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Iveco: Jose-Maria Alapont I t's about 12 months since Jose-Maria Alapont
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took over the reins at Iveco. He walked into a company which was generally felt to be underperforming.
By all accounts he spent the first couple of months cracking a few skulls and creating something of a stir internally. In our interview with him earlier this year (CM 18 March) he made all the right noises — and half a year on the results speak for themselves; sales revenues are 8.7% up in the first-half of 2004, compared with the same period in 2003; forward orders are up 20% and profits are up by a staggering 600%. Iveco stakeholders are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief.
It would be over-egging things to give Alapont all the credit for this dramatic turnaround, but clearly he has made a big difference in a very short time."We have shifted the strategy to focus more on the customers." he explains. "We have taken our products to the customers and shown them through data and testing that our products are the best value for money on the market."
Struggling
The fact that Iveco is still struggling in the UK heavy truck market won't have escaped CM readers, and clearly this remains an issue.Alapont's response is simple: "We have to get closer to and stay focused on our customers in this sector of the UK. Our dealerships and services need lobe improved. Currently they are not strong enough.
"Productivity on the road" is a phrase Alapont uses a lot: "Productivity isn't just the preserve of manufacturing processes.We are selling vehicles into an environment of competition and vehicles have to be efficient, reliable and productive."
But productivity doesn't stop at the hardware.Alapont continues: "If you have the best truck on the road, why stop there? Why not offer a whole range of services to the market, using technology to link the whole logistics chain?"
Inevitably the talk turns to globafisation and Alapont highlights the fact that 80% of Iveco's revenue continues to be derived from Europe; a state of affairs he is determined to address. "We're not on the look out for acquisition targets," he says,"but we have a clearly defined and ambitious strategy for worldwide growth."
This strategy includes joint ventures in China he expects to be able to announce a truck deal there soon -and improving links with Ashok Leyland in India. Alapont is also expecting Iveco to make gains in the booming Brazilian market, where it has set up a factory.
Iveco was absent from the last Hanover Show in 2002 but rejoined the fray this year with a bang. Bright lights,a huge stand and new products gave visitors the impression of a company emerging from obscurity.
Alapont's energy and desire to succeed appear to be working. The UK appears to be lagging behind the rest of Europe when it comes to market performance, but it would be a brave punter who'd bet against a turnaround here some time soon.