Established in 1952, the Bonzano Group has learnt, in the years of its existence, to increase its effectiveness exponentially, basing its prosperity on experience gradually acquired, and thanks to the efforts of its founder – Luigi Bonzano.
For almost sixty years, the group has acted as a partner of the most important industrial brands all over the world, supporting them in their production and distribution processes. Due to the trust it gained over the years, acting professionally and with ability, the Group developed its activity beginning as a local Italian enterprise finally to become one of the main international operators in the field of integrated logistics, with its own branches localized nowadays on almost all of the continents: Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The Bonzano Group comprises two companies: IBL and ArgolVillanova. VILLANOVA is an important industrial reality with its consolidated turnover amounting to € 350,000,000. As of today, the Group employs 4,200 people: 3,300 directly and 900 in related entities, as external employees.
Successes achieved by the VILLANOVA testify to its indisputable ability to provide complete supply chain management, attaining a significantly high level of services and efficiency. Also, continuous investments, aimed at the optimization and improvement of the professional services offered, have led to the company’s specialization in various areas. The pursuit of standards determining constant improvement and striving for the excellence of the processes carried out by the company have resulted in its becoming a real leader in logistics, recognized worldwide and, importantly, adhering to the system of cost and quality control in accordance with the principles of the World Class Manufacturing (WCM).
Design and production
Undoubtedly, flexibility to the requirements of the customer, experience and ability in problem solving – are all characteristic features of the VILLANOVA which specializes both in deliveries (dedicated or groupage) and in the warehouse management. In particular, the latter has become subject to constant improvements owing to continuous trainings in the techniques of package design, involving detailed studies of the types of materials employed and of the appropriate means of transportation, the type of goods and the climate conditions in the country of destination. All this is monitored by the internal process development engineering structures focused on the study of a given product, which suffices to guarantee its integrity and to perform flow control by means of system integration technology offered directly by the company (including specific expertise in information technology and security systems). Apart from the technological advancements in the study on warehouse automation improvements, resulting in advanced solutions in the creation of package prototypes, more and more functional and adjusted to the requirements of various customers (diversified by the sector and the category of a product), recently the main efforts concentrate on storage, preservation and electronic management of all the company’s documents. This involves tests of the Radio Frequency systems, as well as unification and integration, among all the companies belonging to the Group, of the commercial registries through the new CRM systems, implementing control tools and monitoring the operational methods by means of Business Intelligence. The main investments made by VILLANOVA are those in the area of technological innovation, more specifically the acquisition of the high technology RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems purposed for the automatic identification of goods, and enabling storage and remote access of the right kind of data with the help of electronic equipment (TAG/transponder). This allows to communicate the information to be used in tracing different transport streams. Importantly, the group entered into partnership with the leading European information technology systems in order to implement security systems providing access control and presence detection. The systems have been installed in the company’s facilities in order to include protection of relevant goods among the services available to customers. Always meeting the requirements, needs and expectations of the customers, employees and co-operators, VILLANOVA received the certification of compliance with the quality and environmental management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, HACCP UNI 10854), in line with the norms currently in force. In the implementation of the proper quality policy, VILLANOVA focuses on eight key principles: orientation on the customer, leadership, staff involvement, process approach, systems approach to management, continuous improvement, fact-based decisions, mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers. The primary objective of the company consists in satisfaction of the expectations of those people who are directly or indirectly involved in the business cycle (customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers). The company’s managers are strongly convinced that the key to attaining prominent positions in the market lies in the quality of services provided, which can be achieved by continuous engagement in each phase of the business process.
Markets
VILLANOVA, recognized worldwide, can offer integrated supply chain solutions to any industrial sector, but in particular it has a proven track record in the automotive, food, white goods, retail and publishing industry, working for the largest and most prestigious Italian and international companies. The countries where it develops the major part of its activity comprise at the moment: Italy, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Canada, the USA, India and China. But there are also prospects for development and new production investments in other countries. The Group provides its services to influential and qualified brands, both in Italy and abroad, such as: Fiat Group, Iveco, CNH, FPT, Suzuki, Chrysler, Gruppo Fata, Magna, Magneti Mirelli, Michelin, TRW, FinMeccanica, Italian Air Force, General Electric, Alitalia, Pirelli, Indesit, Lavazza. The areas of specialization include, accordingly, electronics, defense, mechanics, the automotive industry, fast moving consumer goods, white goods and retail marketing. The international economic crisis has motivated the companies constituting VILLANOVA to integrate with one another and to organize the workflow and commercial flow in a better way. Production sites would be removed only to be set up anew on the territories where their establishment would previously be rarely taken into consideration, thereby redeveloping areas and sectors. In consequence, the network of the company’s relations has undergone significant changes: local connections have become replaced by global and international partnerships. As regards the main areas in which VILLANOVA intends to carry on developing its activity, they involve, first and foremost, those in which the company can be considered, so far, as really competitive, that is, essentially, the automotive industry and white goods. However, any business opportunities in sectors diverse from these two ones will be duly appreciated. The Group’s aim is also to specialize in exceptional kinds of transport – from freight forwarding to air transport, and that as an alternative to road and rail transport. As underscored by Fabio Guerrera, the Marketing Manager of the company, VILLANOVA would like to be recognized on the market as professionals in confectioning, packaging and containerization of materials from Europe to other countries. Primarily, VILLANOVA would like to increase its involvement in operating certain processes, such as, in particular, servicing production lines, compound car management and materials delivery management. Over the years of its existence, VILLANOVA has specialized in developing advanced solutions in the sector of integrated logistics and transport. Compared to the initial core business of the company, focused on the design and industrial realization of packaging, the possibilities of the Group nowadays are considerably greater, but by no means complete. This continuous process of development and innovation is embodied in distinct aspects and elements properly acknowledged and rewarded by the company’s customers. The origin from the industrial reality explains why VILLANOVA possesses knowledge and sensitivity to operational and management issues, rendering it unique in the world of providers of integrated logistics services.
Prospects for the future
There is recently a general tendency, in the world of industry, to cut down on the costs of manpower, organization and raw materials. And it is these areas that the most efforts, in the forthcoming years, will be concentrated on, especially in the countries which until now have not been considered as representative of the international economic development. Regardless of these tendencies, VILLANOVA foresees further expansion and investments in South America and the Far East. The new business plan which is currently on the agenda predicts an increase in turnover which will remain in progress by 2013 until it reaches € 500,000,000 per annum. To sum up: there are at least two factors which make the company’s leaders satisfied with its performance. From the professional point of view, it is the ability, unique among other providers in the sector, to rationalize the whole chain of production processes for the customers, supporting them in the strategic decisions and organizing carefully the network of transport, storage, delivery and distribution of their materials, managing all their transports (both inbound and outbound) between suppliers, warehouses or production facilities. From the personal point of view, to refer to the words of Fabio Guerrera, one can take pride in being a member of a group which is constantly developing, and which, for half a century, has been considered, all over the world, as a trustworthy partner, always attending to the evolutions of the market and the requirements of every single customer.
