Artificial intelligence is becoming an indispensable ally for companies that want to remain competitive in the marketplace. The size of a business and the nature of the business is not a barrier to adopting new technologies: any company, whether small or large, can and should take advantage of them. And if it does so with the right vision, good management and careful process analysis, the results are extraordinary.
Small and medium-sized craft enterprises can use AI for example to optimize production processes, improve customization of offerings and enhance their traditional know-how.
Italy is a living fabric of historic small and medium-sized companies, custodians of a unique cultural and manufacturing heritage. These companies, often family-run, represent the soul of Made in Italy, combining craftsmanship, innovation and a legacy passed down through generations. Their historical and cultural background, besides being an identity value, can be a great strategic resource that, if enhanced with the right technologies and market visions, can be an engine of growth and competitiveness.
Artificial intelligence offers incredible tools for enhancing corporate heritage in effective and engaging ways. It can, for example, enable the creation of an intelligent digital archive, as well as enriching the company's heritage narrative or enhancing traditions through chatbots and virtual assistants that allow people to talk to customers at any time. Ninety percent of Bonacina's current turnover is made up of exports, 42 percent from America. Responses to customers with AI support could be more timely, even more accurate and on time, without having the problem of time difference.
AI can also be used to transmit corporate values and traditions to new generations of employees. AI-powered learning platforms can create customized courses that incorporate the company's founding principles, such as its history, mission, and values. Through simulations, interactive modules, and tailored training, employees can be trained not only on professional skills, but also on corporate culture, strengthening their connection to the company's heritage.
Artificial intelligence presents a unique opportunity to enhance and preserve corporate heritage in innovative and dynamic ways. By using AI to tell stories, create immersive experiences, manage historical archives, and strengthen corporate culture, companies can not only keep their heritage alive, but also effectively and engagingly pass it on to future generations. In an increasingly digitized world, combining tradition and innovation through AI is a winning strategy for strengthening corporate identity and maintaining a meaningful connection with its past.
For Artisans 4.0, we visited the museum and production spaces of Bonacina 1889, a company with an impressive 136 years of history, to understand how its heritage can dialogue with the challenge of internationalization and emerging technologies.
The strength of some products also comes from the company's ability to pass on their history, to make customers as well as its employees understand their value.
But when a company's history is so important, the challenge grows exponentially.
Mrs. Antonia Bonacina has a strong presence in the company, and it is her job to welcome new employees and do what is known as on-boarding. She meets them first of all at the Bonacina Garden Gallery Museum, a historic building, dating back to the 1960s, with an exhibition and experiential path that allows them to appreciate the Bonacina universe through the works of the Masters who have marked its history from 1889 to the present. Its narrative is intended to help new employees understand the importance and history of the company and to show the incredible quality of its unique products.
It is true, however, that you cannot know everything, that it takes time to build up the right body of knowledge and skills, and that in a company like Bonacina, which is artisanal but has an international scope and a large business turnover, there are many things to know. Here, then, is how new technologies can come to the rescue.
