Caring for every detail and following the client at every request is, in a nutshell, the philosophy applied by Francesco Boschini, the technical and sales consultant of FGB Boschini Giorgio in Varese.
A short presentation of the ‘FGB Boschini Giorgio’ company…
FGB Boschini Giorgio was founded in 1972 by my father and based on the family’s experience in the field of door and window installation and metal carpentry. FGB, run by my brother Giorgio, is a representation company designed to acquire various kinds of orders that aim at innovative design and are sensitive to the increasingly frequent demands in terms of aesthetics and environment, compliant with all safety standards and aimed at guaranteeing maximum energy savings.
The company is based on a small but dynamic group of people boasting various types of skills and expertise, firstly the management of numerical control machines and of design and rendering software. In addition to Varese and its environs, we have worked in Switzerland, which is an interesting market for comparison as regards market demand and types of doors and windows most strongly promoted by the trans-border real estate sector.
What are the strong points that set you apart from your competitors?
In addition to the durability of the product offered, we focus on technical assistance both during the design phase and during product manufacturing, as well as on our capability of designing customised solutions featuring original details. The Swiss market in particular requires many details and finishings, which makes care for detail a fundamental aspect. The more accurate the design, the greater the chance that no work site problems will arise.
Let me make an example: we were asked to make an offer and give technical and design support for a specific kind of door and window product. My staff and I, in addition to the consulting service, created an extremely detailed sample, and therefore were awarded the contract. The factors that made the difference were our focus on the client’s needs, the enthusiasm we showed for the ‘technical challenge’ and our effort in creating a non-traditional product, namely a sliding window that could also open like a normal casement.
Describe your prevailing type of client
We don’t have a prevailing type of client. In the 1990’s and in the 2000’s we worked a lot for contractor companies, but after the crisis and two ‘fall-outs’, shall we say, we abandoned them. Today we concentrate mainly on the one hand on our so-called ‘historical’ clients who require major overhauls in their company headquarters or the construction of new buildings using the most up-to-date construction standards, such as trade buildings, warehouses, etc., and on our many contacts with architects and design firms, on the other.
Which are the most common requirements expressed by your clients?
Italian clients, in addition to the tax deductions available to those who requalify buildings in terms of energy consumption, are also very interested in energy saving, including environmental sustainability. They are also closely attentive to product design. Swiss clients are less interested in these aspects. Indeed, the fact that doors and windows must comply with given standards in new buildings is a recent addition to their legislation. Design-wise, the product has not changed: we have continued to make aluminum casements with a 72 mm profile, RAL 9006 finishing and classical low-emission 4/15/4 double glazing for three years.
How do you win the trust of your clients?
The client’s trust is won via constant interaction and presence during the design phase and 24/7 consulting service, I would say. It is usually I who go to the client to make the measurements, and I bring along a technician when it is a very complex project. I am the one who presents the renderings, the technical details and the product datasheets with the characteristics of the materials used and of the production and installation phases. Finally, it is I who start the laying phase by defining every step of the installation together with the installers hired by the company. This is how the client notices that he is being followed in every phase.
Do you have a showroom? What are the criteria on which you based its set-up?
We have set up a section of the company headquarters as a showroom. We didn’t want to create a general-purpose showroom. Our aim is to enter that market niche that requires special, made to measure solutions. Thus, we will set up a Eku Perfektion Slide window, an essential design casement window, crystal parapets and cantilever roof panels made by us. Also, since we also make metal carpentry, we will put on display enclosures and railings offering new aesthetic and security solutions.
Which marketing and communication actions have you put in place to face the current market?
Our clients come to us mainly via the classical ‘word of mouth’ mechanism, thanks to the company’s reputation built up through the years and to the quality of our products. Recently, we published on the daily Il Sole 24 Ore and on a similar Swiss magazine an article presenting the most innovative door and window products and hardware offered by our company. We periodically print brochures with the most recent projects or products of the season, and we send them to architects and sector operators or use them as veritable calling cards.
We are also renewing our website, because we believe strongly in minimal solutions and we would like to make it as clear as possible that we don’t buy them abroad, like 80% of our competitors do, but we produce them ourselves, with passion and care in every detail. The website, if used properly, can attract new potential clients and reveal new companies with which to engage in new projects or thanks to which we can experiment avant-garde products in terms of design and of thermal and aesthetic features. I myself couldn’t find a suitable essential frame through my contacts with various suppliers using the traditional channels (telephone, catalogues, etc.), for example, and then, by navigating the Internet, I soon found the Eku solution.
When I write up an estimate, I like to see the client face to face, but I can’t exclude the possibility that in the future an employee of mine might create the estimate via the web.
What is it that you appreciate the most in the Eku offering?
I have been working for thirty years in this sector and I have had the pleasure of meeting the most important pioneers in the use of aluminum, people who shared with me not only great professionalism but also precious human contact. The job is more pleasant and harmonious when you get the chance to meet people, to talk to them, to have professional contacts not only through the Internet but also in the field.
With Eku, for example, I had a pleasant experience because the agent was always available. He understood the complexity of the client’s requirements and the challenges and small time-frame of this project, and made sure I received the product quickly. Today, short turnaround times are fundamentally important. The windows arrived on time and intact, as well as the packages with the accessories.
Which is the product that is giving you the best results?
The sliding window, without a doubt. In general, the demand for essential-design doors and windows is the highest, since the more glass one sees, the better.
In your opinion, is the market situation improving?
The province of Varese has suffered a great crisis, perhaps because it is close to the border. This year we have seen a slight improvement. I believe, however, that the exclusive mission of every enterprise is to ride the crisis and find those levers that allow it to pursue its activity and keep an adequate market position. Our company, for example, is aiming at medium-high end projects, focusing closely on technical and aesthetic detail and making sure that the client sees all of his requirements met.
Projects for the future? How do you envisage the company in ten years’ time?
Like every businessman, I would like to see a company in constant expansion, even though I would be content with stability. In the future, I would like to see a company formed by a group of people ready to meet the demands of its clients with tailored and original solutions. It would also be interesting to have outlets in Switzerland, a project we are working on. Finally, our children will lead the way in the company with their ideas.
