FRANCESCO CASOLI
GIUSEPPE PERUCCHETTI
EDITORIAL NUMBER 20 | YEAR 17 ...................................... Published by ELICA S.p.A. Via Ermanno Casoli 288 60044 | Fabriano | Ancona Produced by HR Management ...................................... Editor Sandro Petrucci Staff Lea Ricciardi Ufficio stampa corporate (l.ricciardi@elica.com) ...................................... Graphics and cover Stefano Menconi Elica Communication Team (s.menconi@elica.com) Editing dedalogroup.com
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’m writing this editorial while I’m waiting for a plane to take me back from Queretaro to Italy . All this after a one-day visit to celebrate the SAP launch in Mexico and talk about what we’re going to do in North America. I can’t say that I’m exactly feeling the embodiment of total energy at the moment... But then if I think about it, that’s maybe not so true. The news has lately come through that Via Dante has become Via Ermanno Casoli. Excellent, just the thought gets the adrenaline rushing through me. And then the energy arrives. And that’s what we at Elica are nourished by. Natural adrenaline that comes from what we do every day. As I’m writing this on the phone, I get the first pictures from Maria Miletta of the SAP America go-live. Mexican colleagues smiling with the first SAP print-out in Elicamex. Adrenaline. And our company now runs twenty four hours a day around the world. All this adrenaline makes it hard to sleep… Now the challenge is to pass it on – maybe just reading this helps something arrive. The trick lies in another commandment: communicate. Communicate between each other, pass that adrenaline back and forth – it costs nothing and makes everything go faster. That’s what we need.
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Any company, from the simplest to the most highly structured, cannot do without the active participation of the people who work for it. Participation, however, in a group that strives for excellence and is not content merely to get by, while a necessary element, is not sufficient in itself to achieve ambitious goals. In my opinion, it is energy – positive energy obviously – that is the real fuel of an organization. Energy is the fuel needed to think, act and create at a higher and more consistent level than others. It’s a shame that energy-creating chemical formulas or magic wands don’t exist in organizational culture – there do exist, though, attitudes that can facilitate its development. In this sense I think there are two attitudes that can be assumed to create favourable conditions for the development and exchange of energy. On the one hand, there is the personal attitude of the leaders, and, on the other, there is the desire to promote initiatives and rules that encourage equality – when these are accepted and viewed as positive then they are able to energize the organization. Let’s start with the first observation. Not every manager is a leader. And vice versa. Living the corporate life in seclusion, in hiding, is not an attitude that generates energy. On the contrary, it is important to beat time for the organization and provide the rhythm. And this can be done, at the simplest level, with our presence, as, making no exceptions, we seek out and create opportunities to share space and situations with our personnel. It is essential to live the company, really live it. The door of our offices should always be open and we should take pleasure in dealing with anyone who wants to have a word with us – that for me is one of the most rewarding aspects of business life and something I would never wish to give up. Another thing that helps create energy involves the will to promote "motivating initiatives" and "rules of equality." It is vital to encourage behaviour that can generate satisfaction and fulfilment and give a positive outlook to the organization as a whole. It is important to promote organizational growth processes within which everyone can have a chance to develop through active participation and significant commitment. Energy generates energy. I hope that each and every one of you can be a healthy carrier of positive energy!
EMILIO ZAMPETTI
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nergy and dynamism: every aspect of our life is characterized by these two elements. The world moves fast and asks – often demands – not only that we keep up with it but also that we do our best to anticipate trends and moods. To manage change and be the ones to guide it, to seize the best opportunities, the winning strategy is speed: we have to be quick to interpret context, quick to make decisions, quick to channel our energy to face the challenges that arise. For several years now, our challenge, as the Human Resources Department of an international company, has been to promote the proper management of people in order to best achieve our employer value proposition: attract the most outstanding talent and foster the kind of environment where every single person can exploit their own abilities to the maximum. And we have to do this with the same care and the same level of energy in all the countries where we are present, valuing diversity to create a truly multicultural environment. How can that be done? By bringing our HR management practices in each country to the proper level of excellence. The Top Employers Institute – a global organization that certifies the excellence of the working conditions established by companies for their employees – has for the sixth year running recognized the excellence of Elica Italy’s working environment and for the second year running the excellence of the working environment in Elica Poland. That’s how the energy goes around ... While the Great Place to Work Institute – a global research, consultancy and training company that helps organizations to identify, create and sustain workplace excellence, based on the development of a high level of trust – has certified our Elica Americas in Mexico as a Great Place to Work for the first year. That’s how energy becomes contagious. And that’s what we all have to do, every day: help create an “energy chain" that’s able to bring on-going improvement to our company. And speaking of on-going, there are two current important new projects in which I strongly believe: a new corporate intranet, entirely designed and built as an internal social network, and a new global HR site that brings us all that bit closer and transmits energy and passion.
3 1/2. The first two photos of the SAP go-live: the first goods receipt print-out and the first print-out of a production label. 3. German efficiency! Gutmann gets the prize for printing the first document using Elica’s new address: Via Ermanno Casoli.
To employ and communicate total energy.
Positive energy.
Let's keep that energy going around!
JULIA SCIUTO
ELICA TOP EMPLOYERS 2014.
