Grimont talks to Mido365
“Grimont suffered from the negative effects of the international economic crisis three years ago” Gianni Bronca explained. “But, unlike many companies, the past two-year period showed an upturn. 2010 was a year of important successes for us and 2011 opened with a positive trend. In the first quarter alone we were up 30% compared to the same period last year”.
What strategies did your company adopt to overcome any economic issues?
“Since we joined Grimont in 2005, my co-managing partner Giancarlo Recchia and I have tried to give the company a decisive managerial imprint based on “revolutionary” strategies and innovations that would make it more efficient, organized and competitive” Bronca continued. “Our efforts and approach rewarded us because the company continued to stand out in the reference segment even during the crisis. We never gave up and we put customers at the center of our business and actions. Primarily, to offer a product of unquestionable quality, we invested constantly in technology, renewed our machinery and modified the quality control system to ensure the best possible production.
We also devoted maximum attention and energy to customers by significantly improving our customer care office for Italy and abroad and by making use of a technical office that was capable of providing an invaluable, tailor-made consultancy service from design to the finished product. The return in trust that we witness every day is a major stimulus to continue our work and present ourselves to customers, not simply as suppliers but as partners who are ready to advise and support them in everything they need. Assisted by the R&D department and the design and planning area, every week our technical staff sends customers proposals that have been created specifically for them. We discuss these proposals and, if they are accepted, we produce them so that our customers always have something new and avant-garde on the market”.
Your company is a case apart: what is it that makes it so positive?
“Grimont is a versatile, proactive company that is extremely perceptive to changes in the market that will create new and important business opportunities. Even during the recession, we kept looking ahead and invested in innovative technical solutions that would make us competitive and enable us to provide our customers with new horizons in the processing of plastics. This flexibility combined with a new and more efficient organizational structure and a highly qualified customer service have made Grimont the ideal partner for the most prestigious companies in the eyewear sector”.
Apropos of future projects, Gianni Bronca explained: “The company’s development plan has touched on many aspects in recent years, from internal organization to investments in technology, which were important for the growth of Grimont. For the future, we want to maintain these guidelines, focus more on technology, expand the structure and look at new markets. Currently, the company is working on obtaining ISO 9000 certification. This passage will test the effectiveness of our management processes oriented toward greater customer satisfaction”.
Apart from the Italian market, your strong point, what are your other consolidated reference markets and which ones would you try to expand?
“Currently, we are deep rooted in the local market and we already have internationally-renowned customers in Germany and France”, Bronca concluded. “As I said, we are evaluating expanding in new markets, but at the moment we want to strengthen our position in these two countries”.
