Founder, Chairman & CEO, WAMGROUP (parent of OLI), OLI S.p.A. (OLI Vibrators)
"My Life" Vainer Marchesini interviewed by Enrica Majo in February 2018 (short version)
TV journalist, Enrica Majo, interviewing Vainer Marchesini about himself and the history of the company at the Trattoria Voltone in ...
About Vainer Marchesini
In a June 2012 interview on La7's *In Onda*, Vainer Marchesini, founder and CEO of WAM, discussed the impact of a series of earthquakes on his company's operations in the Modena area. He described the disaster as "unimaginable" and noted that while the company's factories remained standing with only minor collapses, employees were unable to enter the facilities to secure them. Marchesini expressed frustration with the situation, stating that he was waiting for authorization to re-enter the buildings and criticized what he called a "suffocating bureaucracy" that he likened to the Hydra of Hercules, blocking progress. Marchesini also reflected on the history of his company, which he said he founded with 64,000 Lire 44 years prior and grew into a global enterprise with 44 subsidiaries and 2,200 employees worldwide. He noted that the earthquake had disrupted production and corporate communications, including server failures that cut off designers from technicians. He questioned whom an entrepreneur should address in such a crisis, expressing uncertainty about where to direct his concerns.
Transcript (15 segments)
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Vainer Marchesini0:19
I tried sales but wasn't convincing. Then I worked as a technician for a concrete plant company. Later I went to Europe for purchasing and saw the need for screw conveyors. I made one in 1968, innovating by making it faster and longer than conventional wisdom allowed. The company changed names for marketing, using a German-sounding name. I had negative experiences abroad because the company was Italian. In Germany, a client refused to listen once he heard we were Italian. Understanding the need and one's ability to satisfy it, you have to let things go, be a kind of unmoved mover.
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Interviewer4:51
Is it true that you work practically all day? What time do you start work?
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Vainer Marchesini4:56
We are lacking in confrontation. You tell me the value of the evening, with magical pauses to eat well, also a glass of Lambrusco. Somehow we'll have lunch. I am very attached to my land.
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Interviewer5:13
You are very attached to your land. What will you say about your land?
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Vainer Marchesini5:17
The lowlands. But the desire to work. You don't achieve a goal without a lot of work, but it's enough to start making the first piece. Dignity is very important. Life is a demonstration of utility. During the earthquake, we formed a group, helping each other. Those with bigger problems were helped by those with smaller ones. In the tent period, people ate together, some cooked, others cleaned. I see that still exists, but with nostalgia. Our closeness is not measured in kilometers. In a big city, two people in the same skyscraper don't know each other. Here, thirty kilometers away, we have cars, but we are friends.
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Interviewer6:34
You applied this criterion in your work? You never delocalized? You localize production where there is need. But from a strategic point of view, it's old. The heart of the company is here.
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Vainer Marchesini6:38
Once objectives are set, which is not always easy, you have to have clear ideas. That's the most important thing. It's clear how to work. There's no need to make squares from the top; you need to give places. The role also involves autonomy. It's important to clarify to oneself one's own scope and duty, what I must do.
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Interviewer7:49
Have you ever made mistakes in your life? How did you handle them?
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Vainer Marchesini7:56
In all my life, I have never said a word of reproach or regret about an error. I make more mistakes than others, so for me it's not important for morale or pain. Hiding the error, I thought that was the way, but maybe sometimes it's on the smooth surfaces that all the constructs are hidden. I'll give an example: the last project we found was like Fleming, a clear error. We left something pending on Saturday, and we found it on Monday. We compared and understood there was a temperature problem. Over the weekend, we figured out what the problem was. The young man was giving up in the seminar. They also taught me that sacrifice is very important in life. They taught me that if there is an objective, you call it sacrifice if you feel it as sacrifice, but it's not sacrifice if you feel it as a tool. The fact that I work a bit more than usual doesn't mean it's a sacrifice; for me it's a pleasure.
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Interviewer9:28
What do you think about the future of your company? What projects do you have?
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Vainer Marchesini9:37
The project is continuity. The company will continue because the family has taken over with managerial respect.
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Interviewer9:51
What do you say to your son when you talk about the company? Do you give him recommendations? But is there one thing your son absolutely must know, the secret of your success?
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Vainer Marchesini10:09
The secret is good people in turns. The time they spend is a reflection on what we have been and what we will be. The future will have idiots doing bad things, but also self-driving cars and drones. The bicycle has a great story. I hope it can last.
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Interviewer11:38
What will they ever do?
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Vainer Marchesini11:44
Tuesday, immediately. This unusual thing for me, the interview, I liked it in the sense that... for me it's fine, I don't know if I would do it again. Together.