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or the sixth consecutive year, Elica has won recognition in the “Top Employers" awards. This year the Awards Gala Dinner was held in the elegant Hotel Palazzo Parigi in the centre of Milan, playing host to more than 50 companies from all sectors. In addition to being certified as a Top Employer 2014, Elica received a special Top 5 2013 mention, reserved for companies that have achieved the highest scores for best practices in HR management. Certified companies must have at least 250 employees (if operating in national territory) or form part of a multinational group with at least 2,500 employees globally. All the participating companies completed the Top Employers HR Best Practices Survey. The minimum score to achieve certification is 60% of the maximum score. There are five business evaluation criteria: pay, working conditions and benefits, training and development, career opportunities and company culture. All the evaluation processes, procedures and systems together with the answers given by the participants to the questionnaire were verified by an external auditor. This year, 52 companies were awarded the Top Employers Italy 2014 Certification. Visit the Elica profile on the site: Top Employers http://www.top-employers. com and above all help me out with the Employer Branding of our favourite brand (Elica) by sharing the news on social networks and with your friends!
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s has been communicated via corporate mail, with the return to work after the Christmas holidays rubbish recycling has also taken off in a big way in Elica’s Fabriano headquarters. So, from January 9th on, all offices and technical areas have been provided with special, properly and clearly identified, containers, where the different types of waste generated can be suitably deposited. In every office, as well as in break and dining areas, larger containers for paper, plastic, glass/cans, organic and undifferentiated waste have been placed, though this last will obviously be collected in increasingly small quantities. At the same time, in addition to having totally eliminated the bins for paper collection that were placed under the desks, containers for the collection of used batteries have also been provided. In addition to these facilities, complete and extensive information has been provided to pass on to everyone the message regarding the importance of the need to separate rubbish in this way, as well as giving all the detailed guidelines required to ensure the effectiveness of recycling, where each type of waste must always find its way
into the right container. The information was provided with the assistance of a helpful brochure about matching waste with its suitable container together with the EHS Report Form, which can be used to signal any problems encountered relating to issues of safety and the environment. This will help the company to engage in a process of on-going improvement. Rubbish recycling is the best way to preserve and maintain natural resources for our own benefit, in terms both of the environment in which we live and especially for future generations. Re-using, reclaiming and realising the importance of waste means that we can give something back to the environment and make sure that it is "naturally" a richer and healthier one. Every single one of our actions, even the simplest and most common, produces pollution. And that is why every single one of our actions is important! Translated into other terms: millions of felled trees, millions of gallons of oil consumed, millions of kilograms of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere – with rubbish recycling, a great deal of these resources can be spared. Thanks to everyone’s contribution.
RUBBISH RECYCLING IN THE HQ
4. In the photo, Emilio Zampetti , Chief of Elica Group Human Resources, together with David Plink, CEO of the Top Employers Institute. The Top Employers Institute, an institution of globally recognized certifications, analyses, assesses and certifies the excellence of company working conditions. A good working environment fosters growth not only in professional terms but also in a personal and humane context. This in turn translates into potential for development and growth at a corporate level as well. Develop. Always. Recognized worldwide since 1991, the Top Employers Institute has its headquarters in the Netherlands. 5. Two screen shots of what the "press release" section looks like on the company intranet. To access the database, structured according to the most usual online logic, simply enter the Elica intranet following normal procedure, click on the "press release" icon on the homepage, or select "bulletin board" and then "press release" on the top menu.
MASSIMO MAGI, LORENZO FREZZOTTI 4
LEA RICCIARDI
To employ and communicate total energy.
READING IS GOOD FOR YOU.
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rticles dealing with the Elica Group, its competitors and the industry; the front pages of major Italian and international newspapers; a collection of the main TV reports that have featured the company; and a selection of the principal articles that have come out on the web: that’s what the section of our corporate intranet dedicated to the press looks like, at a distance of nine months from its debut. The service – operating every morning from Monday to Saturday and available on the intranet for all those who can access it – forms an online press archive and can be searched using a variety of criteria (date, subject, name...). The increase in visits over the months has made it possible for us to improve the service. Stay tuned!
ELICA BEST PERFORMER 2013 AWARD LEA RICCIARDI
STEFANO MENCONI
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he Elica Best Performer 2013 Award has gone to four business areas that have particularly stood out for having contributed most to the achievement of the Group’s economic objectives in 2013. And these are the Purchasing team, led by Alexander Gasparri; R & D and Prototypes, helmed by Marco Cimino; the Human Resources team, captained by Emilio Zampetti; and Elica Americas, directed by Marco Bonfigli. The prize, awarded by Elica CEO Giuseppe Perucchetti during a ceremony that took place in December in the “leisure piazza” of the corporate headquarters in Fabriano, is recognition for those departments which, through hard work and dedication, are credited with having contributed the most to the achievement of the company’s financial results.
ach of us is a source of energy: an energy source that varies over the course of time, and even within a single day, depending on the state of our inner well-being. An energy source that is never neutral but which always resonates in a positive or negative sense on the surrounding environment, and in particular on those with whom we live or with whom we are most frequently in contact. Positive thoughts and feelings always bring forth new positive thoughts, either from within our consciousness or from the external environment. Negative thoughts and feelings, on the other hand, bring out equally negative responses, in a circuit that, in one way or another, ends up constantly feeding itself. It’s a law that works in the opposite direction as well of course, in the sense that an optimistic, serene, open and trusting mood fosters meetings with events, situations and people who are able in turn to transmit positive energy to us. It's as if we carry upon us a particular odour which we do not perceive but which is evident to others: an odour that identifies us immediately and that draws toward us those people and objects that vibrate on the same energy frequency as our own.
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UNITED PEOPLE OF ELICA SILKE ARNOLD
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THERE ARE HOODS. AND THERE ARE GUTMANN.
he modular Abajo downdraft ventilation feature ensures userfriendly, ergonomic handling and effective extraction performance, with a remarkably high fat and condensation separation efficiency provided by the multifunction filter. Combined with the various hobs and stovetop models, the impressive range of design options distinguished by the Abajo system feature is further enhanced. Although the downdraft ventilation feature unobtrusively blends into the wok’s fuss-free, well-rounded frame design, its advantages and benefits are obvious. USPs • multifunctional filter with high fat and evaporation filtration efficiency • 90° degree filtration • consistent frame design in anodized black or stainless steel • as single module also combinable with hobs of other manufacturers • indirect lighting • pressure blower GUTMANN air elements are specifically designed and manufactured according to the wishes and requirements of our customers and with high standards in mind. Quality tells its own tale.
