Tradition runs deep at LeoVince USA, a division of Sito Gruppo Industriale. The parent company based in Monticello d’Alba, Italy, and day-to-day European operations are still spearheaded by company founder Pietro Mollo and his son Gianni. The brand has grown exponentially from a small workshop Pietro established in 1954 to today’s vast million-plus square feet of production, R&D and warehouse facilities manned by a growing team of 350 skilled technicians and support staff.
The LeoVince brand stands out for its use of modern technologies and manufacturing processes melded with hands-on craftsmanship. The brand prides itself on the fact that they never cut corners on materials, with all of the company’s core pieces being built in house. LeoVince products are crafted by the company’s highly trained staff from stamping, welding, bending and carbon-fiber molding all the way down to the titanium rivets. “There’s only one way to build it, the right way,” says Gianni, and that core philosophy is obvious in the way both the parent company and it’s U.S. arm run their operations.
MPN recently sat down with LeoVince USA executive vice president Tim Calhoun to learn more about the iconic brand and how the brand appeals to U.S. dealers.
“In 2007, I saw the changes that were going on in the marketplace and realized that we needed to make a change in order to service the dealer and to do well and prosper,” says Calhoun.
LeoVince made a move to a larger facility in 2007 and began growing its dealer direct distribution channel. “Self-distribution allows us to control a lot of things better. It allows us to have a tighter, more readily available inventory for our dealers to support them better. We have the best fill rates we’ve ever had for supporting dealers out there.”
The brand’s Forza Dealer Program (Forzo means power in Italian) offers an attractive way for dealers to stock the brand while enjoying preferred status. The program incentivizes dealers to stock four pipes. LeoVince offers the display pipes at 50% off with 90-day terms, and taking advantage of this deal also gives dealers the added benefit of better margin, 24-hour access to online ordering, inventory, billing and shipping information. Forza dealers are also offered discounted or free shipping.
Calhoun explains that the program is designed to encourage dealers to keep the systems on their shelves so that customers can see and touch the products — you just can’t see the craftsmanship of the product online, the quality of the welds, says Calhoun, customers have to see them in person to understand the value proposition.
“As people buy and use our product, they understand the quality of it,” says Calhoun. “We don’t compromise on materials. We still weld all of our materials by hand. We use the best packing in the industry bar none. If there’s a product failure, we replace it —making things easier for dealers and making it easier for consumers is what really matters,” concludes Calhoun.
Growing Up LeoVince
Valeria Mollo, the granddaughter of company founder Pietro Gianni and daughter of Gianni Mollo, has launched a new video blog on the exhaust manufacturer’s YouTube Channel. Meet Valeria as she comes to America to learn more about the U.S. side of the business. In her first entry, she introduces herself and gives you a little background on her role at LeoVInce. Click the picture to visit LeoVince’s YouTube Channel.
