We met Alessandro Bracalente, a volcanic entrepreneur from the Marche region, the second generation of the Bramac company, founded 60 years ago by his father Masiero. He receives us together with his daughter Ginevra, an honors degree from Milan, work experience in a company of a large luxury group, who recently joined the family business to carry on, together with her brother Diego, the growth projects on which Bramac is working.

The first question is on the most recent news, Bramac's entry into the capital of CMCI, another historic company in the footwear technology sector. Can you tell us about the planning behind this choice?

"CMCI is an excellence in our area, specializing for more than 40 years in the production of sewing machines for the footwear industry, led by Mario Brutti, an entrepreneur with an uncommon passion for designing and manufacturing high-quality machines. It is clear how positive the synergy between the two companies can be: we at Bramac bring a widespread presence to customers, especially factories working with the big luxury maisons, which, every day, we work alongside to understand their needs and to propose the best technological and organizational solutions: we help them implement their development plans.  In CMCI, on the other hand, they know how to find ingenious solutions to make technologies that perform complex operations simple, as in the best Italian tradition." 

Apparently a change of course for Bramac, which, for many years now, has had its machines built in the Far East...

"We have been working with China for more than 20 years, an extraordinary country in terms of its ability to build products, even those with high technological content. Our policy towards China has always been to work only with the best companies and to protect our technologies by filing patents for our innovations in China itself. The investment made, acquiring 50 percent of CMCI's capital, is the result of the conviction that in many countries of the world, not only in Italy, there is market space for Made in Italy technology, whose excellence is still recognized today. Moreover, this partnership allows us to create a short chain of innovation, to react even more quickly to the needs emerging in the sector."

Bramac and CMCI have always boasted a strong specialization in the sewing sector; how do you think this production stage has transformed and what are the priorities for Made in Italy companies? 

"In recent years we have witnessed volume growth in the production of footwear for luxury brands. The sewing department needs to be rethought for two main reasons: the first is that we need to be able to bring production sewing back to Italy by organizing it efficiently. Flexibility is a decisive aspect, and the department must be able to operate by optimizing time and work organization. The other aspect concerns ergonomics and, in general, the well-being of people within the workplace: there is great attention at the moment, on the part of leading companies, to the quality of the work environment. A sewing's station is becoming more and more like an office desk. A key commitment, especially to attract young people to work in factories."

With so many years of experience behind you, how do you see the future of Made in Italy?

"Bernard Arnault himself said that Italy is the only place where you can make artisanal product at an industrial level. We must preserve our savoir-faire and the unsurpassed talent of our workers to make quality even while challenging complexity. Those who make shoes for the big brands are confronted every single day with challenges given by complicated patterns and ever new and different materials. Our future is not producing the standard; they can do that in China much better than we can and at lower cost. Hyper-specialization of people is not the right strategy: the key word in Italy is versatility and the ability to adapt to a changing context. Our strength, as Italians, has always been to master the chaos around us and find extraordinary opportunities in contexts in which other nations, even those close to us, see only confusion."

So, best of luck to this new Bramac-CMCI team and the challenges ahead.

"In our view there is a great opportunity in our industry, especially for those of us who live immersed in an industrial sector that is still very much alive and still expanding. Our international competitors operate in many different industries and in my opinion have somewhat lost that ability to make strategic choices from the valuable information that only comes from extensive and direct relationships with those on the front lines in the factories. Perhaps today limited size is our greatest point of weakness. The decision to aggregate excellent realities goes precisely in the direction of that growth that is an indispensable condition for conducting ever better research and innovation. Of course, always remaining at the side of our customers and accompanying them on their growth path."