6. An informal photo of Domenico Monsignore.
PATRIZIA BATTISTELLI
THE KEY TO SUCCESS. D
ear Domenico, this is not a letter of farewell, but a simple thank you from all of the factories, and in particular the Mergo plant, to someone that by now we look on as a friend rather than a director. So a certain informality of tone is allowed, I think. Almost six years have passed since that longago July 2008 when you joined Elica. At first, your arrival was regarded with a mixture of curiosity and scepticism. In fact, after several months spent without a director, we weren’t really too thrilled to be getting a new
one who certainly didn’t seem to be joking! All your “I’ll kick you out!”s were pretty alarming! So, in short, polite, yes, and friendly too, but, wow, what a lot of flak! Then, when things began to go in the right direction again, we saw that a firm hand is not synonymous with asperity, because the latter, in the end, won’t get results by itself. Simply, it takes strength and perseverance to achieve the required targets, whatever the cost … and you hit the bull’s eye! In fact, not satisfied just with Mergo, you left your mark on all the Italian plants. If I remember rightly, in the first (and only) interview you gave to our newsletter, you indicated your intention to make Elica World Class. And you did. You said that for an ambitious project like this you needed everyone’s cooperation, because it is the team that wins. And we did our best to answer your call. Some more, some less, we have done everything possible to be one big team, a team that you could be proud of. So,
dear ex-Director, while you are certainly a thoroughbred... you could also count on a great stables to back you up! Your welldeserved promotion is the just reward for all the changes that you've made in recent years, which have made it possible for us to stay afloat in a time that has been really difficult for many businesses. And for that, we are grateful. So, from the bottom of all our hearts, a big thank you. For having united us, spurred us on, helped us, supported us, put up with us. For helping us to grow and to understand that a good leader doesn’t make allowances and doesn’t play favourites. Now, the baton passes to David Lacchè, who, since we already know each other, gets a big welcome back. We’re sure he will be a worthy successor to Mimmo Monsignore and we wish you both all the very best, because our serenity lies in your success. With love, the factories.
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MALGORZATA MILCZAREK 7. In the photo, the Elica Group Polska team who received the Top Employers Poland 2014 award. From left: Supply Chain Manager Alexander Pirchio, HR Manager Malgorzata Milczarek and Manufacturing Manager Marcin Dabrowski. The event was held at Warsaw’s Hotel Radisson Blue.
POLAND AT THE TOP.
for all our employees; and the new, long awaited, car park! And all of these initiatives came from listening to people. And now, here we are in 2014! Let's start with the challenges – the first WCM audit is expected in May and the new EGP projects. And the year is just beginning! But we’re starting off with the same ability to listen that has guided us so far and that will help us get even better and better, in what some have called Sparta. 2014 has also brought us an important recognition: the confirmation of our high standard of organizational culture and opportunities for personal growth symbolised by the Top Employers Poland 2014 certification. It will be even harder than last year, because we have to prove every single day that we truly are providing an excellent working environment.
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s our short history teaches us, the path taken that involves listening to people seems to be the right one: meeting people’s expectations when this is possible, and explaining why when it isn’t. 2013 has been an eventful year: the giftpack for babies born in our Elica family; the new system of collective insurance, much more advantageous than the previous one; We Are, the first international camp held in Poland; the WCM process kick off and the launch of the employee suggestion system (today we have more than 200!); the benefit system expanded with new opportunities
It is not given to any one single person to have all the answers and to be able to offer all the solutions. One gift, however, is bestowed upon us mortals: the gift of listening. (Mario Canciani)
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EKATERINA NOVIKOVA
MARCO GARBUGLIA Priviet! That’s how we said hello, last November 28th, to all the guests who attended the CONTEMPORARY AIR event organized by our company in Moscow. On show in the Russian capital, in one of the most beautiful buildings in Moscow’s historic centre, were some of the most representative products of our brand, placed in a contemporary setting that as a backdrop employed works produced by the collaboration between Elica and the Fondazione Ermanno Casoli. The innovative and distinctive character of our company, so familiar around the world, was there for all the guests to see. The guests, including our main customers and partners as well as participants from the media and various institutions, were captivated by the ability of a domestic appliance company to communicate values dedicated to a rt and design in an industrial context. Once again we managed to prove that what’s important is not what is done, but the spirit in which it is done. The event was intended to send a strong message about the importance of the Russian market for the company, and I
8. Group photo of the Russian team together with their Italian colleagues, and Elica Group President Francesco Casoli and Elica Group CEO Giuseppe Perucchetti.
