The name "Glassworks" already beautifully encapsulates the whole meaning of your business. The company is not called "Borgonovo glass factory" or "Borgonovo glass plate factory" -- or pitchers or risers or jars. The company is called Vetreria, which in its literary meaning, in its etymology means both glass factory and assortment of objects made of glass, and it gathers just what Borgonovo Glassworks is. Today the assortment is very wide and the company produces both for its own marketing and for other very large companies...but where did it all start? What were the first items produced ? How did the idea come about ?
The Borgonovo Glassworks was born in an area where the glassmaking tradition was not at all rooted. Other areas were renowned in this regard, Parma, Tuscany, Murano. The idea took shape in the entrepreneurial mind, in the most modern sense of the term, of Francesco Piccioni, who had a mineral water business after the war. For the growth of his business, he decided to manufacture the bottles for his trade himself. With two other partners, including a master glassmaker from Tuscany, Piccioni planted a glass factory that, from the beginning, never produced bottles, but rather glass for home use. Thus was born a beautiful story of Italian entrepreneurship....
Crossing the threshold of 60 years of activity is a great achievement, certainly a clear example of that part of Italian industry that is healthy, that "holds," despite the crisis and the complexity of the European and "global" market. A company, yours, that helps to hold together the Italian production fabric. I think it is a great satisfaction, but I am sure it is also an uncomfortable role made of great care and responsibility, which can hold only if supported by high professionalism and passion for one's work. What are the main qualities that have enabled the Borgonovo Glassworks to grow and develop over the years to the high numerical and qualitative levels that distinguish it?
The industrial plant was established in the postwar period and developed in the 1960s, at the height of the economic boom. In those times, the Company's technological and human know-how grows. Production evolved over time from manual to semiautomatic to fully automated. The common thread in the company's history is undoubtedly the continuous and targeted investments, to keep up with the times and international markets, almost to the point of foreseeing developments. In recent years, the fact of being an entirely "Made in Italy" production has undoubtedly given us an edge, on world markets. Made in Italy as synonymous with tradition and reliability, but, at the same time, with modernity and design.
Vetreria di Borgonovo is a SPA company, and it is a SPA with a human face, where I seem to understand that people are not numbers, but heart and brains, and as such they are respected and valued, and I personally believe that this kind of great company is only Italian, and it is the real difference in the European scene, the difference that allows Italy to always rise from its ashes. I personally believe that to companies like yours everyone always owes a big thank you, but I fear that the future is not so positive. I have noticed, scrolling through many sites to complete these questions, that the Borgonovo Glassworks is the subject of many visits from students and adult groups...have you ever thought about creating a real school of new talent and professionals that would allow for long-term generational change in your industry?
What you note is certainly true. Borgonovo fits perfectly into the Italian industrial model, composed of a myriad of small and medium-sized companies, each with peculiarities that characterize it in the world. The glass world is made up of true international giants, with several factories and listed on the stock exchange. In the midst of these there is also our small reality, sitting, however, with full rights, at the table of the big ones.
As for the "school" talk, the answer is yes, it is a project we have thought about and never implemented, because, unfortunately, the school-work interface always remains too complex.
So far we have talked about the company, now let's talk about the products, or rather you talk about the products, what are the production characteristics that guarantee quality? In which areas do you plan to invest more in the future or why?
How do you face the market and how is distribution and sales organized?
Quality is guaranteed by machinery that is always on the cutting edge, the result, as mentioned earlier, of continuous and substantial financial investments. In our world, it is necessary to maintain and, indeed, implement productivity and keep costs under control.
Being environmentally virtuous also becomes, for us, essential. An energy-intensive industry, such as ours, must continuously improve yields and seek, especially with technology, energy savings in order to maintain competitiveness. It is precisely on this, as a Company, that we will continue to invest. We will invest, likewise, in our production of blown glass, which we derive from recently installed machinery, as well as in the technical and professional training of our staff.
As for sales, we make use of a network of agents and distributors who cover, in fact, every area of the Planet. Borgonovo also participates, in order to promote its products, especially in the Hospitality channel, in many important trade fairs around the world (Frankfurt, Dubai, South-Africa, Singapore, Hong-Kong, etc.).
Your experience in the field of glassware in the food&beverage sector is truly unparalleled, and the items range from glassware for domestic to professional use, from giftware to table accessories, from matching sets to glass barware proposals for coffee and cappuccino, your view of the market is so expert and qualified that it can perhaps help us understand the future. Where is the glass market going in your view? What is disappearing, what is trending, what are the returns from the past, and what types of productions are you focusing your attention on today?
The glass market is, by its characteristics and tradition, rather stable. For our part, we notice the trend of less and less daily use of "small" glasses: I give an example, some time ago 200cc glasses were used at the table, while now we go from 270cc upwards. We also notice an ever-increasing demand for wine tasting glass (stemware), both for professional, "away-from-home" use and for everyday use.
When you get a new idea, how do you adjust? Do you call a consultant? A designer? Have you formed your own in-house design team? In short, how does a new project come about at Borgonovo?
We are very sensitive to what our customers ask of us. They are the ones who show us the way of product development. Our Product Manager and the entire Technical Department, do the rest, putting creativity and experience into each project, but also a desire for the "new."
Is therea new project, a new product line or a new market segment that fascinates you the most? Would you like to tell us about it?
As also mentioned earlier, the market that is appealing to us today is the "out of home" market. Product development comes as a result and as a function of that. More concretely, we will be developing, shortly, new lines of stemware for catering.
VETRERIADI BORGONOVO S.p.A.
Via Pianello, 75 29011 Borgonovo Val Tidone (PC)
Tel. 0523.865311 - Fax 0523.862843
www.borgonovo.it
Area distributor: RG Commerciale www.rgmania.com
Interview by Monica Palla
