Protec Faces - The ability to reinvent yourself every day: interview with Giovanni Ragnoli

In a technological environment such as ours, it is important to remember that it is people, with their dedication and passion, who drive all business progress and innovation.

Protec Surface Technologies?is not satisfied with?excelling in manufacturing, but aspires to create a?unique work environment?where each individual feels part of a?winning team?and is valued for their?contribution. With this goal in mind,?Protec Faces, a?column?dedicated to the?stories of our employees, was born. Through their?experiences?and?enthusiasm, we want to give?voice to the beating soul of our company?and emphasize the fundamental role each person plays in achieving shared success. Why?Protec Faces?

• Because?every person is valuable: at Protec Surface Technologies, we believe that the skills and dedication of each individual are essential elements for growth and innovation;
• because?sharing inspires: knowing the stories of our colleagues allows us to team up, share hobbies, and learn from each other;
• because?success is a team effort: behind every excellent product is a team of exceptional people working together with great passion and expertise.

In short,?Protec Faces?is not just a column, it is a way to?celebrate the talent?that makes?Protec Surface Technologies?a unique company.

The protagonist of this Protec Faces: Giovanni Ragnoli

As we did with Francesca Marchetti (you can find the article on our webisite: www.protectim.com), today we meet the protagonist of this interview in the so-called “fireplace room”. A quiet place that immediately puts you at ease and where, consequently, words can flow freely.

The door opens and Giovanni enters: a tall figure who fills the room with his presence. After welcoming us with a smile, he sits down in front of us. Without too much hesitation, we start chatting.

Giovanni was born in 1980, under the sign of Libra. For those who believe in astrology, this detail would be enough to paint a portrait of a good, balanced and diplomatic person. Reading some information here and there, we discover that Libras, generally, are distinguished by a brilliant mind that pushes them to explore the most disparate fields of knowledge.

Despite a hint of skepticism and reticence, we must admit that the horoscope is not wrong in describing the colleague. Just an exchange of words is enough to perceive that behind his imposing figure lies a gentle soul, overflowing with enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge.

From assembler to designer of cutting-edge machines: Giovanni's story is an extraordinary journey into the heart of our company, a shining example of how dedication and a constant desire to learn are essential for a successful career.

Ready to walk with us through the most important stages of this journey?

Enjoy!

Before Protec Surface Technologies

June, 1999. Hits like Mambo n.5 by Lou Bega or 50 Special by Lunapop are playing on the radio. It's quite hot, but the little ones, between one popsicle and another, don't worry too much and enjoy the end of school in the town square. The luckiest ones have already left for vacation, some to the seaside, some to the mountains.

But there are those who haven't finished school yet. Thousands of students, in fact, are preparing to take one of the most important tests of their lives: the final exam. It is the year of the "new" exam, a revolutionary format that introduces school credits, grades in hundredths, the essay and the much-feared “terza prova”.

July 2024. Giovanni begins his story with a nostalgic smile, recalling his diploma in electronics and telecommunications obtained in 1999. After his final exam, his path is oriented towards the technical world, thanks to a job in a welding machine company, where he deals with the programming of logic and tests on electronic boards.

After this work experience, a very important chapter begins for the formation of the character of his colleague: volunteering in the army, specifically in the artillery, one of the oldest and most prestigious components of the armed forces. In this context, Giovanni finds himself working between the shooting ranges of Sardinia and Lazio, an adventure that not only allows him to acquire new technical skills, but also to strengthen his character and his discipline.

The curiosity and desire to make the difference that have always accompanied Giovanni emerge strongly even during his military service. His proactive attitude and ability to solve problems soon earn him the nickname “McGyver the Fix-It-All”, in homage to the famous character from the TV series known for his inventiveness and ability to solve any situation with ingenuity and limited resources.

“We were dealing with an old truck and, for some reason, I managed to restart the battery. I noticed that some cables were disconnected and, with a bit of ingenuity, I managed to reconnect them. From that moment on, my teammates started calling me McGyver, and the nickname stuck.”

22 years in Protec ST

It is June 2002, Giovanni, then twenty-two years old, discovers a job opportunity as a maintenance worker in his hometown, Bedizzole (Brescia - Italy). Without hesitation, he sends his application and in the same year he joins the Protec Surface Technologies team.

He starts with basic tasks, such as maintenance and assembly of machines, but soon finds himself involved in increasingly complex and challenging projects. Protec ST, he tells us, is a place of growth where, if you tip the odds in your favour, you can achieve a lot.

Over the years, the colleague has proven to be multifaceted, and not only capable of managing every aspect of company projects, but also able to collaborate with heterogeneous teams.

Thanks to his training and his tireless curiosity, he introduces significant improvements in production processes, using advanced tools. The colleague speaks to us with particular pride about the development of the PF 1100, a machine completely designed from scratch, which has proven to be a success in terms of both efficiency and reliability.

Today he is responsible for the Technical Office. After 22 years in the same company, our conversation clearly shows that his love for his work and for the company, which has become the stage for his professional success, has only grown.

Giovanni: between extra-work passions and life philosophies

For Giovanni, the secret of professional and personal success lies in continuous growth and the acquisition of new skills. Currently, after work, when he is not busy playing board games with his partner, or building models with Lego, he dedicates himself to learning German, driven by curiosity and the desire to surpass himself. “I am not very good at languages,” he admits, “but German is a language that, even if complex, I find particularly fascinating and therefore stimulating.”

Another of his colleague’s passions is DIY. “I can make do with anything,” he says proudly. “Of course, you have to know what you are doing and how to use the tools available. There is a brand of tools that I really like and their motto “repair is noble” reflects me completely. Repair is a noble art.”

Giovanni also talks about the beauty of simplicity. One of his heroes is Steve Wozniak, an engineer who was able to make complex things extraordinarily simple and accessible. If Steve Jobs was the public and charismatic face of Apple, Wozniak was the silent genius behind the scenes who made the impossible possible, transforming Jobs’ bold visions into working and tangible realities. His approach recalls that of Constantin Tsiolkovsky, the Russian aerospace engineer who laid the foundations for modern space rockets. Tsiolkovsky understood the importance of eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on the essential, a philosophy that Giovanni takes up both in his personal and professional life.

In a world where technology and life itself can become incredibly complicated, the ability to simplify without sacrificing quality is a rare and precious gift.

For Giovanni, being happy means having control over technology and not being controlled by it, and living in harmony with loved ones, sharing passions and creativity. It is this harmony, this ability to find simplicity in apparent complexity, that makes life and work not only bearable, but extraordinarily rewarding.

So, the next time you find yourself having to deal with a complex problem, remember the colleague's approach: simplify, remove the superfluous, and focus on what really matters. Only in this way can you achieve extraordinary results and live a full and satisfying life.

Thank you Giovanni for sharing your story with us!

Who will be the next protagonist of our "Protec Faces" column?

Stay tuned to find out, and remember that behind every great company there is always a great person!