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CONTEMPORARY AIR. 2
8 of November in one beautiful antique mansion of Moscow, it took place an unique exhibition - Contemporary Air, there were presented latest collection of design hoods, selection of iconic products and the famous Pescecappa hood. Interlacing of completely different and incompatible elements of interior decoration and absolutely modern and stylish Elica's products, a mix of art and contemporary ideas in one place in the center of the City. Such concept of the event was definitely something new in history of Elica Russia. On this event have been invited key clients of Elica Russia, journalists of most popular design and interior magazines, all Russian Elica team and colleagues from Italy. The entertainment was opened by the president of Elica Group Company, Francesco Casoli Francesco spoke to guests with a short, but very emotional appeal, his emphasis on Elica as an integration product of design,
BRENDA GARCIA
ELICA AMERICAS IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK! F
or Human Resources, to employ and transmit total energy means never giving up, conveying enthusiasm and motivation to our colleagues, having a real 360-degree participation in company life, contributing to making Elica Americas a great place to work every single day. Since we decided to take part in the GPTW survey three years ago, these have been our guidelines. The message was clear from the outset: we don’t want a certificate just for its own sake, we want information
innovation and technology and stressing his high focus and interest to Russian market. The event has been continued by Mr. Giuseppe Perucchetti with a presentation about Elica Group, as an international Company and a development strategy. After the official part of the event all the guests could get to know each other personally, to discuss cooperation in the informal way. All the evening Mr. Casoli willingly communicated with journalists, customers and employees. It was a great opportunity to ask any questions directly to the President of the Company. One customer, who attended the Contemporary Air said: "Yes, now I see what is Elica! » For Russian employees this event was also very important and memorable. Many people was deeply involved in the preparation process, which lasted several months.
PRIVIET! Anna Perminova, trade marketing specialist of Elica Russia, shared her expressions: “Event gave to all of us a chance to plunge and enjoy the atmosphere of lightness and unconstraint, to touch Elica's legend and worldwide awarded products. Absence of any barriers between people who joined our event made it very alive and natural. It was good restart of the Elica's positioning on the Russian market and making closer our company to our customers for the future partnership. For me was especially pleasant to know in person colleagues from Italy and feel myself as a part of the strong and powerful team”. Being surrounded by wonderful Elica's products and in a company with progressive thinking people - what can be more enjoyable and pleasant entertainment?
about what we’re doing well so we can continue on the same path and about what we're doing wrong so we can put it right. More than anything we want to know what our colleagues appreciate most of all and what really helps them feel part of the Elica "energy". We know that the pride and passion about being a part of this company are our strong points, but this time the key to achieving the objective was teamwork! We paid careful attention to the feedback from our colleagues in the earlier surveys, made action plans for each department focused on providing concrete answers, sent these out to every level, got everyone involved in focus groups and listened to, evaluated and shared ideas! A fresh bunch of successful initiatives was the result of all this work, including scholarships for the children of our colleagues who have distinguished themselves in academic performance, a new emphasis on sporting activities such as the "Elica Running Team", the creation of a botanical garden of native flora at the factory to bring some colour and warmth to the local area while at the same time promoting a culture of respect for the environment that surrounds us… and much, much more. We continue to invest in strategic training in order to promote the
think we can say that the message was received loud and clear. Not only from the comments that were passed during the evening and the appreciative public, but especially in regard to the emphasis that the national media placed upon the event, and the company, over the following weeks. The Russian market is one of the main sectors for design products, and the made in Italy hallmark in particular. The Russian economy will keep on growing in 2014 and this is certainly an opportunity that Elica can’t, and doesn’t intend to, miss. A special thanks goes out to all my colleagues, both Russian and Italian, who worked into the small hours to make sure that the event was successful. In particular I’d like to thank Andrea Cardinali and Guerrino Santarelli for being able to get all 20 products on display in impeccable fashion notwithstanding certain difficulties caused by the setting. SPASIBA!! DASVIDANIA Y VSIEVO’ JAROSHIEVA!! Увидимся в России!!!
growth and development of our colleagues, and above all, in true Elica style, foster the “open door” culture that nurtures closeness and communication at all levels – an initiative that is especially appreciated here in Mexico, where it is not common practice in many local businesses. All this without forgetting our responsibility towards the world around us, which we also devote a lot of initiatives to: for example, the cost of each coffee drunk in Elica Americas is destined for institutions working for the education and care of children otherwise deprived of economic opportunities. We haven’t won yet of course, but we know that, while our journey has just begun, we are certainly on the right track. We know that our mission requires an excellent organization and therefore a great place to work. Elica Americas is a company that faces its daily round with creativity and constant work, as well as with a great sense of passion and fun. For the HR department, this is what loving and serving our customers with passion also means – today we are a Great Place to Work!
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ount icino
FABRIZIO BIGATTI 9. Homelab Open World. Overview of interconnected devices.
THE HOUSE OF THE FUTURE.
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n January 29th in Milan, in front of a large audience of journalists and experts in the field, the press conference presentation of Homelab Open World took place, the concrete expression of two years of intensive research, knowledge sharing and strategic synergy between the partners of the Homelab Consortium, of which Elica is a founder member. The Italian consortium of research into home automation was created in April 2011, with the idea of setting up a system of eight companies representing Italian excellence. Its aim was to define
10. In the photo, "Beech forest cyclamen." Two of our colleagues are among the photographers who took part in the project: Maximum Belegni (who took the picture published here) and Marco Bondini. To view and purchase the book, please contact Massimo and Marco directly. The book costs 29 euros: Elica employees and "friends" can buy it at the discounted price of 20 euros. For more information about the world of photography: www.afnimarche.it and www.afni.org
standards for communication and interoperability between the various products and services inside the house with the objectives of energy efficiency and improved performance, as well as serving as an Open Innovation platform that would provide a space for dialogue and the exchange of expertise and resources. This would make it possible, alongside other partners of similar excellence, to come up with new ideas and products in the field of home automation. The final frontier of the project is in fact aimed at the study and creation of increasingly
integrated and interconnected solutions and technologies, where the simple product is transformed into a dynamic and flexible digital container. Terms such as interconnection, Smart Home and Smart City have, in the “digital native” era, become part of everyday language and the figures associated with the projected volume of business that will develop are emblematic. According to recent estimates, by the year 2020 the number of connected devices will have reached 80 billion, while we can look forward to a total of 5 billion individual users who will have access
ENRICO MOSCONI
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ISCOVERING MOUNT SAN VICINO
THE MAINTENANCE STAFF.
