If the “Made in Italy” concept can save the Italians, can the Italians save “Made in Italy”?

In recent years, the coverage given to “Made in Italy” in the media, the exploitation of this tag and the complicated bureaucracy involved have partly contributed to the disappearance of that often immaterial, intangible and prestigious concept that has traditionally shaped our idea of “Made in Italy”.

We can say that perhaps there was a time when we all knew what was meant by “Made in Italy” even though it was never explained to us. Today, however, maybe manufacturers should be required to give more information, whereas consumers and customers should ask for more.

Moreover, as a result of several legal loopholes, certain quantitative parameters can be bypassed and a product can be declared Italian even though most of its components come from abroad. But the very fact that something is made in Italy today is no longer a guarantee of it being synonymous with quality.

What’s more, Kristalia has been strongly defending its own concept of “Made in Italy” for twenty years.

Kristalia believes in recapitulating the main steps in product phases, making its customers aware of this, convinced that sharing its path will be a guarantee of its value. Thus the product path not only belongs to the company but also becomes part of the most interesting Italian production, of its special features and the reasons why we really believe that this is an example of “Made in Italy” to be preserved.

We can therefore say that for Kristalia the choice of Italy as a place of production and as a source of over 90% of its raw materials is not so much based on local interests or pride but on the fact that Italy is still considered the best supplier in the majority of cases. For the remaining 10%, we turn to other excellent sources, for example: northern Europe for the supply of fabrics, Austria for laminates and Germany for hardware fixings.

The same applies to certain types of processing, with the area in the immediate vicinity of the company ranking high for unbeatable quality. This proximity becomes essential, also in strategic terms, for the continuous control of processes within a range of just a few kilometres and for checking semi-finished products on arrival. This is how the district is transformed into a service and how the local network encourages an exchange that can still be found only in certain areas of Italy, and Prata di Pordenone is unquestionably a dynamic centre.

Furthermore, when considering such a hot topic as Italian manufacturing Kristalia is a good example of what is called “high-end industrial craftsmanship”, since it combines manual skills with standard production, the concept of highly specialised workers with mechanical production, and efficiency with slow production.

Finally, with regard to creativity, once again, the company is trying to select the best, regardless of the origin of its designers. For several years, most companies with a tradition in Italian design, have, also or particularly, been looking abroad to explore creative talent. Likewise, Kristalia believes that with its strong cultural identity, it can and must interact with a variety of foreign designers as part of its business project. For several years, longstanding Italian design companies have been more in tune with foreign designers because the pursuit of a valuable creative contribution is ongoing and without boundaries, but also because the best international designers believe that Italy is still the home of quality production, and they often come here to look for the most interesting examples.

Sometimes just like this one, “home-made” at Kristalia.

Text compiled by Chiara Alessi