GIVI Magazine - Maggio 2019

ENGLISH TEXT IN ASIA FOR 25 YEARS A quarter of a century ago GIVI inaugurated its first production center in Asia. Why was Malaysia chosen and what were the problems to be faced (corporate, bureaucratic, technical…)? ON. Many years ago when we started importing Italian products, we were subjected to a 30% import duty (even now is 25%) so it made good economic sense to manufacture these products here and avoid the duties. Malaysia is part of Asia (10 countries with a total population of 650millions) so now we can also export to these Countries duty free. That is why and when I proposed to do the manufacturing here. Why did Italy agree? You need to ask that question to Joseph or Mr. Visenzi. JOSEPH. Choosing Malaysia was not a casual decision, we considered different Countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and of course Singapore, but Malaysia was the obvious and correct decision. 25 years ago Malaysia was not only clearly expanding, but its progress was socially correct, as every level of this multiethnic society was gaining in both financial and living conditions, through a planned and well managed growth. Adding to this, the local government was giving reassurance to foreign investors, and allowed us to become part of this society. Finally, a progressive law system protected our investments and reassured us on the protection of our copyrights and patents. Looking back over these years, are there moments to remember that somehow sealed the brand’s success in this area of Southeast Asia? JOSEPH. Too many episodes to remember and luckily the great majority are positive. How did GIVI ASIA expand from it’s beginning to today? ON. When we started, we first imported from Italy for about 2 years and, after agreeing to do the manufacturing here, we rented a shop lot and I remember myself and my sales manager (who still works for us) used to assemble and deliver top cases ourselves. Back then we had an outside vendor doing the injection molding for us. I remember we would deliver any quantities, even a single box if necessary. Monthly sales were maybe 50 pcs but today Givi Asia produces 25,000 pcs per month with a workforce of 220 people. JOSEPH. Simple and short answer: Perseverance, Vision, Passion and a lot of hard work and commitment! How could you describe the relationships with Italian company property? ON. We had a good working relationship throughout these 25 years and the trust and respect for each other is strong. Is GIVI ASIA currently positioned in the segment of companies engaged in the production of components for the motorcycle sector? JOSEPH. Without any doubt we are strongly positioned in the forefront of our industry, and this is testified by the number of awards that we have achieved during the years, from local authority, independent organizations and media outlets. Our Market position is strongly established with over 600 dealers in the sole territory of Malaysia and to this we add vital relationships with the industry, as we cooperate with a number of OEM manufacturers in the motorcycle segment. Which markets do the products made here serve? JOSEPH. As our name say, we concentrate in the development and supply of the South East and Asian markets, in strong partnership with the other two manufacturing facilities owned by the GIVI Group in this continent. The first one is GIVI INDONESIA based in Jakarta and, as Indonesia is quickly becoming one of the largest producers of small displacement motorcycles, naturally our local company is specialized in the manufacturing of racks and 29 March 2019. This was the day of celebrations. The meeting with the trade press monopolized the morning: a tour of the GIVI Asia headquarters, in Bukit Beruntung, for a work briefing, followed by a wonderful motorcycle tour led by Hendrika and Umberto Visenzi, that took the group to the prestigious Grand Ion Delemen Hotel in Genting Highlands (known as the “Malaysian Las Vegas”). Here there was the presentation, followed by lunch, of the new product range, including hard cases, soft bags, helmets and rainwear. The many appointments of the day were crowned by the highlight: a gala dinner in the hotel’s splendid ballroom, attended by the company’s top management and the most important dealers and independent distributors in the Asia area. Guests were entertained by displays of traditional dancing and music… in short, a grand event to celebrate an important milestone. But how did GIVI Asia come about? How did it develop over the past 25 years? What challenges are expected in the future? To find out, we interviewed two “big shots”, Mr. On Hai Swee, Managing Director, and Mr. Joseph Perucca, Overseas Operations Director. Major celebrations for the 25 th Anniversary of GIVI Asia. Established in Malaysia in 1994 to manufacture and distribute GIVI accessories, today the company manages more than 20 networks of distributors in Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand. To celebrate a quarter of a century “in the field”, GIVI Asia organised a day filled with entertainment and information in Malaysia, with plenty of activities for the press and for those working in the sector. CAPTION: (15) Installation at the entrance of the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel; above: one of the moments of entertainment during the Gala evening (15) Cutting of the cake: from the left, Mr On, Mr Perucca, Mr On Tam Chai (father of On and one