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LEA RICCIARDI
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group work that took more than 18 months; a hundred and forty images and more than thirty different authors: these are some of the figures relating to the photography book "Mount San Vicino and its surroundings", which illustrates and describes the wonders and excitement of an enchanted, uncontaminated world. The book was created through the desire and commitment of the Marche section of AFNI, the Italian Association of Nature Photographers, a society whose aim is to use photography to spread knowledge, and, alongside this, respect and a sense of preservation, regarding the natural environment and its inhabitants.
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to the web. Our very own Feel, a perfect example of the convergence of technology, innovation and design, was a significant presence during the presentation. With its participation in Homelab, Elica confirms the strong focus on innovation that is innate to the company’s DNA. We envision the increasingly real possibility of optimizing our products in terms of energy efficiency, ease of use and dialogue in the context of a larger automated home system, in constant search of new features designed to facilitate product use, with particular emphasis on the topics of sustainability and safety.
At 1,479 meters above sea level, Mount San Vicino is an important reference point for Marche’s inhabitants: part of the UmbrianMarche Apennines, on the border between the provinces of Ancona and Macerata, it represents the last nature reserve in the region. The book brings together some of the most significant photos produced by patient, passionate and respectful work – work designed to create a pathway where the reader is taken by the hand and led on a thrilling and astonishing journey of discovery through a wild environment and its shy, retiring denizens. Leafing through the book induces a true sensation of wonder at this revelation
of the untouched corners of the Marche region – a real spur to reflection on the value and meaning of a nature that never ceases to amaze us and which we should always treat with a strong sense of respect. AFNI, established in Italy for over 20 years, has been present in the Marche region since 2007, where it is the largest section in the country. All the activities carried out by the Association are designed to involve the general public and bring it closer to the natural world, in the belief that knowledge of the environment and its wonders is an important first step towards an awareness of environmentally sound territorial management.
or a product to function correctly, all the gears need to work well. Similarly, a company requires maintenance which, like all the other departments, contributes to the smooth-running performance of the entire organization. Maintenance is divided into two kinds, ordinary and extraordinary, and involves both machinery and buildings. Ordinary maintenance regards those routine activities scheduled on a regular basis necessary for the correct maintenance of machinery and structures. Extraordinary maintenance on the other hand occurs when there is an unexpected breakdown or malfunction due to external causes, such as bad weather. The figure of the maintainer is therefore fundamental. But what are the required qualities of someone who does this particular job? They have to be helpful, professionally trained and efficient. Many Elica maintainers have a great deal of expertise gained in other industries and have brought a wealth of experience to the company. Lately some of us have been on missions abroad, to other countries in which we operate, either to carry out special maintenance or follow the transfer of machinery. We are always on hand, even though we tend to work "behind the scenes": thanks to our interventions, we ensure that production never stops, outside of prescheduled situations, and we try to reduce loss of time to a minimum. We often find ourselves having to intervene promptly on machines or production processes and based on our experiences have been able to introduce modifications: it is always immensely satisfying to know that our intervention has been successful.
www.fondazionecasoli.it JULIA SCIUTO, SAVERIO VERINI
CRAFTING MUSIC
11. The Elica prototype developers involved in the project. From right: Fabrizio Pallotta, Roberto Giampieretti, Guerrino Santarelli.
A CONCERT-PERFORMANCE IN THE FACTORY. 11 12. The string quartet and the group of Elica prototype developers, conducted by Marco Mencoboni. 13. Elica President Francesco Casoli and Fondazione Ermanno Casoli Director Deborah Carè. 12
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«Handling grinders, hammers, air pistols, sanders... that’s our job. But we never thought that the noise of these tools could be transformed into music... and what music.»
institutional representatives, including Mario Becchetti, Cabinet Chief of the Marche Region, and Fabriano Mayor Giancarlo Sagramola. The performance they witnessed was unique of its kind. After a first half in which a string quartet played music by Mozart, the real coup de théâtre took place with the entrance of the prototype developers. "We’re not artists, so just being up in front of so many people – and there really were a lot of people there – was all pretty embarrassing.” In reality, however, the members of this special group, under the direction of the composer himself, demonstrated a natural sense of rhythm, showing that their mastery of their particular "tools of the trade" was something that could be extended beyond the context of everyday work. The nearly five hundred people present at the performance, stirred by the music and astonished by the performance of the prototype developers, showed their appreciation with an enthusiastic standing ovation. "There was just a moment of silence, with us thinking, well, who knows what all the people out there will have made of all this, and then, to our great surprise, came the long, warm applause, a real standing ovation, with colleagues coming up to congratulate us, some of them even moved ... a real success." And perhaps that’s the expression that best sums up the whole Crafting Music experience: a real success.
