Toni Belloni: «Lvmh to invest in Italy»

«Lvmh's commitment is to invest at least 100 million a year in Italy. And that is only if we talk about supply chain and training». Toni Belloni, general manager of the group founded by Bernard Arnault, told this in an exclusive conversation with MFF. «Italy is Lvmh’s second home. Here we have 31 manufactures and work with a network of 5,000 suppliers and subcontracting companies for a total of more than 200,000 people». The manager emphasized this in an interview in the optical white foyer of the Giorgio Gaber Opera house in Milan, where the second Italian edition of the «Show Me» event, dedicated to métiers d'excellence, is being held.

The Group is strengthening its presence in the Bel Paese precisely by enhancing the métiers d'excellence in order to bring new generations closer to the great opportunities given by manufacturing. The event is divided into two acts, namely testimony from the artisans and apprentices of the various maisons and demonstration performances, on the sidelines of which the manager provided some significant data on investments that the French giant will pursue in the coming years.

How much will you invest in the Italian production chain?

In recent years we have been moving on at least 100 million a year, and this can only be confirmed or increased for the coming years. The basic concept of our commitment to the Made-in-Italy supply chain is that we believe very much in long-term relationships with our suppliers, with averages of 10 years and peaks of 40 years.

Why, despite being a French Group, do you place such importance on the role of Made in Italy?

The Italian hand and creativity are inimitable, rooted in Renaissance guilds and developed and passed down through generations finding their realization in the companies active in the Italian industrial districts, unparalleled agglomerations of expertise. I had the opportunity to verify this magical encounter a few weeks ago when I visited our Thélios factory. It is a facility that we opened in 2018 and already have had to double in terms of production modules where there are 800 young and talented 32-year-olds working, on the one hand, with a precision craftsmanship that I would never ever know how to approach and, on the other hand, with super-sophisticated state-of-the-art machinery.

Do you invest in training because you cannot find qualified personnel?

Craftsmen 4.0 represent the real strength of our group and are capable of making products that excite and dream of very demanding costumers all over the world. The opening in our country of the Institute of métiers d’excellence only confirms this. This is where the natural convergence between the Lvmh group and Italy comes from, because high-quality manufacturing is a distinctive feature of the Italian industrial fabric.

How much work do you currently generate in our country?

In Italy, the group employs 12,000 people, from those working in our headquarters, in the Maisons, in the over 250 stores on Italian territory, in the hotels and, above all, in the 31 production sites that we are proud of. It is a world that continues to grow. This year alone we have inaugurated three production ateliers: one near Ferrara in Emilia Romagna for Berluti, which doubled the previous one, another for Fendi dedicated to footwear in the Marche, and then the factory also for Fendi that has just opened in Tuscany (see MFF of October 13), which replaces an old disused kiln. An operation that enhances a disused site of that industrial archeology that abandoned makes one sad. While  today there is a production infrastructure of the highest quality for working conditions, but also for social and environmental inclusion in the area.

What other brands will be carrying out supply chain operations soon?

Our existing ateliers continue to grow but there are nice projects coming up. For example, Givenchy has a plan for a new leather goods factory in Tuscany, while Loro Piana has a big project in mind regarding the production side and, a few days or hours ago, Bulgari announced a super project in goldsmithing. (All rights reserved)