French Delegation Visits Belluno Eyewear District
A delegation of about fifty French Mps, journalists, entrepreneurs from leading companies, labor union representatives and the equivalent of Confindustria, distinguished experts in the Master on the role and organization of the districts organized by Ihee-Institut des Etudes de l'Entreprise, at the end of last week organized a trip to the Veneto districts from Treviso to Montebelluna, and including the eyewear district of Belluno.
The famous Paris institute considers the district to be one of the most interesting examples of a successful production process. After a visit to Safilo, during which the delegation was taken on a tour of all the departments and was able to see all the stages in the making of glasses, the very special 'students' were welcomed at the Belluno headquarters of Assindustria, where they were met by the chairman of Sipao, Giorgio Ciotti, and the chairman of Anfao and Mido, Cirillo Marcolin.
The Belluno eyewear representative began by presenting the situation in the area, underscoring that 'the eyewear production settlement in the province of Belluno is an exemplary case of a successful Italian industrial district.' Ciotti then described the characteristics of the district, with its 138 industrial companies employing over 10,900 people, 540 craft companies with approximately 1,200 employees, figures that indicate an average of one company for every 11 inhabitants.
'The level of unemployment in the district', the chairman of Sipao pointed out, 'is less than half that in such countries as France, Great Britain and Germany; billings represent 85% of the production in Italy and exports over 70%. The district also contributes significantly to the solidity of industry in the Veneto Region; with only 7.7% of the Italian population it represents a good 33% of the Italian balance of trade and produces 14% of all Made in Italy articles', Giorgio Ciotti continued. He then talked about certain questions such as the willingness of small and medium-sized enterprises to cooperation and aggregation, the relationship that links large companies to the SMEs, in addition to the dynamics between companies and unions and contractual matters.
In his speech, Cirillo Marcolin underscored how it is 'the quality of perfectly made eyewear and Italian taste, which is unequivocally recognized for its style and design, together with our companies' ability to develop their own innovations, that have made Italian eyewear the world leader in the mid-high and luxury segments. Suffice to think that of the 284 brands under license, over 50% are produced by Italian companies. The Italian eyewear industry', Marcolin continued, 'closed last year with production valued at 1,870 million euros, 80% of which was exported, after a 2003 which was characterized by a strong world recession that affected the fashion/accessory segment in particular, which recovered by the first few months of this year, with a 3% increase in exports in April.' The chairman of Anfao and Mido also discussed the subject of counterfeiting: 'Precisely because they are so admired and loved, our eyewear is, unfortunately, very much imitated. Anfao, the Italian association of producers of optical articles of which I am president, has for years been committed to fighting counterfeiting and to protecting the Made in Italy brand. According to estimates by the Financial Police, the turnover in counterfeiting is in excess of 1.5 billion euros a year, which is estimated by the various production sectors involved at an annual loss of 200,000 jobs', Marcolin continued. He concluded by tackling two subjects that are very dear to Anfao and Sipao: the promotion of Made in Italy abroad and the health and sight information projects carried out by the Vision Protection Commission.
The members of the French delegation were also very impressed by the Belluno Dolomites, thanks to which the quality of life and work has everything to gain.