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his isn’t, needless to say, an ensemble of musicians talking here, but Elica’s prototype developers: Roberto Giampieretti, Fabrizio Pallotta and Guerrino Santarelli. And the impression of the sounds and images of the Mano d’Opera (“Crafting music”) concert which was held at the end of 2013 in the company's Fabriano warehouse, and in which they played such a notable part, is still strong in their minds. The emotion of the occasion is certainly one that lingers. The project, brainchild of composer Marco Mencoboni, was designed to show how a symphony could be composed starting from the sound of industrial tools: an innovative and risky proposal – vigorously supported from the start by the Fondazione Ermanno Casoli’s artistic director Marcello Smarrelli – that Elica couldn’t turn down. So just before the Christmas holidays last year, on December 19th, the company decided to pass on its seasonal greetings to the employees in a highly unconventional way. An event was organised in the Fabriano headquarters warehouse, set up as a theatre just for the occasion, with an audience made up of Elica personnel – with Gianna Pieralisi, Francesco Casoli and Giuseppe Perucchetti in the front row – plus various
14. Composer Marco Mencoboni while conducting the concert. 15. The large audience present in Elica’s Fabriano warehouse. Photos: Giulia Pieretti Photos: Giulia Pieretti
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EUROCUCINA FTK Salone Internazionale del Mobile
8th >13 th APRIL 2014 Milan Fairgrounds, Rho (Milan)
11
Pavilion
A23 A25 Stand
Francesco Casoli. THE “SCAPEGRACE” ENTREPRENEUR* 2. Delegate, delegate, delegate. 3. Work towards objectives. 4. Persevere, persevere, persevere. 5. Reward the acceptance of risk and responsibility. 6. Establish self-managing teams to solve problems. 7. Try to achieve the impossible, communicating a zest for challenge to the people you work with. 8. Don’t get tangled up in a bureaucratic mentality. 9. Communicate, communicate, communicate. 10. Don’t make the company too complicated – keep it simple, smart.
The company A
few years ago I launched a survey/ test to see if those companies that might be described as “harmonious” were also those that did well in economic terms. By “harmonious” in this context I wanted to describe companies in which, on the basis of four musical parameters – rhythm , melody, harmony and timbre – there registered a high rate of “rules and regulations” (rhythm), “ideas and creativity”(melody), “diversity and inclusion” (harmony) and “identity and self-esteem” (timbre). For the occasion, I formulated a short questionnaire regarding these four particular cultural areas. Around a hundred managers got back to me, reporting their perceptions concerning “the air breathed in their company”. The responses were divided up by sector: industry, trade, services. This led to the discovery that Elica SPA was perceived by its personnel director as the one with the highest “musical” values in the industrial sector. For what my mini-survey was worth, I sent the report with my compliments. A few years later, I came across the Great Place to Work organization and discovered that the company in first place was none other than Elica SPA. The similarity between the Great Place to Work award and my own humble verdict relating to company harmony was too intriguing not to follow up in some way. Who was the figure behind it all? The figure turned out to be Francesco Casoli, a young, dynamic entrepreneur, and, they told me, a very charismatic one. So I tried to get in touch with him and, thanks to his helpful staff, managed to
fix an appointment. His secretary was extremely kind and, given the distance of the company from Milan (it’s based in Fabriano), helped me to organize the meeting. An Elica employee picked me up from Fabriano station and told me about this small industrial district of 30,000 inhabitants, which, until just a few years ago, produced a GDP equal to that of an Italian region. Times have changed but Elica is still one of the leading companies in the field. He was very proud of his company and what he said to me confirmed the result that emerged from the “timbre” category of my investigation – a brand, in other words, with a strong identity and sense of belonging. When I got to the reception area, Francesco Casoli was notified of my arrival and I was welcomed by the public relations manager, who kindly accompanied me on a visit to the company showroom. Elica produces cooker hoods for the world’s most prestigious brands of kitchen. Two elegant notices caught my eye. One listed the company “values” and the other its “commandments”. Here are the nine points in the “values” list: • Love your customers – put passion into working for them. • Use innovative thinking. • Make it easy for everyone to be involved in their own work. • Employ and communicate total energy (!) • Identify new objectives and achieve them. • Stay curious and never stop learning. • Want to win. • See change as an opportunity. • Fight to reduce costs and simplify your work. The “commandments”, meanwhile, comprise the following ten items: 1. Manage people so that they can manage their work.
This immediately gave me confirmation of a good company “rhythm”: the commandments were clear, well-defined and very probably also widely shared. For those of you who are not particular fans of the music business, it’s worth remembering that, in the organization of an orchestra or band, rhythm dictates the time to be respected (adagio, lento, allegro, vivace, etc.) and the rules to observe this. Sharing and following the rhythm allow musicians to play together in a coordinated and synchronized manner. Imagine if in the same orchestra some musicians employ a slow pace and others stick to a more upbeat tempo, or if a 3/4 waltz rhythm is trying to fight it out with a classic 4/4 beat. The effect on the public would undoubtedly be disastrous. In companies, the same principle is applied to all the processes. Sticking with the concept of time, just think what would happen if the commercial department promised deliveries in 15 days while the warehouse or production will only be ready in 45 days. But the same goes for any activity. Marketing promises innovation but production is tied to obsolete processes or machinery; the commercial department smooth-talks the customer while after sales service or shipping growl at them. Values and commandments are two sides of the same coin. Think of the most famous Decalogue in Western culture: the Ten Commandments. The value of life is protected by the commandment “Thou shalt not kill", the value of feelings and love by “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife”, the value of property by “Thou shalt not steal”. Each value must be supported and promoted through specific rules of conduct and applicable to each member of the community. It isn’t an easy thing in business to link values to rules. Elica has certainly done a good job, and Francesco Casoli, with these two notices, has already, unbeknownst,
answered many of my questions. My tour finished in the company’s “leisure piazza” with the company bar set like an island in the middle. The perimeter of the area is lined with small tables and wall-mounted flip charts to use for short meetings. Elica folk are very proud of this social space, a place where they can meet up and exchange ideas and opinions. After a few minutes, Francesco Casoli himself arrived – “the President” as his employees proudly referred to him. A tall, youthful man, elegantly informal, with an energetic handshake and a certain air of terseness about him. “Let's go and have something to eat first! Is that okay with you?” I answered enthusiastically in the affirmative, since it was time for lunch. We headed for to the canteen, where Francesco Casoli queued up together with his employees, getting his tray and being served just like a regular company customer. People chatted to him casually, but always with a great sense of respect. We sat down at a table in the middle of all the other lunchers. First, he wanted to understand who I was and “scanned” me efficiently with a few searching questions. He listened to me very carefully, giving me the impression that he was cutting through to the most significant words and discarding any of the ballast around them. I told him who I was, what I did and the coincidence that linked my BHT business harmony test to Elica’s Great Place to Work award. He was proud of the award of course, but I also sensed his satisfaction that his former personnel director, who had filled in my questionnaire, had had such a good awareness of the corporate culture. We also found time to talk about his political work, in his role as Senator. “It was a huge commitment for eight years. I was asked and I accepted with great pleasure and a sense of responsibility, wouldn’t you have done the same?” He confirmed to me that he considered his tenure there as an institutional duty towards society. In some cases, you simply can’t back down. I understood that very well, since something rather similar had happened in my own life, and I can confirm that it is hard to say no, especially if you are called upon for what you are and not for what you can do (the power that you have). The social sense of the entrepreneur is often more pronounced than is commonly believed. Apart from the social role of the company itself, many entrepreneurs feel it a duty to make something of what they have available to the community, whether it be time, money, experience or knowledge. Among the messages posted on the bulletin board I had also noticed the
existence of a Casoli Foundation, dedicated supporting art. After lunch, we went straight to his office, a compact, stylish room, with low, focused lighting. Ready in place on his table were the questions and presentation letter pertaining to the editorial project. We began the interview.
