Flender/Flender Gear Units/Helical gear box H3
department, but companies are much more likely to reduce the number of employees by attrition. Generally, at the larger companies,

management will reallocate workers among different divisions rather than lay off workers. Employees who are laid off receive unemployment compensation

until they find another job. 5 Government policies and programs Italian gear producers reinvest high degree of sales revenue in

capital equipment, and are likely to continue this practice because of the favorable Italian tax laws. Specifically, Italian tax laws

make it possible for gear producers to maximize deductions for capital investments. Although the Italian Government sponsors no specific assistance to the gear industry, gear producers can apply for the same programs available to other industries. These programs include the Government' fund for technological innovation, another fund for applied research, and the "Sabatini Law" that provides low- interest loans to certain firms investing in capital goods.5 USITC interviews with gear industry officials, Italy, November-December 1. 5 .. Department of State Telegram, November 1, Milan, Message Reference No. 0, and Legge 2 November 1, No. 1, "Provvedimenti per 'acquisto di nuove macchine utensili," Gazzetta tciale Della Republica Italiana, No. 3, Dec. 1, 1, pp. 6-6 5-1 Other competitive factors Interest rates in Italy, as measured by the IMF bank lending rate, were relatively high during 1-8. The rate in 1 was 1.6 percent, higher than that experienced by most developed countries during 1-8, and in 1, the lending rate was even higher 2.2 percent In spite of this, the Italian gear industry has made investments in plant and equipment and has increased the level of factory automation. One of the reasons is that many companies use internally generated, rather than borrowed, funds for investment in equipment. Internally generated funds are available because, as in many European companies, the d