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Home > SAUDI ARABIA > Spotlight
PETER THUN: MY BUSINESS IS MY PASSION
Rome (Ign) - The story of Thun, the Italian company which produces gifts in ceramics, porcelain tableware and majolica stoves, began 50 years ago, thanks to the idea of Count Otmar Thun and his wife Lene, who set up a workshop where they could follow their great passion, in the cellar of the castle where they lived, in Klebenstein (Bolzano). The turning point arrived in 1965 when the huge amount of requests forced them to move and extend the factory. Since then, Thun (www.thun.it) has gone from success to success, becoming a benchmark of excellence in Italy and Europe. We talked about this small business fairytale with Peter Thun, today sole director of the company.
You have been awarded the prize as entrepreneur of the year in the communication section for the multi-sensory project Thuniversum. What role does advertising play for Thun?
That's a million-dollar question. Communication is one of the strong points of our marketing strategy. We spend around €10 million per year in the international circuit, of which 70% in one-to-one advertising. This is because we feel that it is the best way to make a product like ours known and to enter into direct contact with the consumer. This is the same strategy we use with Thun Club, whose membership grows by 40% per year. Thuniversum (www.thuniversum.it) is not only a showcase for our products: it represents a place where the visitor can relax in an environment of images which alternate from the Dolomites to angels flying through the sky. In this space there is the Live Production laboratory, where visitors can watch decorative artists at work; the store, where it's possible to buy an original souvenir, like the 'Angel of Bolzano'; and a panopticon, 18 metres in diameter, where the most beautiful mountains in the world can be admired from a breathtaking viewpoint. We want the consumer to be welcomed through the filter of our land, before meeting our product.
How valid today is Count Thun's slogan "In a country between the North and the South, at the meeting of two cultures"?
More than ever. In fact, the concept now extends to the meeting of a variety of cultures, not just two. The slogan dates back to 1950, when the North-South contrast was more significant, as was the syncretism between two cultures, one Germanic and the other Latin. Today, Thun may be defined as a bridge between the old continent and Asia, seeing that we produce in seven countries and bring together experiences from western and eastern Europe as well as Asia. This blend is our winning formula, and also the passion which drives us to forge onwards with our business.
Starting out as a small family business, in a short time the company has become an impressive presence. Today, do you feel more of a craftsman or an industrial manufacturer?
When I go to my production line, I feel more than a craftsman. Our entire machine park is represented by a mixer and a kiln. Everything else is still made by hand. And that's not all: 50% of our turnover is provided by "new" or "unique" products. In a situation of this kind, automation would be useless and counter-productive. However, the business clearly needs a capable managerial structure. Today, Thun has 3350 employees and a turnover of €150 million, 20% of which is accounted for by exports (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). We have recently opened a third shop in Vienna, after the two German stores, and we are planning to open another 50 a year all over the world.
You are a forerunner of delocalization, seeing you have been working in the Far East since 1990. What is China, and what should it represent for Italy?
China is an opportunity for Italy, but only if the captains of industry want to move. We need to realise that we can't use delocalization merely as a way of cutting labour costs. We also need to be "missionaries", bringing a work ethic which unfortunately has often been lacking. My Chinese production lines are perfectly identical to those in Italy, and my factories have the same environmental impact as those here. It is above all a moral choice, which everyone should be brave enough to take.
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