Italian family values

In Italy, the family is everything. So when director of operations for FBT Bruno Tanoni explains that the family owned company is actually a family in itself, there can be no better accolade for those employees who have pledged their careers and lives to the FBT cause. Located in the heart of the Marches region, bordering the Adriatic Sea in eastern Italy, FBT has been rubbing shoulders with many renowned traditional musical instrument manufacturers for nearly half a century. Over this time span, brands such as Bontempi, Elka, Farfisa and General Music producing traditional accordions and pianos have largely disappeared or have been acquired. It’s a testimony therefore to the FBT family management style that its brand continues to shine brightly on the overseas export market, having resisted the knee jerk reactions that many of its competitors have had to endure.

When Vinicio Tanoni and Bruno Baldoni, applied their respective expertise in mechanical design and electronics, they struck a literal chord in guitar and bass amplification. The Italian musical instrument market was well established in 1963, but the birth of rock and roll had created a booming new electronic market for which Mr Tanoni and Mr Baldoni were quick to react to the rising demand. UK producers such as Marshall and Vox were flooding into Italy as the new generation of local Rolling Stones and Beatles wannabes required a growing number of Watts to amplify their stage presence. Here they could compete.

Mr Tanoni and Mr Baldoni created a small workshop in a garage in which the first handmade guitar amps were originally produced. However, it was the design of the solid-state valve amplified mixer with tubes known as the Echo PA system, and the 500R guitar tube amplifier that soon set them apart from their neighbours. The Echo PA comprised of a motor connected to recording and erasing tape heads which created a resonance effect in the PA when played. Technician Arnaldo Scarponi has been with the company since the 1960s and vividly recalls the difficulties with how he hand screwed the rear panels to the units. ‘We occasionally receive enquiries to replace some worn out electronic components on these!’ he exclaims. ‘For anything built since the 1980s, we have parts and can repair equipment, but before that we supply them with a new equivalent and place the old models in our growing museum.’

From the outset, FBT was geared up for producing to the export market, with English graphics and switching power supplies, although its original focus of attention was the Italian domestic retailer. In the 1970s, FBT switched its attention from guitar and bass amplification to PA systems. It also became a key player in the domestic broadcasting market in the early 1980s with the creation of the Pro 122SL, which was almost ubiquitous at the time with private radio stations. The 1980s also witnessed FBT infiltrating the discotheque market with the production of turntables. In addition to being a manufacturer, FBT has built up a strong reputation over the years as a leading distributor on the domestic market and is currently responsible for JTS microphones, Pearl drums, Sabian cymbals and Crafter guitars.

In total, over 80 full-time employees work in the administrative, R&D, manufacturing/assembly and sales departments in Recanati, where the modern, purpose built, 12,000-sq-m facility adequately serves their needs. The manufacturing and assembly areas of the factory constitute the largest areas. The woodworking facility consists of computer programmed robotic machines cutting and sanding wood into cabinet sections for assembly, while aluminium and other metals are transformed into various parts. Despite the industrious activity, the workshops are relatively clean whilst strict environmental tolerances ensure that the paint shop uses acrylic, water-based paints on all the cabinets and metals. The electronics department, on the other hand, consists of clean, orderly assembly benches within a fully air-conditioned environment. Testing and quality control checks are rigorously applied at each stage of assembly to ensure consistency.

The pro audio world had just come to terms with polypropylene cabinets for portable and fixed installation applications in the mid to late 1990s, when FBT added to the variety of what was on offer with its MaxX series. Having thoroughly done its R&D and invested heavily in quality components and an assembly area, the company’s active two way designs helped to establish it at the forefront of modern mobile PAs. Having received critical acclaim, the company has gone on to win numerous awards for its high audio quality and sleek designs. Meanwhile, the MaxX range is complemented by Jolly – a more price conscious range of speakers nonetheless bearing a close resemblance to MaxX. Together with HiMaxX, the new ProMaxX, Mitus, Modus and Verve range of loudspeakers, FBT boasts a wide range of cabinets for various fixed installation and portable MI applications. In addition to producing amplifiers for its active system speakers, FBT also produces a variety of standalone amplifiers and a large range of analogue consoles, to complement the needs of venues and working musicians.

Although FBT’s origins are firmly rooted in MI, the company took a diversion in the late 1990s when it decided to create its own catalogue of products known as Audio Contractor, and aimed at the fixed installation and contractor market. By combining a vast range of OEM and self-manufactured voice evacuation systems, amplifiers, ceiling and wall mounted speakers, microphones, racks, controls, pre-amplifier equalisers and accessories, FBT created a powerful one-stop-shop for audio contractors throughout the world. The majority of products are based on 70- and 100-volt line industrial PA systems, but the catalogue caters for a wide range of scalable, reliable and flexible projects.

Export managers Mauro Zazzini, Luigi Paoloni and Roberto Mataloni are industry veterans with considerable knowledge and experience. Between them, they have taken FBT to the world stage, thus creating brand awareness outside Italy. International sales now exceed domestic, but it was the launch of MaxX that really introduced the brand to the Asian Pacific. It has been Mr Mataloni’s charge to increase market share in both Asia and the Middle East. Having joined FBT in 1990, his passion for the brand remains undiminished. That combined with his respect and knowledge of the cultures he works in continues to pave the way for the containers of equipment leaving the port of Ancona on a regular basis. It’s hard to believe that Mr Mataloni is in fact Italian, given his fluency in English.

