Meet the visionaries
Meet the visionaries stiLL FULL oF Beans De'Longhi Beats DowntUrn with Living innovation What are the latest trends in the coffeemaking technology? I think all-in-one compact machines will become more and more popular. People like to have choices when it comes to their coffee, so having different functions is useful. Machines also need to be compact and well designed, as most kitchens these days are open-plan. Hall 6.1 / Stand 101 Fabio de'Longhi, De'Longhi Group CEO Today's keynote speech by 'the man behind the coffee machines', Fabio de'Longhi, focuses on surviving — and thriving — in today's challenging market. In this exclusive interview, the De'Longhi Group CEO tells IFA International how his company's Living Innovation philosophy has given it both a commercial and creative edge. How would you describe the Living Innovation philosophy? De'Longhi has been using this phrase to describe itself since 2002. For us, it is the essence of our brand and our business, which is to introduce new and innovative products that respond to our consumers' needs. In these difficult times, we have been focusing on the essence of the brand. We think that companies with a sound strategy and strong products do not need to restructure to meet the challenges of today's market. IFA introduced home appliances to its line-up last year. In your view, how successful was it? It was very successful. We have supported the industry's presence at IFA, because we think it's good to combine the different consumer markets. IFA is also an important international platform and, for us, that's good in terms of global exposure. As a young company, it gives us the opportunity to introduce ourselves. How is De'Longhi responding to the economic downturn? Are you doing anything differently in terms of strategy? Not much. We are continuing to introduce new products, as this has always been our aim. We are also still spending heavily on R&D, as this is a top priority for us. We will continue to develop our international network of distributors, which has grown a lot over the past 20 years. We will also continue to globally invest in new factories and more efficient technologies. But we are, of course, focusing on the financial aspects of our strategy. We are looking more closely at our working capital and our assets than we were, say, two or three years ago. That said, I still think that a company cannot be ruled by its financials. It should be driven forward by its vision and the people within it. I think the most successful companies are the ones that can combine these two aspects. IFA International • Saturday, 5 th & Sunday, 6 th September 2009 www.ifa-international.org 21