The five senses Which sense do you use the most? “Listening. We need to really be aware of the fact that we know less than others. Listening is important because I don’t feel up to scratch in many fields and listening helps me figure things out”. Listening requires humility? “It's not a question of humility”. He described listening as a tool, a technique that helps us to be more effective; immediately adding: “The best thing I’ve done in my life is to know how to choose the right people that have helped me to move forward”. Are there other senses you make good use of – smelling out an opportunity, for instance? “No, no – luck, that's what’s important!” And luck, fortunately, has been on his side. “I started working when I was 16 and the first skill that I was able to draw on was knowing how to listen. I practically never said a word, realizing my inability even to relate to people, even though I was the owner’s heir. Luckily I listened to my general manager, who taught me how important it was to find people who could pull the company forward rather than simply be pulled by it. So I had the ability and the luck to be able to listen to everyone all around me and be able to choose people, such as the CEO, who knew how to really push the company in the right direction”. Since I hadn’t wanted to take my bag into the canteen, I had left it in reception, and now, after our quick lunch, I found myself in Casoli’s office without the necessary papers. Meanwhile, there on his desk were the question paper and the publisher’s letter. I asked him: “Sorry, may I borrow this sheet of paper, since I left my copy in my briefcase?” This got a laugh from him, as if he had caught me out. He was better prepared than I was. Perhaps, despite his roles as entrepreneur and Senator, he still continued to harbour a certain feeling of respect for those who “write books”. I glanced quickly over the list of questions. Manager and Entrepreneur: what differences are there between them? “In this company, we are very informal, not because we have to be but because we are”. He emphasized this by indicating that he believed in delegation. “If I were to give a piece of advice to a manager, it is that we all have something to learn, both from the people above you and the people below you. In fact, you learn more from the latter, who are there at the sharp end involved in the hands-on work, than from those above you who deal with great strategies but don’t really have a clue about what's actually going on. I could give you a lot of examples of this from the world of politics, but perhaps it’s better if I don’t”. So hands-on work is important? (In relation to the importance that we attach to the use of the five senses, “hands-on experience” is the ability to get your hands dirty in person, which is typical of many entrepreneurs who paid their dues on the factory floor: a familiarity with tactile sensations and manual dexterity.) “Heck, when I go into the factory I can tell from the way the floor’s vibrating what the speed is of the presses that are moulding the steel. I mean, I know all the components of all the products by heart, from the first to the very last screw. I'm not joking. I know the products and the processes like the back of my hand, because they’re things I like. I am a salesman-technician – a real one, not an engineer. And when I was a boy, and I failed my exams at school, then I spent the summer attaching pieces to the paint oven or putting together cooker hoods, not that I was overjoyed at doing this, but I
wasn’t getting on too well elsewhere”. And was that important? What did you learn from this experience? “Very important! And the first thing I learned was that fatigue is fatigue. So we should always respect those who work with their hands in production. They’ve got the same heads that we have and they’re working on a daily basis with the same objects so they surely know more about them than we do. And that brings us back to being able to listen! And that means to everyone, especially the workers, because they’ve got the products that you are trying to promote in their hands from morning to night”. So getting back to the manager, these “hands -on” qualities and listening to workers… are these skills you have? “The manager could have a more self-referential kind of attitude that goes very well for certain types of work, but is limited for others. So it is up to the entrepreneur and the CEO (when he's as good and capable as ours is) to remind managers everyday how important listening is in order to grasp and accommodate the changes needed to do well, without closing themselves off in positions of power, and accepting contributions from everyone”.
