Sergio Girardi

Sergio, who was born and lives in Lonigo, has been Fratelli Pellizzari's technical manager for floor coverings for 20 years, and for the past few years has been responsible for turnkey bathrooms.
It is he who takes on the responsibility of implementing what is designed and that is why he is rarely in the company. 
As the person in charge, he is almost always on site to supervise the work of our installers and to guarantee the quality of the work.
If this basic information is not enough for you, have fun reading what his colleagues say about him below... 

"I am not paid to chat!"

With his technical and pragmatic character, Sergio is the "engine" behind our sites. There's no time for chitchat, you have to solve problems and get on with it! 

Michele remembers: "As soon as he was hired, Sergio was in the warehouse, mainly managing deliveries.
But his organisational skills and ability to solve problems were obvious, as was his attachment to the company.
After a couple of years we promoted him, putting him in charge of managing the sites and organising the installers, and I think this is HIS job, a perfect job for him!
And the customers think so too."
 

In 20 years, Sergio has always demonstrated fairness, professionalism and competence, and has earned the trust of installers, customers and colleagues alike. 
He has complete authority over the organisation and operational methods of carrying out the work. 

"10-year guarantee... and that's the end of it"

Everyone says they have a quality product or service (and of course they do...) but when someone guarantees it in writing and for 10 years... well, then it's no longer "talk and badge".

That someone has to be very, very sure that that tile is of the highest quality and that it was laid with the utmost care and with the best adhesives. And he has to be convinced that that flooring will last well beyond the 10 years. 

Sergio's role is to supervise and certify the correct execution.

It is thanks to him that we can guarantee our work for 10 years. His job is to supervise the work of the installers, to check the quality of the products, to choose the right adhesives and laying materials.

"Layers and salesmen must be supervised!"

Some people lay tiles and then rely directly on a fitter. 
So why did we choose to pay a person, Sergio, to check the work of a tiler?
Was it not enough to rely on a good tiler?
No, it's not enough. 

It is essential to have a person who:
► monitor the work of the installers,
► train them,
► meet the technical departments of the manufacturers and pass on this information to the construction site

►be familiar with the Uni standards on laying techniques and ensure that they are respected
► monitor the equipment and materials used on the site 
► monitor laying techniques

All these activities are essential if we want the result to be "above expectations". 

Validating the warranty

But also because in a few years' time, installers may have changed jobs, mobile phone numbers, countries or continents.
In the event of installation problems, Fratelli Pellizzari will be held accountable.

Sergio and the sellers

The same applies to materials: if one of us salesmen proposes low-quality materials or cheaper adhesives - perhaps to satisfy a customer's request - he knows very well that he will then have to put up with Sergio's wrath:

"You're a salesman: that means you have to be good at selling good stuff. If you want to sell cheap tiles go and work at the brico! "

Andrea e Roberto insist on writing a sentence that Sergio repeats like a mantra: 

"the customer can make price issues while we can't. We have to do everything at its best".

"You can make a price point, we cannot"

This is the "Sergio's First Theorem" that he has been repeating for years to everyone (Sergio don't get angry!!) and from this some postulates follow.
For example, the fact that we must use the best glue, not the one that costs the least. Then the best tiles, the best laying techniques...

This is why we use levelling wedges and double spreading even when practice or Uni standards define it as optional.

The attention to detail is even greater when it comes to laying large slabs: these are very delicate materials, and in that case the laying system and equipment are fundamental.
Sergio has written an article full of useful information on >>>laying large slabs 

In some cases you may even see Sergio himself at work (we have video evidence):

"A good floor needs a good screed".

This is another of the phrases engraved on the "tables of the law according to Sergio" that he never tires of telling us or our customers.

"I don't want to sell you a screed, I won't make any money from it, but if you let me do it, at least I can be sure it will be good"

He has always maintained that a well-made screed gets rid of more than half of all possible future problems. 

He has written a kind of encyclopaedia on screeds for his sales colleagues, but also for all those who want to find out more about them:

>>>Definition and characteristics of the screed
>>>The traditional tile screed
>>>The screed for radiant floor system

>>>The screeed for laying wooden parquet floors
>>>The self-levelling screed
>>>Lightweght screed
>>>Protecting the screed with a membrane 
>>>Vapour barrier under the screed
>>>Joints in the screed

"I don't have posers on the deckchair sunbathing" 

This is another of his historic phrases :) 
The meanings are many. But we get there after a premise   

Sergio also has the task of coordinating schedules, and this is perhaps his most difficult task.
On a building site, times are constantly changing for all kinds of reasons: 

►Those who are ahead of us (plumbers, bricklayers, etc.) can take longer because of an unforeseen event, an incorrect time estimate, a mistake in the workmanship... this means that our turn, our start date, is pushed back. If the installers cannot start work, we have to move them to another site to be prepared in a hurry. 

► Sometimes an emergency arises and we have to rush and stop the work we are doing. 

► People are human beings, not robots. People can be absent because they are ill, because they have family problems, or simply because they are tired and can't take it anymore. Try working in 40 degrees Celsius or -5 degrees Celsius and you will realise that it is impossible. 

►Then there's the weather: if it rains we can't do screeds, we can't do exteriors, if it's too cold or too hot we can't do glue and plaster. 

In short, organising the timing on the building site is a system of equations with several variables that Einstein, sorry, move over and let Sergio handle.  

Joking aside: how Sergio manages to do it is still a mystery to us colleagues... it's a continuous interplay.

That's why when we colleagues ask him "Sergio, can you send a fitter immediately to such and such a site" we get the nasty reply referred to in the title of this paragraph, and maybe we even deserve it.

If you want to understand more, you could read the article he wrote, trying to simplify things as much as possible:
>>>The sequences of the site work>>>

"143 phone calls, I almost broke the record" 

Sergio gets a lot of phone calls, almost all of them are requests for technical information from both installers and customers (you won't believe it, but also from competitors). A lot of this information can be found in the articles he has written sharing over 20 years of experience on the construction site.

If, on the other hand, you want to help him break his personal record you can call him on his mobile phone but you will have to be patient. 

Here we see him checking his 10³ missed calls during the day....

But don't ever call him on a Friday or Saturday afternoon - he won't answer because those are the only times he can get off work! 

We colleagues think it's a real blessing to be able to work with Sergio, even if we have to suffer his wrath every now and then.
If you buy tiles and installation services from us, you will also have the chance to meet him:
We recommend that you ask him questions, put your doubts to him... take advantage of his knowledge, there's a lot to learn!