Italian Design Icons in Vietnam: GIVI Group
To accompany our readers to discover the Italian excellences that continue to stand out on international markets, Italian Design Icons we met this time the GIVI Group company, founded in Flero, in the province of Brescia, historic world leader in the design and production of premium accessories and components for motorcyclists.
From hard-shell suitcases to helmets, from backpacks to the most innovative accessories, GIVI combines Italian design and constant technological research, building over time a solid and structured presence in the Asia-Pacific area thanks to local branches and production plants.
Leading this international expansion is Dr. Joseph A. Perucca, Overseas Operation Director of GIVI SPA and General Director of GIVI Vietnam and President Director of GIVI Indonesia. With sixty years of energy and over forty years of experience in international management in the motorcycle accessories and apparel sector — with a particular focus on Southeast Asia and South America — Joseph has contributed to the development of new markets and the establishment of factories in Malaysia, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia. His professional career is intertwined with the Group's global expansion to over fifteen countries, which leads him to spend more than a quarter of the year on the road.
In this exclusive interview, Joseph Perucca, currently in Ho Chi Minh City, tells us about the strategy that has made GIVI a point of reference in Asia and shares his vision on the prospects of the market of accessories and premium components for motorcyclists.
You joined GIVI Group in 1989 and today lead the company in a key region such as Asia-Pacific. GIVI has been present in Asia for more than thirty years, where it has taken on a central role in the sector of accessories and premium components for motorcyclists. How would you describe GIVI's journey in Asia and Vietnam and what significance does GIVI have for local consumers?
It has been a long journey, which began in 1990, guided by the incredible vision of our founder, Giuseppe Visenzi, who from the very first moment was able to recognize Asia as one of the markets of the future, entrusting me with the task of giving concrete shape to his pioneering intuitions.
In 1992 we laid the first bricks in Malaysia, a strategic choice for low production costs, maintained quality and central location in Southeast Asia, with the aim of making it the main manufacturing and R&D hub for the region. Today there is a factory of 25,000 m², tangible testimony of our intentions and our desire for growth. This reality has represented the model and reference point for the subsequent branches opened in Vietnam (10,000 m², 15 years ago) and Indonesia (6,000 m², 10 years ago), with a total human capital employing over 500 people.
China, on the other hand, represents a key market mainly on the commercial front: thanks to a widespread distribution network and reliable partners.
GIVI Group also confirms its solidity from an economic point of view, with a 2023 turnover of around 100 million euros and a total workforce of about 850 employees worldwide, testifying to the Group's ability to grow and consolidate itself in international markets.
Today we are present as authentic witnesses of the Italian System, not only as a productive reality, but as the driving force of an Italian industrial philosophy fully integrated into the social, cultural and economic fabric of these countries: places where we started as guests and in which, with pride, we have become a real and constant part of local economic progress.
It is important to recognize what our goals and objectives were from the beginning. From the very beginning, we never considered these territories — then economically distant from our standards — as simple low-cost production areas to supply already mature markets. On the contrary, our desire has always been to bring quality, engineering and safety to the local motorcycle community.
It was a very high risk. At the time, a manufacturing employee would have to allocate the equivalent of two months' salary to purchase one of our products. However, thanks to will, perseverance, understanding of local needs — both technical and human — and the ability to adapt without ever giving up our qualitative and innovative ethos, we have arrived at today's reality.
Today, with over two million top cases on the roads of Kuala Lumpur and thanks to the contribution of our other subsidiaries and a solid network of importers active throughout the Asian market, we continue to grow. This result is made possible by the recognition, by the local motorcycle user, of the not only qualitative, but also social value of our brand.
GIVI continues to have great success in Asia, becoming synonymous with quality, style and innovation in premium components for motorcyclists. What key factors do you think have contributed to building this success in such a dynamic market?
I believe that the ability to understand local human, technical and cultural values, and to know how to harmonize them with our corporate values, has undoubtedly been one of the fundamental factors of our success.
I have always made my own principle of measuring every choice with the "local yardstick", and not exclusively with that of our culture of origin. In my opinion, this approach has allowed us not only to truly integrate into the different Asian contexts, but above all to give motivation, responsibility and a spirit of initiative to our local workforce. Today we can count on a structure made up of local staff, who independently manage operations in their respective countries. While maintaining strong cooperation and constant alignment between all our production sites and headquarters in Italy, we have managed to create an environment in which our industrial culture is now natural, shared and fully understood. As evidence of this path, in our Asian branches we now employ almost exclusively local staff, with the presence of only three Italian collaborators, confirming a solid, mature and sustainable organizational model.
