Italiano 
Having a great history is an important asset for any company. But you’ve got to know how to respect this history and build on it, which is not as easy as it sounds.
Castellani, from Domegge di Cadore, is an example of a long-standing company which celebrates its past and uses it to shape its future, mindful of the fact that the market in which it operates is forever changing and that everyone has something important to bring to the table.
From father to son
Marco Castellani is the owner of the company, which was founded by his father, Danilo, in 1967. In the early days, it manufactured eyewear parts. «My father was a mould maker» says Marco. «We’ve always made parts for the eyewear industry: nose pads, bridges, temples, bars, rims… all the different components».
«As soon as I joined the company in 1985, my dad started giving me responsibility. I made mistakes but he was always there to give me advice, he was always by my side – and still is» he says, picking up the photo of his father, who died only last year, that he keeps on his desk. «If you don’t give a person responsibility, they will never learn. If someone else always does everything, you’ll never know how to deal with things when they crop up. You have to learn the hard way».
Danilo Castellani, Marco’s father, at work.
Branching out
«When I started working for the company, my father used to produce small parts and moulds. I, however, had experience with all the different parts that make up a pair of glasses, so was interested in the composition and sales side of things too».
«We started investing in trade fairs and samples, we filed patents for our eyewear collections; it allowed me to broaden my horizons. I don’t know if it was because I was forward-thinking or just that I was more sales-oriented than a mould maker, but I decided to branch out and sell our products to opticians».
Being an entrepreneur, however, doesn’t just mean concentrating on your product. «For a business to be successful, you have to have many strings to your bow; it’s not just the product that’s important, but the reliability of the service you provide, continuity in delivery, to name just a few. You’ve got to inspire confidence in your customers and there are lots of things to keep an eye on».
The market situation has changed dramatically since his father Danilo set up the company but Marco sees new opportunities in this change: «You can still be successful today, but you’ve got to keep a close eye on what’s going on. I’ve always had a positive outlook on life; the glass is always half full for me, even when a problem crops up. It makes things easier, because there’s no room for doom and gloom when you’re trying to solve problems».
The advantages of being a “micro industry”
Castellani produces eyewear for a number of different brands, both third-party and its own, like the eponymous Castellani Occhiali, No End and Sover, the famous brand founded in the Fifties which is now part of the Castellani portfolio. The company is proud to promote the Made in Italy label. It is a member of the Institute for the Protection of Italian Manufacturers and enrolled on the Register of Italian Excellences.
Another point in its favour is that it controls the whole production process: «We do everything in-house, we are a micro industry. When people come to visit us, they see first-hand what it means to produce a pair of eyeglasses from start to finish. We have eight different divisions, each with its own specialised head of department, who all contribute to achieving the high standards we strive for».
The decision to stay small was crucial, as it allowed the company to concentrate on the quality, rather than the quantity, of its products. With a small group of people you can trust completely: «This is the secret to our success. There’s about a dozen of us, one happy family. The last time we hired someone was in 2007. One of our mould makers retired a while ago, he had been with us since ’73».
The importance of the supply chain
Staying on a small scale inevitably led to a second decision – to diversify production and turn to the expertise of the eyewear district for its needs: «Believing in the supply chain took my business to the next level» explains Marco.
Marco believes in the importance of building long-lasting relations based on trust not only with his team, but with his suppliers too. Like the relationship the company has with D.F.. «Our friendship goes back years. Did you know that in 1972 Giovanni Franzoia [founder of D.F.] came and worked with my father for two years? I saw him again a couple of years ago. I went to visit him at their company, we hugged and it was a very special moment. I saw him again at the age of 52: the last time he saw me, I was three! He said “I remember you used to call me ‘Patani’”, I was so small… Then he took what he had learnt from my dad and started his own business. He was good at his job, so has built an amazing company. If you know about them, the people and their past, you know you’re going to get the very best in experience. If I have a problem, I know I can trust them to sort it out». For Marco, a company’s history is a good indication of their reliability.
Building close relationships based on trust and understanding means everything is more immediate and quicker: «We’re a small business, so need to be able to relate quickly to people and get the parts we need as rapidly as possible. I can’t afford to wait days for an answer; what I like about D.F. is the direct, immediate and easy relationship we have, and their expertise … well, it goes without saying, we understand each other».
