GIVI Magazine - Maggio 2018

ENGLISH TEXT HENDRIKA VISENZI HENDRIKA VISENZI, GIVI’S CEO: “QUALITY, ARTISANAL CARE AND FAMILY DIMENSION ARE THE VALUES THAT HAVE MADE THE COMPANY WHAT IT IS TODAY, WITHOUT CLASHING WITH THE INDUSTRIAL DIMENSIONS” CAPTIONS FROM THE LEFT: GIVI’S TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT, WHERE PROJECTS AND PRODUCT SPECS ARE INITIATED, AND THE WORKING OF A MOLD WITH WHICH A CASE WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BE PRODUCED: THE ‘NEGATIVES’ ARE CREATED BY SPECIAL HIGH-PRECISION MACHINES. ONE OF THE MACHINES THAT PRINT PLASTIC IN A CONTINUOUS CYCLE, 24 HOURS A DAY. TO GUARANTEE HIGHER QUALITY FOR ITS PRODUCTS, GIVI ALWAYS USES VIRGIN MATERIALS, NEVER RECYCLED. IN THE PICTURE YOU CAN SEE THE FINAL PART OF THE WORKING OF A CASE. BESIDES THE PRODUCTION OF AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES, GIVI IS THE SUPPLIER OF THE MAJOR MOTORBIKE PRODUCERS ALL ROUND THE WORLD. THE MEETING ROOM AT THE HEADQUARTERS IN BRESCIA IS DOMINATED BY PLAQUES AND CERTIFICATES THAT TESTIFY TO THESE COLLABORATIONS. GIVI’S TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE COMPANY. HERE, THE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN REALM ARE MIXED WITH THAT OF CRAFTSMANSHIP. MR VISENZI HAS ALWAYS PAID A DAILY VISIT TO TALK WITH THE TECHNICIANS AND DISCUSS PRODUCTS beyond the recommended load capacity. Keep in mind that a few years ago our German importer one day had the idea of producing his own fixing system. The quality was not ours, unfortunately. As the many accidents which happened to cyclists proved”. How are your products tested? “In the field, before putting them on the market. But we work a lot at the workbench. Now, for example, we are conducting brutal tests on a case soon to be produced, which equips a training bike with no shock absorbers. Our objective is to discover which piece breaks first. The problem is that nothing breaks”. It’s the dream of all accessory manufacturers. Or the worst nightmare: if your products become eternal, businesswill decrease. “Our cases have always lasted longer than the competition. Yet business has never waned. We have some Chinese competitors who produce cases whose colour fades after one year. Ours, to end up like that, need at least 20 years. The difference is made by the rawmaterials: we always use virgin plastic, they recycle it up to 10 times”. Is there something you are particularly proud of? “I would say no. I’ve never had the time to think about it”. Do you blame yourself for anything? “I would re-do all I’ve done up to now”. Do you consider yourself a strict boss? “Yes, I do, but now a strict boss is no longer needed. To step it up a level now you need managers”. How can a family-run business like GiVi make this leap? “Going public. It’s an option we are keeping in mind, especially after the Italian stock exchange has opened the segments dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises”. Mr Visenzi, you are an old-fashioned person. You never release any of the company’s figures. “Well, you know, we prefer to keep a low profile talking of figures...”. You are a person of solid principles. “I am very catholic, I won’t deny it. If your company is growing and there is work for everyone, it is right to give thanks to the Lord. And that’s also why before the company Christmas dinner we all go to mass”. It’s for modesty that Mr Visenzi does not talk of figures. The figures we successively went to collect in fact describe a very healthy company. The latest available data, referred to December 2016, talk of an annual turnover of over 50m euros, a gross operating margin of 5 million 669 thousand euros and a company that grows by 10% a year. A company to be proud of. X.21 CHALLENGER 50.5 TRIDION RAPTOR