE solution.
“We were looking for a garment that would flawlessly offer certain key features, such as breathability – essential when considering that the jacket is worn over other layers, especially in winter, and in work situations where there is frequent switching between indoor and outdoor environments – and protection from the weather elements that employees are exposed to while performing their duties.
The answer to these needs was precisely met by jackets made of GORE-TEX technology. On the one hand, they create a protective layer that prevents water, cold and wind from interfering with the operators’ work, and on the other hand, they do not cause excessive sweating and are lightweight and breathable.”
The collaboration between GORE and the AVM group was not limited to simply the supply of the end product. Using GORE-TEX garments for a long time also allowed the AVM team to identify and suggest some areas for textile manufacturers to take action in order to further improve fit and protection. As a result of this dialogue between the parties, workwear garments have been developed to provide greater comfort, more modern styling and high durability.
Waterproof, windproof and ready for anything
Some AVM operators work at night, or leave home early in the morning and return in the afternoon hours, facing different weather conditions throughout the day. Throughout this time, they may be exposed to rain, wind, or low temperatures, but they may also go from outdoors to indoors and with air conditioning systems on.
Roberto Pizzolato explains the working routine of AVM operatives: “From driving vehicles to maneuvering docking and stationing boats alongside docks, there is a multitude of situations in which this jacket has proven to be a reliable solution for our employees, providing the same protective and breathable characteristics regardless of the surrounding environment.”
To create the windproof jacket now worn by AVM streetcar, boat and bus drivers, as well as workers in municipal garages, GORE-TEX Professional and its licenced manufacturing partner, Siggi Group, had to take all these elements into account, including the work rhythms and the main tasks given to AVM employees.
This effort has led to the creation of a jacket that can be worn continuously, and which features some notable technical choices, such as the use of the 2-layer GORE-TEX outer fabric, equipped with a membrane with an expanded microporous structure that can dry quickly when wet. In addition, anti-abrasion inserts were added at the points of greatest wear, and the introduction of details that enhance the usability of the jacket, such as more accessible pockets and protective inner wadding.
A glimpse into the future
Among the reasons why AVM chose GORE-TEX Professional as its technical partner for its equipment is a commonality of purpose regarding the sphere of social and environmental responsibility.
One of GORE-TEX Professional’s goals, for example, is to make durable products that will stand the test of time, and be in use for many years, so as to avoid waste and the use of new natural resources that are not strictly necessary.
Similarly, in the near future AVM plans to equip itself with new hydrogen and hybrid vehicles, as well as to invest in electric, to place less burden on the environment. A commitment that is consistent with the city itself. Venice has become a symbol of the effects that the climate emergency is causing. AVM and GORE remain committed to encouraging initiatives – commercial and otherwise – that can make a concrete contribution toward more sustainable practices.
“The decision to invest in such an innovative material for workwear is part of our broader strategy to improve the environmental impact our business has,” Pizzolato concludes. “We chose GORE-TEX Professional because our company and Venice’s mobility needs are evolving. Our cities can no longer bear the pollution and worsening environmental conditions, so each of us is called upon to make our own contribution if we are to look to the future with optimism.”
Read more about GORE-TEX here.
