Translator: Michele Gianella Reviewer: Alessio Politi
Good morning,
I decided to begin with this slide
because it gives me the sense of time
that constantly overwhelms us
and endlessly turns our present into past.
What I am saying right now
has already been swept away by the current.
I am very fond of science fiction movies,
I enjoy the idea of modifying time,
stretching it, shortening it,
but unfortunately this isn't something we can do.
However we've been metering it for millennia,
and in the last 100 years, we have become very good at that.
If you think about it, measuring time
is a part of our everyday lives,
from dating to geo-localisation,
which obviously operate through time.
Let alone the sat navigation,
which does not always take you where you meant to.
We can take time as an absolute metronome of our lives;
it has no religion, no boundaries,
yet it positions us perfectly within our river of time,
be it present, past or future.
Unlike the animal kingdom, humans depend on time,
and here is an example:
To your left, there is my remote controlled radio alarm clock;
to your right, there is my cat Daisy.
This picture doesn't do her justice,
because every time I tried to take a picture
she moved closer to sniff the lens.
Both wake me up everyday at same time;
should I forget to set the alarm, Daisy will wake me up instead.
To turn off the alarm, I press a button;
to calm Daisy,
and I can guarantee you she can be very unpleasant,
I need to feed her.
When the clocks shift from summertime to wintertime,
the alarm clock sets itself;
Daisy does not.
It takes tens of days for her to adapt.
Daisy also has another flaw:
she is unable to tell the difference between weekdays and the weekend,
every day is the same for her,
and so she wakes me up everyday at the same time.
If during the weekend I wanted to sleep a little longer,
she would still come to wake us up.
How come?
And what's my point now?
Because the measurement of time has always fascinated me,
it fascinated my father
who conveyed that to me and then to my brother too.
We are a family of clockmakers;
hence, I will tell you our story.
When I talk about my business,
in the minds of most people this image takes shape:
a workbench filled with components scattered around,
a tiny lamp, age-old tools
and an old man with grey hair, bent over the table,
because elder people look wise, experienced.
Actually, there are also many young clockmakers,
and many women also take up this craft;
and what used to be workshops have now become laboratories.
This one here is a picture of one section of our laboratory.
We consider it the "clean area" where the assembly takes place
and where there is also an air purified from dust.
As you can see, the workbench has changed a lot over time:
the toolbox is changed; last generation computers are there
that are custom made for our specific job.
And this is a change which has benefited everyone,
especially end users.
Mind you, my father started working when he was 16 years old
in a critical moment for the clockmaking industry,
which was around the 1950s.
This is important because at the time
clockmakers were the ones making clocks,
but there was actually not the repairer clockmaker role.
At most there were experts in mechanics
that were jack of all trades:
they would repair clocks,
but they also repaired cameras, pendulum clocks,
they would repair sewing machines,
often in different contexts,
also because watches were initially sold in jewellery shops
but also at opticians
because of their affinity with other measuring instruments.
Mind you, the first wristwatches for women
were made at the end of the 19th century
because women had no breast pockets
and these were considered bracelets.
To see the first male wristwatch,
we need to wait until World War I,
where obviously, due to war needs,
taking it out of the pocket wasn't feasible,
and so they started wearing it on their wrists.
Imagine an aircraft pilot:
they had the wheel and stuff, no way to get it out of the pocket.
However, before we can see its production on an industrial scale
we have to wait until the end of World War II.
Hence, the first half of 1950s was a truly revolutionary period,
when the first assembly lines were introduced.
And my father approached this new world,
which always fascinated him and still does today,
with sound principles
that play the role of our company main pillars.
These principles are still in place today
and support us in moving our business ahead.
One of these is the concept of "Pioneering".
A pioneer is someone that discovers,
that bravely invests in himself or herself
and plots a trail before anyone else,
he is someone that plots that trail so that others may follow suit.
And my father, like other clockmakers,
closed a deal with clock factories based in Switzerland
to establish the feasibility
of a potential sinergy as a local clockmaker,
Of course, this deal was made with companies that had already started,
but little did know
clockmakers were available there on such a short notice.
They often hadn't even considered the idea.
They would say
"Why bother? Let's sell right away, what do we care?"