Qualities What qualities must an entrepreneur possess or have? “You mean my own? How on earth do I know? What kind of question is that?” Do you recognise some natural talent in yourself? “Well, I recognize some supernatural talent!...” he says, jokingly. “No, no natural ones. I’m not good at anything much except cycling, and I don’t think that’s worth too much here...” He glances down the list of qualities noted on my paper. “Courage? I’m a wimp! Positivity? Well, if positivity is a talent, I'm pretty much, no, definitely above average. Positive, lots of energy, though I can’t dedicate hours and hours to things, I don’t do a lot of work but I’m immensely resilient..” Resilient? “Absolutely – you can knock me down, but I’ll just get right back up again”. He went on going through the list of skills: “I don’t really like working by instinct, though it sometimes happens. Energy and positivity, these are the main things”. Could you give me an example of resilience? “In 1994, our factory caught fire and burnt down. We went through a really hard time. I was able to get the company back on its feet and make it much stronger than before. Fires, earthquakes, nothing stops us. I had to be resilient when my father died. I was sixteen and I managed to keep this company going and take the fight to the competition. Energy and positivity helped me get over the catastrophe of my father’s untimely death”. And where does this energy come from? “Well, not from drugs or other stimulants, if that’s what you’re wondering!” No, perish the thought! I thought maybe from the strength of will-power. But let’s get back to the subject of the manager. I didn’t want him to think about his own managers but about this figure, this “person who organises things…” “If I have to interpret the cliché of the manager and offer some advice, perhaps I could suggest being a bit more creative and presenting what they have to do and what they do with a greater sense of creativity. Managers, in general, always tend to be bottled up in an established scheme of things”. This was an interesting thought that deserved consideration. The stereotypical manager, according to Casoli, is a bottled up figure, locked into an established scheme. Perhaps a victim of their role as a “good manager of what exists”? Slowed down, maybe, by the reliability that is required of them? Perhaps discouraged by over-creative entrepreneurs? There was no time to go into the matter in detail, but it was an observation worth noting.
Skills Leading by example “Leading by example is crucial. I make decisions very quickly.” Managing Change What is change? “Change is revolution. It means changing everything. Big changes need to take place every 10 years. The last really big change was when we were quoted on the stock market. And then two years ago we bought a company in China. Really, we’re up to our ears in on-going change”. Selling What does that mean – selling? “Oh, that’s the basis of everything, the rest really doesn’t matter!” Then why doesn’t anyone want to be a salesman any more, and some of those who are are ashamed of doing what they do? “I’ve been a salesman and I’m still a salesman even now. I sell. For us, selling means being able to gain the trust of all those who are around us! We’re always selling something, whether it’s your business, your product, yourself. Selling’s everything, really. It's life!” Communicate, communicate, communicate. It’s repeated three times in his list of values. What does it mean exactly? “It means talking to everyone, within the company as well. We have a “piazza” here in the company, which is also a symbolic space, representing this desire that we want to create, to get together, to mix, to discuss. Interpersonal communication has become more important than the official kind”. What is beauty? “The golden ratio, something that’s mechanical and manual. Height, width, you can’t get away from it, you can twist and turn all you want but beauty lies in proportion. Beauty is definitely not subjective, it’s mathematical. In business, the beautiful part is that everything is in flux, in harmony, you have to become an arrow!”. A cooker hood has to perform well or be beautiful? “The important thing is to sell! Today’s world appreciates both beauty and functionality!”.
Values The principle of transparency “Try to be as transparent as possible, though it’s a very difficult thing to do. It's easy to say”. Love what you do “I wrote these commandments 25 years ago and they’re still valid. And there’s love in there. Love is one of the most important things, you have to try to put love and passion into everything you do”. And that’s what you ask of your co-workers too? Do they manage to follow your commandments? “When they arrive, they get a small book, and if they don’t feel that this is for them, then they can always change, nobody’s forcing them to stay. We have our ideas, sometimes maybe they seem a bit excessive, like loving the customer, but I really do want all our employees to love our customers. Love with zeal and passion – and that translates into daily life in the sense that if a client has a problem on a Sunday night, or if there’s a fair where our clients are having problems assembling the products, then we have to be present, we have to let them see that we’re there and reassure them that at every moment we’re right there alongside them. Service is paramount, and we are their humble servants!” What principles do you follow? What did you learn from your father? Who dares wins “I was very young when he died. One thing I’ve learned is that nothing happens by chance, even if what I said before about "luck" seems to imply the opposite. But, in reality, who dares wins.”
Advice for managers A final piece of advice for managers? “Come on, guys! Love your entrepreneurs because that’s what’s really needed!” The interview was short and terse, almost telegraphic. Francesco Casoli’s conception of time shone through in all its value. He measured out time with words and gestures, his sentences short and very clear. He was polite but restrained.
Surprise ending A stroke of genius, a la Maradona. As we’re going down the stairs, he reverts to a more informal manner when I tell him that I'll write out the interview and send it to him before publishing it. “Marzo, I don’t want to see the interview, I trust you. If you get something wrong about me” – and he uses the informal “tu” here for the first time – “it just means that I expressed myself badly, and it's my fault”. He nodded goodbye to me and disappeared behind a glass door, with a grin of subtle satisfaction. I was thunderstruck. Do you remember when Maradona took the free-kick that flew over the wall, standing just three metres away, and, with a parabola that seemed to be remote controlled, the ball slipped into the net with Tacconi looking on incredulously, as if he was about to break into applause? At that moment, I knew just how Tacconi felt! I suddenly thought that that tall, youthful, stylish, athletic and slightly brusque man was also a little bit of a genius. Saying something like that isn’t easy: it takes a lot of self-confidence and above all a lot of faith in the person you have in front of you. He gets all the credit for having been the only one to say it, and he’ll only read the chapter dedicated to him in this hardcover version of the book. Why was I so impressed? The ease with which he deals with events, but also the great responsibility that he takes directly on to his own shoulders. Anything he knew about me he could have learned only from me or from my website. If he treats his employees in the same way, then it is clear that they can only pay him back with the same kind of trust. Congratulations, it's a great lesson for all managers and entrepreneurs: be very careful what you say and then trust in others!
* The interview is taken from the book: I-Factor. Il gene dell’imprenditore (The I- Factor. The entrepreneurial gene. Creating a company: lessons for managers), written by Franco Marzo, published by Franco Angeli, 2013.