The Qube brand was the offspring of a marriage fusing FBT manufacturing and Renkus Heinz designs within the Recanati factory. Its loudspeakers, processors and amplifiers are designed specifically for touring production companies. Paolo Ricci heads the Qube team from Recanati, and the range is then distributed through different agents to those of FBT internationally. ‘The brand benefited enormously in its first 10 years,’ enthuses Mr Ricci. ‘We sell systems rather than single units, which are fully compatible with one another.’ At the entry level spectrum, FBT introduced the Kempton brand several years ago as a low cost alternative for end-users. Designed in Italy and made in China under strict supervision and quality controls, Kempton has brought most of the FBT values and features within the reach of musicians and system integrators who work on tighter budgets.

Having equal shares in the business, Mr Baldoni appointed his son in-law Saverio Pepa when he retired, whilst Mr Tanoni handed over the reins to his two sons, Bruno and Mauro, who had been groomed and educated to take over. ‘I acquired a diploma in electronics, but I never had time to think about what career I wanted to pursue as I was drafted straight to the factory in October 1979,’ admits Bruno Tanoni with a smile on his face. Whilst his brother Mauro directs sales and marketing and Mr Pepa maintains industrial accountability, Bruno Tanoni oversees the company’s fortunes in a calm and relaxed manner, which has no doubt been helped by the absence of shareholders and banks with controlling interests. His attentions were aroused as a growing number of western manufacturers siphoned off their production to the growing Chinese powerhouses, but ultimately his nerve to retain all production in Italy has been vindicated.

‘There was a temptation to outsource some production to China, but we’re not interested in producing entry level products and felt that the quality control and supply would not be consistent. We have a very high profile brand and this has to be maintained while containing the production costs as much as possible. With the Euro now losing strength and with the recent problems highlighted in Chinese production such as labour force strikes, our decision wasn’t a bad one.’

The Tanoni and Baldoni families have built a steady ship in Recanati, but that only tells half the story of their continued success. ‘I’d like to think that we never run before we can walk,’ confirms Bruno Tanoni. ‘Luckily for us we don’t have to react or answer to third party decisions. As such we continue to reinvest in the company, such as R&D, keeping stock and ensuring our employees work during low sales periods.’

Like many others, FBT saw a slow down in its fortunes in 2009, but this didn’t force Mr Tanoni to swing the axe in response to the spreadsheet. ‘We’re in a position where we can accept lower margins and reduce our profitability if need be. For example, we reduced our sub-contracting and brought it in-house, whereas many other Italian companies turned to the Italian government for assistance in laying employees off for periods of time. The management team took full responsible and we decided to accept lower profits at the end of the year than to lose employees. The recovery will come and we’ll be in the right position for when it does return. If an employer retains staff and values them, the employees in turn feel rewarded and seem to appear happy to work harder in order to bring success to the company.’

Indeed, the employees within the FBT family bring an added value with which few others in the industry can compete. ‘If a customer has a problem with a product, we have long term employees who recognise the problem and can troubleshoot it there and then. You find with other companies that the customer has to speak to the salesman who can speak English but cannot understand how to solve a technical issue and the problem often remains exactly that – a problem. Our employees have worked here for years and decades and know the products inside and out.’

MaxX may have been the catalyst for FBT’s fast-track infiltration into the export market, but the company hasn’t rested on its laurels for a moment. ‘The MaxX 4a is still one of our biggest selling speakers 11 years after it was launched,’ confirms Mr Mataloni. ‘The strength of a good product is that it stands up to the test of time and within a rapidly changing technological market, that’s quite a testimony. It contains the same features, look, components and design, yet we have been able to reduce the price in recent years.’

The MaxX generation recently spawned offspring in the form of the HiMaxX and ProMaxX series. ‘All the polypropylene cabinets differ and for the 12-inch models themselves, there are five different moulds. This in itself confirms how much the company has made in terms of continued investment. The used and second hand market is almost devoid of MaxX speakers, which again is a clear sign that the product is far from the end of its’ natural life and is a much valued product.’

The Asian Pacific market continues to receive FBT’s attention and the company has set up a strong distribution network in the region over the past decade. Roberto Mataloni has personally signed exclusive distribution agreements with PT Citra Intirama in Indonesia, Voci Dorate in China, Meditec in Singapore/Malaysia and Innovative Music in Australia in recent years.

‘Having broken away from the lower end with MaxX, FBT has continued to launch products based on quality performance rather than price for its customers. Our users know that they can utterly rely on our products and will recoup their investment quickly as they are built to last. For me, FBT stands for reliability and quality at the right price.’ But for all the increasing activities into which FBT has immersed itself in the Asian Pacific market, it hasn’t neglected other global sectors. A branch was established in Florida for North America, whilst Mr Paoloni has dedicated his energies to covering the emerging Latin American and African continents.

The factory in Recanati has a further 38,000-sq-m of virgin land lying in the shadows of the current facility. It’s doubtful that this land will be used to build a new plant catering for increasing demands in the near future. However, it demonstrates the long term philosophy that the Tanoni and Baldoni families have embraced as their business model. Indeed, a neighbouring 10,000-sq-m factory was acquired in 2008, which will be used as an auditorium for demonstrations when the time is right. But there’s no need to rush into this. After all, FBT has seen recessions come and go over almost five decades. With a firm hand on the tiller, it can steer a steady course ahead.

www.fbt.it

Tel: +39.071.750591