Euronaval 2016: Leonardo Da Vinci: Could He Have Invented This Today?
Not many people remember that Leonardo Da Vinci designed a number of 'war machines'. Suggestions were big and positive at Euronaval, when reflecting upon Leonardo's efforts for large-scale organisational changes taken as an ultimate step forward to build an organisation that will have much influence on the world's defence industry sector.
In an interview with Giovanni Soccodato, the company's Executive Vice President, Strategy, Markets and Business Development, Mönch learned that processes to reorganise former Finmeccanica will bring extra benefits to its worldwide customers. Central to this process is a vision developed during the past eight or nine years to invest in the company's tremendous heritage, to serve national and international clients in a completely new, innovative way. That said, with the creation of Leonardo, first results provided evidence that the organisation will be able to change its business culture, promoting its worldwide recognised products - helicopters, sensor systems, tanks, and more - under a unique, new brand.
"Our previous brands - OTO Melara, AgustaWestland, WASS - will be in existence 'for ever', and customers will recognise this heritage when they are buying and using our sensors, naval guns, torpedoes," noted Soccodato.
Leonardo will continue to market its naval guns under the world-wide recognised brand OTO. "These brands in existence for decades will show our customers our clear vision in which great tradition and the ability to create innovative products will have much influence on the ongoing development of our company," Soccodato noted. "This is exactly what we wanted when we took advantage of our restructuring process."
The very first feedbacks the company received from clients were positive, providing confidence that the decisions Leonardo took during the past two years or so were absolutely in line with its original plans.
"Before (that process), customers had to be talking with different divisions, from SELEX to OTO Melara to WASS." Soccodato added that Leonardo can now channelise this objective in a "very innovative" manner. The company will be able to improve its knowledge of how to quickly respond to ever-changing procurement needs.
This scheme also covers Research & Development (R&D) that may be extended "far beyond the past figured." R&D might function purely as a technology driver, according to Soccodato. As completely new threats and risks are about to impact the security environment, military customers are in strong need of "the very best" equipment and serviced to tackle them, then Leonardo will deliver.
Stefan Nitschke
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