Giemme Bellows
Gianfranco Marincioni (Owner)
Sabrina Alba (Owner)
Editor: Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
Q: Gianfranco – please let us know, how YOU became engaged with the world of the accordion, starting to produce bellows for accordions.
A: Well actually, it was through my wife Sabrina, that Giemme Mantici Production had its start in 1997.
Gianfranco and Sabrina
Q: Sabrina – so maybe you would like to start and tell us the story?
A: Yes - I was working since many years in the office of a company producing products in Silver, which was very popular in the region of Castelfidardo. A friend of mine once told me, that her grandfather was looking for somebody, that could take over his handycraft business of constructing bellows for accordion. This craftsmen, always taught young people in the area of Castelfidardo and so they proposed learning this skill to me!
Q: Sabrina – did you then go and learn this handy craft?
A: I started to learn a bit, but at that time, we had two very small children that I had to look after. My husband Gianfranco was working in another company with a very secure job. So we had to decide, WHAT and HOW to do, which was not an easy decision for us. In one way, I was very tempted, as learning the craft skills of making bellows for accordion and learning the business, really fascinated me. On the other hand, I had the responsability of our children and was already working in a company.
Q: Gianfranco – how and when did you decide to collaborate with the bellows craftsman?
A: The craftsman proposed that I come every day, after my daily work finished at 4 pm. I would go to his workshop and stay the rest of the afternoon/early evening, to learn all the skills and knowledge of HOW to make high quality bellows of light weight yet excellent durability.
I made this training for 18 months ….6 days a week, all afternoons from Monday to Saturday! This was possible, as I started very early in the morning at my current job, so the later afternoon / early evening were free. I could therefore dedicate my time for training, learning all the skills of bellows manufacturing each day.
After 18 months, it was time to make a decision…. and I did take a risk, together with my wife, when we decided to open a bellows manufacturing company!
I left my previous job where I was working for 10 years and took over from the craftsman forming a new company: Giemme (which stands for the initials of my name - Gianfranco Marincioni which often happens in Italy for company names).
Q: Gianfranco – when you opened your new company, did you remain in the craftsman workshop?
A: No, we had decided to open a completely new premises in a modern building… and there we have continued to work for nearly 20 years.
Q: Gianfranco – Since you were not remaining with the craftman in his workshop, did the craftsman come and help you in your new business?
A: Yes. He was still present for at least another year. He came in daily to help me out and to give me good advice on how to prepare a perfect bellow and to quality control our suppliers and quality control all the orders, for which I was and I am still very grateful. This expert master craftsman helped me a lot with his experience at the beginning of this very important step for me, Sabrina and our young family.
Q: Were you working alone for a long time in your company? I am asking, as I have always seen several ladies in your company working?
A: In the beginning it was myself, the craftsman, my wife and the niece of the craftsman collaborating with me, as the niece knew the job very well, but did not feel like running a company herself and preferred to be employed.
Now after 20 years – the niece is still working in our company, as are the other ladies that have been with us…. almost all the time, that we have been operating in this field.
Q: Gianfranco – is there anything, that you especially appreciate in the 20 years, that you have your company?
A: Many moments in these years have been full of joy…. especially in the beginning, when sending out big quantities of bellows and receiving compliments from the customers for our quality.
Over the years, quality has become the symbol of our production. We carefully check each bellows before it is leaving the factory! If all the angles match perfectly – each fold is in a straight line and in harmony with each other…. if the bellows doesn’t make any noice, if the bellows is easy to stretch or if there any bubbles under the material (tissue).
For this reason, we are applying a special way of gluing the angles, so one cannot see any disharmony near the angles when looking at the bellows. This emphasis on excellent quality and careful product checking makes me quite proud of the quality of the bellows we produce.
Pictures inside the factory:
Q: Sabrina - You are working full time in the company only a few years…. how does this feel?
A: Many times I regret, that I haven’t changed before! I like the artistic part of the production very much. I also enjoy testing new colors, new materials, new designs, we have also applied a new way of gluing in order to avoid bubbles under the material and I am constantly in research of new opportunities.
Q: Gianfranco - Since 2 years, you have made another big decision – to move your company into this new building giving your company an improved production facility and offices.
A: We have decided to move our company to a new building giving us a better way of handling necessary space for the different production processes of the bellows. This enables us for an easier manufacturing maintaining the high standard of our bellows gaining better quality control keeping up with precise delivery of our customers.
Q: Gianfranco - so one can say, that YOUR company is in the second generation and YOUR kids were born into this manufacturing surrounding. Daniele and Deborah are part of the situation - do they lend you a hand when needed?
A: Luckily yes. Our son Daniele is studying design and this is a great help in all that has to do with design, research for new materials or anything, that can help getting new oportunities for the market. Our daughter Deborah, is more specialized in the practial part of making bellows, which is also an important help for us.
Picture of Daniele:
picture of our daughter Deborah at work
Q: Sabrina – is there anything, that you would wish for your future?
A: I am only working since a few years in the factory, but I would find immense joy of seeing the accordion companies collaborate more with suppliers for improving all parts of supply for their instruments. Maybe finding special designs of bellows to match specific lines of accordions. To find and combine excellent quality bellows with outstanding design being inserted in high quality accordions: made in Italy
Q: GF – to conclude – is there anything you would like to tell our readers
A: from my part I would like to say thank you to all our customers for a 20year support in using Giemme Bellows….that has made me proud of choosing a new way of life – a new way being a handy craft supplier for high quality bellows for instruments „made in Italy“ made in „Castelfidardo“
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