SMEs in Italy's northeast: the Look Occhiali case

SMEs are the backbone of Italy's production system, especially in the northeast where the family dimension is almost part of the economic fabric's DNA. In a report dedicated to this fact, Il Sole 24 Ore also analyzed the case of Look Occhiali in Longarone (Belluno), quoting it as one of the 'niche leaders'.

200 employees, the production of 300-350 thousand articles a year, around 70% of which is for foreign markets, an increase in billings (15 million) of 40% from 2000 to date, thanks to a specific strategy: focus on house brands and handle the total work cycle, from design by in-house designers to the production of all components and on to assembly.

'A company philosophy', Managing Director Enrico Tormen explained, 'that has given results in the medium/long-term. The aim was to give the end-consumer a perception of the quality of a product that has been followed every step of the way. The glasses cost more, but the work has more value; even without considering that we can boast of a historical warehouse that has all the spare parts for the articles that have been produced. This creates loyalty, especially with clients from abroad'.

Another strategy has been to streamline the distribution chain as much as possible and the company is currently reorganizing its entire network in Germany.