Looking at the entire Asia-Pacific region, what do you think are the main trends that are transforming the market of premium accessories and components for motorcyclists, and what strategies GIVI group is adopting to seize these new opportunities?
From a managerial point of view, this is undoubtedly one of the most complex aspects to manage. For over twenty years, Asia-Pacific has been an area in constant and very rapid evolution, a continuous transformation that involves markets, consumers and business models. In this context, it is enough to "close your eyes" for a short time to find yourself faced with a profoundly different scenario.
Integrating the technological advances, innovations, and strategic vision of our headquarters with the needs and timelines of local markets has not always been easy. The creative rhythms and those of the market's reaction, in fact, have never been perfectly aligned. It is precisely in this context that the in-depth knowledge of the local landscape, combined with a constant investment in the creation of work teams that share the ethos and vision of the Group, but at the same time which are autonomous, responsive and self-sufficient, has represented one of the most relevant and strategic tasks.
The strong belief that we are a company capable of creating trends, rather than just following them, and positioning ourselves at the forefront of change, has been part of our DNA since the beginning.
Today GIVI remains one of the few companies in the sector to operate completely vertically in the development of products: we do not limit ourselves to designing them, but we engineer 360-degree solutions for the world of motorcycles, maintaining full internal control of both the engineering project and the production process. This approach allows us to respond quickly and effectively to new market trends, while preserving without compromise the high-quality standards that have always distinguished us.
With the growing focus in Asia on electric and sustainable mobility, what role will premium components play in your growth strategy for the Asia-Pacific region?
In our opinion, the development of electric mobility is not an isolated factor, but the natural continuation of a transformation process that the motorcycle sector has already started for some time. The need to integrate more advanced, sustainable and eco-friendly technologies is not in fact an exclusive prerogative of the electric world.
For years, motorcycle manufacturers have been working with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions, by improving engine efficiency and, above all, by designing increasingly lighter motorcycles. This evolution has inevitably also influenced our development parameters, leading us to anticipate and integrate solutions consistent with the new needs of the market.
We have long been committed to researching materials with a lower environmental impact, advanced aerodynamic development — as in the case of our latest Air V49 suitcase, designed using the wind tunnel — and the application of new technologies geared towards weight reduction, as demonstrated by the Weightless series.
In this context, premium components play a central role in our growth strategy for the Asia-Pacific area: not only as a technical response to the evolution of mobility, but as a concrete expression of an industrial vision oriented towards innovation, sustainability and safety, values that will continue to guide the future of the GIVI Group.
Speaking of the Asia-Pacific market, Asia remains a very dynamic market. How important is dialogue between Italian companies and Asian investors, especially Vietnamese, today to promote mutual development?
It is fundamental. Producing locally does not simply mean relocating a part of production but implies the ability to build structured and lasting collaborations with the local industrial fabric. This involves the entire supply chain: from the research and development of raw materials to the integration of new technologies, up to the concrete contribution to the growth and maturation of local companies.
Those who are excessively jealous of their know-how and are not willing to share it in a cooperative perspective, in fact exclude themselves from the evolution of the entire system. A closed approach not only slows down its development, but inevitably leads to a static condition, incompatible with the continuous improvement of the product and processes.
The dialogue between Italian companies and Asian investors — particularly Vietnamese investors — is therefore a key element in fostering mutual, sustainable and long-term development, based on trust, exchange of skills and creation of shared value.
What suggestions would you give to Italian companies that want to approach Asia?
There are no written rules or miraculous advice. However, based on my personal experience, I can say that running a company abroad requires first the ability to adapt, curiosity to learn and open-mindedness, avoiding the risk of comparing or judging cultures according to one's own benchmarks.
It is essential to know how to merge our knowledge with the local one, to have the strength to learn and assimilate even what, at times, seems distant or foreign to our way of understanding the world. Only through this process of listening, respect and integration is it possible to build solid and lasting relationships. In short, it also means being able to admit that a "Special Fried Rice" or "Chicken Noodles" have the same cultural, emotional and identity value as spaghetti and our pizza.
