Silvio Napoli

Was Napoli the right choice for the post?

Head of Corporate planning and participated in VRA meetings fully aware of companys
vision and mission
Successfully implemented the Swatch project redesigning the entire supply chain and
developing S001
Worked with BCG for potential partnership with Indian firms
Spent 9 months in India understanding the Indian elevator market and developed a
business plan for entry into the market
Forms a connect for the company as opposed to a host country national
Young and flexible with aggressive traits to have a strict control over the team
A generalist with experience in corporate planning
A former Rugby player knowing the importance of team work
As Bonnard how would you evaluate Silvios first 7 months in the post? What advice
would you offer
Positive attributes:
Selection of Management Team seems to be very logical and well thought out
To get buy-in , from the management team, to his business model from the start
Negative attributes:
Silvio should have either done more upfront work prior to relocating his family to India or
have relocated his family prior to starting to develop the company infrastructure
He was determined to follow his business plan even if the market revealed better
alternatives
Advise:
We would advise Silvio to sit down and with his management team and reevaluate their
business plan
His "worrier" style of management was not doing him any good in India. Perhaps it was
time that he learned the "monk" attributes for him to earn the respect of team members
What advice would you give Napoli on the non-standard glass wall elevator?
Should accept orders of Glass wall elevators
Initial losses will be made by the company but will help build market for itself
Can lose the market due to not meeting customer demands
75% market captured by 4 major players. It has a chance to create differentiation in the
remaining 25% market by providing customized elevators
Government - a key customer: Providing glass wall elevator to government and building a
good relation could open doors to a very important part of the market
Good opportunity to penetrate into the market
Required little modification: Most of the managers are in favour and believes the demand
for glass wall elevator can be met with little modification and labour
Recommendation
Two Standards of S100 model With and without Glass
Best alternative as it provides an additional option for customer to chose from
Will be in line with the original business strategy of standardization
Simplified sales and maintenance training programs
How should he deal with the challenges over transfer prices and limited technical
cooperation from European plants ?
Leverage the contacts developed during Swatch project
Involve management at headquarters, Luc Bonnard, to get faster responses and more
support from European plants
Formulate a new strategy with newly recruited Indian staff who are having varied
experiences in many companies

T.A.K. Matthews, VP- Field operations, can be sent to European plants to speed up the
process
Outsource some of the parts from local player to reduce the dependency on imported
parts
Various cost cutting programs should be employed to reduce overall cost
Incorporating minor customisation by deviating form the standardised product will help in
reducing costs