of the directors of Givi Asia), Umberto and Hendrika Visenzi (16) One of the memorable shots of the event. Mr. On, Diplomat Cristiano Maggipinto (Italian Ambassador in Malaysia) and Mr. Perucca pose together (16) Mr. On takes to the stage for the obligatory thank-you speech mounting systems for the Asian Market. The second one is GIVI Vietnam which, for the characteristics and skills available in the Country, has become in the last few years, GIVI’s production hub for all the fabric and textile- based products, such as soft luggage, clothing and waterproof gear. Finally, our Logistic Office in China provides further support, helping us to source and supply the raw materials and sometimes other components. They also manage the local market. As these pages document, a big 25th year anniversary party was organized. The local media also took part in this celebration: how is the relationship with the press? JOSEPH. We have been lucky, as over the years we managed to create a strong bond with the local press, and of course we organized a number of activities every year in order to maintain such an important cooperation: from motorcycle rides, to product testing and sponsorships, and of course every year we elect a member of the press to participate to our Givi Explorer… and who doesn’t want to be part of that??!! For the occasion, many products were presented. Does their development follow different logics than is done, for example, in Europe? JOSEPH. The art of marketing is indeed the sum of understanding and learning! Indeed in order to succeed locally we need to combine our technology, design and quality standard with the understanding of the local use, culture, weather conditions and often road conditions, so our main task is always to try to introduce products that are international (as GIVI is present in every continent of the world) but keeping in mind the local market, which often requires particular attention to size, weight and of course price bracket. Our head office and R&D department in Italy and the local R&D are working in synch and share the knowledge acquired and constantly verify the needs of the different markets. What does the Malaysian motorcyclist/ scooter driver ask? What are his expectations? ON. Malaysian motorcyclists as well as those in Asia (all have similar mopeds) generally prefer products that are practical and affordable. They also like Italian brands. Please note that these riders use motorcycles as an important mean of transport and not so much for leisure. We have introduced the topic: talking about mobility, what changes are taking place and how is GIVI ASIA facing them? ON. Over the last few years, GIVI Asia has been given the green light to look into products (from the conceptual stage to design and production) for moped use. We managed to design our current best-selling case, the B32 Advance Bold. For the immediate future, our top three priorities are: 1. Helmet, 2. Box and 3. Rainwear Joseph, you are certainly the most qualified person to answer this last question: widening the vision to the entire Asia continent, what are the challenges that the brand will have to carry on in the near future? JOSEPH. Speed!! Speed!!! Speed!! Perhaps this is the synthesis of our future challenges, it is at time difficult to express correctly how fast this markets, moods, and needs are changing in what only a few years ago we used to consider as developing markets. China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam are some of the examples: 10 years ago, some of these Countries were on the brink of becoming fully grown economies, and today they are at the forefront and moving at a speed which sometimes is scary. The availability of information, the magic of Google, can often make life easier: read, learn, absorb and make it your own… but also create expectations and trend that can change very quickly. Our goal remains to stay in the front, to understand and forecast potential future needs. We say “Today’s success is yesterday’s vision” but this is becoming more and more a time frame issue. No time for resting in achievements, no time to reap the results, you must, and you need to always move forward! If anything, this crazy pace is keeping me young!!!! GIVI POINT OPENS IN VIETNAM The celebrations for the anniversary also included the inauguration of the direct sales point, opened by GIVI in Vietnam. The company has been present in this country for more than 10 years, where it has developed a manufacturing site and a network of more than 150 authorised dealers. Overall, the brand is now recognised as an integral part of the Vietnamese community. This success is supported by the brand’s philosophy, which aims to reinvest profits locally and grow together with the host country. The opening of the GIVI POINT is a further step in this direction. In essence, while remaining strong in creating a close-knit network of dealers, the direct presence via GIVI POINT will allow for greater proximity to users and constant exchange of feedback. After all, the best ideas, those that help to improve, often come from the end user. The inauguration of the first Vietnamese GIVI POINT was attended by Hendrika Visenzi, Vice President and head of marketing and communications for GIVI S.P.A, Joseph Perucca, Overseas Operations Director for GIVI S.P.A and General Manager of GIVI Vietnam, and Dante Brandi of the Italian Consulate in Vietnam. 8 9 Inside Givi Givi Magazine May 2019