A trip through Emilia's Motor Valley that the whole world envies us; a trip through cutting-edge technology, specialist know-how and an extended supply chain. «What's needed today is a strong technological content, a vision of the future, ongoing investment in new products and, above all, the right people». Giampaolo Colletti interviews Claudio Domenicali, Ceo of Ducati, for FARE Insieme
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
There are stories of companies that become a legend and become part of a shared collective memory. A sort of lingua franca understood anywhere in the world. And what we are about to tell you about is exactly that. A story born under the sky of Emilia in the early 20th century with the aim of connecting people, literally. Because what is now the giant Ducati in actual fact back in 1926 was a pioneering start-up established by the engineer Antonio Cavalieri Ducati to research and develop radio communication technologies. Ducati's objective was clear: to create a place where the intuitions, which soon became patents, developed by his son Adriano, a pioneer of radio broadcasting, could be transformed into reality. Indeed, it was this young globetrotter who created a permanent radio connection between Italy and the United States and the first simultaneous radio connection between the five continents. But the company soon began to experiment well beyond the radio, even producing a special capacitor in the basement of a building in the heart of Bologna. From the early radio equipment to cinema projectors and electric razors before establishing the motorcycle department in 1946. Innovation has been the cornerstone in the history of this company, inextricably linked to the birth of Emilia’s Motor Valley, the district of know-how and technology that the world envies us.
«The bond is the force of a brand that has local roots but with an eye to the whole world. A territory with a passion for beauty and excellence. Clearly, technological evolution and increasing complexity mean that the minimum size for working well in the world must necessarily increase. We have to exploit the total and that's why our company policy is geared towards products that fascinate the whole world and betting on digital systems, which today give us an extraordinary opportunity», says Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati, who joined the company in 1991 with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bologna in his pocket. His story calls up the legendary one of another great manager, Alan Hope, head of Unilever, who joined the multinational thanks to a training period in the marketing division and who rose up through the company to the position of CEO. «Of the early days I remember a company that was still small but one which even back then never stopped experimenting At that time, in the early 1990s, there were only three engineers, now there are more than three hundred. Then there is the long history that started in 1926 and continued through ups and downs. Growth has been steady since 2000 and we are now in the best moment of our history. There have been many difficult moments: after all, we are in a highly competitive market and basking in the prestige of our brand would be a mistake. Technological content, a broader vision of the future, constant investments in new products, services and solutions are indispensable. And then, above all, there is a lesson that I have never forgotten: when things are going well, that's when you have to invest more in the future», says Domenicali without mincing his words.
Networked economic districts A company that contains many others. Because when telling Ducati's story, you have to use the plural form, including the satellite activities and the extended supply chain. And then there is the relationship with academic institutions and places of knowledge that necessarily become places of doing in this motor valley driven by work, passion and pragmatism. «The world has shrunk but the pandemic with the ensuing disruption of the production volumes that plummeted and then shot up after the emergency has put the production and logistic systems under stress. We are asking ourselves what the right thing is for a district of excellence. There are disruptive technologies in the world and I believe that it will be important to be highly selective. We have an excellent productive fabric, a component supply chain that the world envies us and this is a value to preserve», highlights Domenicali. But when asked what has not changed since the early days and what has changed, the engineer is in no doubt. «Our passion for beautiful, well-made, top quality and distinctive products has remained intact. And the passion for the feelings that the product can elicit is the same. What has changed in the evolution of the company is its technical and technological know-how, the capacity to tackle research and innovation to the point that today we can safely say that in a range of fields Ducati represents the technological frontier in our sector. And all this is the result of hard work, investments and the people».
People firstYes, the people. Domenicali believes that the best strategy is to involve them in the company’s choices. «Welfare becomes well being, and pride in being together. While not infallible, we always strive to give our people our all. Indeed, the first fans of Ducati are our employees; even our customers notice this sense of belonging. With the customer there is also this sense of identification with the brand. We are not only manufacturers: what binds us together is the relationship of an almost religious trust, a communion of intentions. All this shines through in every area of this joyful company. During the pandemic we offered our colleagues free nasopharyngeal swabs and working from home schemes but we went further: we wanted our people to feel protected, beyond the rhetoric», says Domenicali. Design, beauty, trust. And then there is the maniacal attention to the product. We are living in times of great change: accelerated digitalisation of the software component of products and interaction with the client, along with a trend towards sustainability. The challenges regard electric propulsion which is already underway in the world of two- and four-wheelers, and we are committed to finding answers, asking ourselves a lot of questions», concludes Domenicali. Once again we’ll write together the future that runs fast.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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