Nevertheless, this was the period
where the best deals were struck, that are still in full force as of today.
Because service is a fundamental component of everything;
of a loop which must close:
the producer extends his services to other parties
by training experts,
who in turn, offer these services to customers
and the satisfaction of that service strengthens the brand.
How many of you wondered, when you buy something,
"Oh God what do I do if this breaks?",
since, and I do not want to jinx anyone,
things may work very well
but sooner or later they will break.
We are not eternal either.
It is within this context that my father created the pre-requisites,
one of the main ones at least, to start a company.
Of course, this is only one of the ingredients:
"Investing in Knowledge".
A principle that I deem fundamental
and that should be seen, in my opinion, in an all-encompassing view.
Let me explain.
Not necessarily in your fields of competence,
but by nurturing your appetite for learning,
and especially your knowledge,
the part that goes beyond your very business.
I have often found myself doing this,
attending, for example, courses
which were not closely relevant to my craft.
Let me share a secret:
before being a clockmaker, I studied computer science.
And the very fact that I developed specific analytical skills
helped me to plan my company workflow
and nurture, sustain what my father had started.
Be innovators.
Fair enough, one could say "what a great, magical word";
But innovation can also come from small things.
Take us as an example,
I used to spend a lot of time in my father's laboratory
since this was located next to our place -
now we have separate offices, but clearly I have always been involved.
We need to take into account that at the very beginning,
repairs were shipped via hand written parcels
and so were income and outcome registers.
All these procedures were effective but also very lengthy;
this is why we implemented new workflows
which, through barcodes or similar IT related system,
enabled us to focus on our job, which is what we do best.
Plus, I have mentioned workflow, repairs’ incomes and outcomes;
but also, for example, we have improved a system
which allows us to keep our clients updated
about their order status
by sending text messages when the watch is ready;
and sends others out,
should the customer forget to come and take it.
Furthermore, to our business customers
that seek our services,
for example jewellery,
we offer a communication portal that's available to them 24-7,
also when the office is closed.
Why this?
Because offering clients the best possible service is fundamental.
Always within the spirit of innovation,
a few years ago we thought of a new business venture.
We talked about it a few minutes ago: the significance of training, education.
My brother and I did a CAD, 3D modelling course,
we bought some 3-D printers for our company as well
and also machines
like 3-D routers, little CNC machines.
One could say,
"You are a clockmaker. why would you need these machines? "
They proved fundamental instead,
because we were able to create custom tools -
all by ourselves -
and even some exclusive machinery.
The professional experience we have acquired -
we are actively listening to our customers,
focusing on their needs.
And we reinvested this knowledge in a new business idea
that is the creation of our own brand of watches,
designed and created by us.
Results of the great experience we acquired from our clients.
Some would say,
"I can't tell the time very well as the clock's arms are too short" ;
others would say "I can't read the date";
when I deliver their watches, they would often say,
Don't even set the date, I can't read it.
And these comments to us were the inputs we needed,
It's all experience.
Here is another aspect:
there is a rather large percentage of clients
who have the habit of buying watches with exceptional qualities,
such as enduring incredibly high pressures,
or being able to resist strong electro-magnetic fields,
impacts, vibrations,
then they don't tipically expose their watches to this environments,
out of their fears of ruining them.
It is as if I bought an incredible off-road vehicle
but was too afraid to ride it through a graveled driveway.
What did these clients offer us?
They allowed us to deduce
that there was a niche market without a product.
Because innovation also comes
from satisfying a niche market that lacks a product.
Follow your passions.
To me, this is the most important thing of all,
I see it in my father.
who saw his job as a source of passion
and I am moved to say, his sons are also just as passionate.
Following your passions is important
because it allows you to work without pain.
Feed the flame that burns within you all
and you will truly be able to overcome any obstacle.
We have treasured this way of thinking,
and year after year,
every year we come up with a new idea and discuss it in the company.
And as a matter of fact, the next week we will be on the verge
of implementing a new project on a crowd-funding platform.
What I can tell you today is
to be a pioneer, invest in knowledge,
be innovators and follow your passions,
but most of all, remember that time
is the most valuable asset you were given.
And I hope, personally, you will all learn how to spend wisely.
Thank you.
(Applause)