Don Diego, renowned Italian sole factory based in the Marche region, has managed to successfully deal with a market that has utterly changed, relying on a few guidelines implemented to face a complicated year such as 2020.
The right response to the new consumers’ key demands. The decline in demand and market uncertainties have deeply affected organizational models; and yet, despite said difficulties, enterprises have proved to be strong and have reshaped business strategies in view of the unreliable future prospects.
Diego Donati
“During the lockdown,” explained Diego Donati, Don Diego’s owner, “as it happened to everybody else, production was on hold, but we took advantage of said downtime to carry out extraordinary software maintenance and to design new offices and spaces; moreover, we upgraded our machinery, and now we are reaping the benefits of said improvements. During hard work periods, we simply had no time to take care of these activities.
Upon reopening, the usual large-sized orders were initially replaced by smaller ones and we had to face several difficulties in order to fulfil them, given that smaller batches, when processed individually, require more resources. However, these orders gave us the opportunity to start up again our machines and equipment as well as to deliver goods. Currently, we have resumed our normal productivity rate and we have registered some encouraging data for the upcoming seasons.”
Have you taken advantage of this period to enhance your style and to develop new solutions as well?
Style never stands still; we have put together the inputs provided by an unsteady market, in a scenario in which the concept of season has been utterly upset: from that point of view, the pandemic has resulted in a true disruption, as confusion reigns and manufacturers take different stances.
At September exhibitions, we have always showcased the reference collection and the current one, the former accounting for three quarters of the products on display. As for the new lines, we are going to pick certain articles that we deem particularly interesting without focusing on either a specific trend or season.
Future-wise, what trends have you developed?
For now, chunky solutions are in high demand, together with volumes and accessories embellished with lots of details. However, we soon expect a return to elegance and to a sober style.
Sustainability and circular economy are no longer a mere trend, but a practical need. What is Don Diego’s stance on these issues?
Foreign customers, especially those based in Northern Europe, have been paying close attention to these topics. Bureau Veritas recently carried out an audit aimed at the renewal of our certifications and, for years now, we have been fully committed to sustainable, eco-friendly production. We are a reliable partner and a responsible manufacturer.
Our firm enhances processing scraps by recycling and re-introducing them in the production cycle. More specifically, when it comes to compact compounds, we can use up to 100% of recycled materials, while, in the case of light ones, the share amounts to 15-20%. We rely on state-of-the-art machines, designed to decrease energy consumption levels as well as to reduce to a minimum pollutants emissions.
www.dondiego.net
Bird’s-eye view of the facility based in Porto Potenza
