Read the latest issue of the magazine dedicated to surface treatments and organic and inorganic finishes – Special edition dedicated to the automotive and transportation industry!
Bespoke comes from the verb bespeak, meaning “request”, “order” or “hire”. It derives from the English tailoring lexicon of the 19th century: at that time, every tailor’s shop used fabric cuts already selected by customers so that, after taking the necessary measurements, the garments could be made from the tissues that had been spoken for. Hence the adjective bespoke for “ordered”[1].
Borrowed from the world of fashion, this word is now extending its semantic range as a synonym for luxury – luxury for the few, for those who can afford to invest in a product that is not only made-to-measure but rather unique and exclusive, be it a garment, a furnishing solution or a car. The epitome of this concept is the One-of-a-Kind programme from Ferrari, which brings together the exclusivity of unique pieces created over time to express the personality, tastes, and desires of this car manufacturer’s customers[2].
Bespoke thus also becomes applicable to the service sector and the manufacturing industry, where an increasing number of suppliers are solving specific problems of their customers by customising plants, machines, and chemical formulations down to the smallest detail. To achieve this, companies must bring in the know-how and experience required to smoothly manage project sharing, material manufacturing, product and process validation tests up to logistics, installation, and commissioning. Added to this is the need for a parallel but extremely useful skill: the ability of all the partners involved in a bespoke project to interact proactively, constructively and timely and provide an equally personalised after-sales service.
From the raw materials that make up coatings to plant management software, today’s surface treatment field is also increasingly oriented towards extreme customisation to achieve aesthetically perfect finishes with functional performance that even exceeds specifications. it is the only way to guarantee consistent quality in increasingly complex products in terms of both design and stringent functional and durability requirements. This approach reflects the technological maturity of an industry that has realised its strategic value for the commercial success of products. From a necessary but insignificant step to complete the manufacturing cycle of an object, it has become a pivotal process to ensure its beauty, usability, durability and sustainable life cycle.
The concept of bespokeness recurs in many pages of this summer issue of ipcm®, dedicated to the wonderful and fertile (in terms of innovations, ideas, design) world of cars and transport. After all, right after fashion, it is the automotive industry that generates dreams, dictates trends and is a fruitful ground for new industrial paradigms to take root.
The issue you are reading has been produced while the entire editorial team was also busy organising something equally important: the event to celebrate 15 years of activity of Eos Mktg&Communication, the publisher of our magazines. In the September issue, you will find an extensive account of the evening that saw us celebrate with many customers and suppliers.
READ THE MAGAZINE!