A lot of news starting from the new Managing Director, Mr. Daniele Faoro
“Interior decoration represents a huge opportunity for a wide variety of new products. In order to help print producers to develop their business and fully exploit this new opportunity, we need to assist them in raising their customers awareness of the products and possibilities available”. With these words Edoardo Elmi - founder of Guandong Italia - welcomed the annual meeting with the Italian press, which this year was full of news and special guests. In addition to journalists, were also present: Reed Exhibitions, Alberto Masserdotti as President of the association Fespa Italia and Mauro Oliva, Managing Director of Alpac, as Guandong ambassador. The entire Guandong Board of Directors was attending too, intervening to formalize the appointment of Daniele Faoro, already a member of the board, as Managing Director of Guandong Italia.
And it was Mr. Faoro himself, after taking over, who retraced the steps of the 'beautiful story' that in 15 years has led Guandong to become a brand recognized throughout Europe. "We are an Italian company, proud to be so, which has had the courage to go beyond the national borders, building over time a reputation based on consolidated knowledge, reliability, financial solidity, willingness to innovate and experiment”. And it is the facts that demonstrate the company's growth: 75,000 items handled each year, 92% of orders processed in 36 hours, 82% of requests answered in 1 hour, 0.2% of complaints received in 2019, all in 36 countries covered by the distribution network built by Guandong over the years.
"The relationship with people is the heart of every success story," explained Faoro, "starting from the organization chart, through production and commercial partners, to reach customers and users”. The new Managing Director then presented the current corporate structure, designed to accommodate the growth of the company in a managerial perspective, while announcing a new commitment in the field of welfare and training aimed at increasing the involvement of the whole team in the development of new ideas. The first product to be sold today is the company's image, Mr. Faoro states, a concept which is reiterated by Mr. Mauro Oliva from Alpac - which has been appointed as the first Guandong Embassy - who witnesses first-hand the innovation and strength of the Guandong range. Alpac defines itself as a specialist of the "Retail Total Look", in their realizations of window displays, in-store communication, installations, out of home and events. For prestigious projects from renowned luxury and fashion brands, Alpac has used some of the Guandong supports such as Wally, Magnet & Ferro and Textile, which allowed them to create projects bearing a strong component of innovation.
In addition to the new Embassy Community, Guandong has started the development of a Fashion Design Network by selecting Experience Centres in Italy and abroad, as well as Meeting Spaces for communication and design operators: working spaces offering live demonstrations of applications and set-ups as well as conferences and lectures held by technicians and managers during events aimed at professional targets. "We operate in a market characterized by a very long supply chain: distributors, printers, agencies, architects. All stakeholders with whom we want to work alongside in developing end-user awareness and interest, to better reach the end users”, said Mr. Faoro. The Fashion Design Network, which the company intends to develop at a European level with the presence in new working and meeting spaces, is a full part of the company's marketing mix, because it offers the opportunity to tell the story of the products and, above all, to cultivate relationships among people. Relationships in which the company has always invested, as it is clear from the warmth and affection that was breathed during the tribute to Mr. Edoardo Elmi who has passed the baton to Mr. Faoro. But it's just a goodbye.
