When Andrea Pontremoli is asked to summarize competitiveness in three words, the answer comes dryly, essential, without hesitation: values, curiosity, innovation.
A manifesto, more than a definition. The result of an intense and consistent career: from the top positions at IBM Italia to the leadership of Dallara, a symbol of excellence in mechanics and Italian motorsport, with one foot firmly planted in precision engineering and the other firmly rooted in training, the local community, and social enterprise.
A privileged vantage point, which also becomes an invitation to rethink the way we build competitiveness every day.
A business is not managed to maximize profit in the quarter, but to build a future. Even when it costs, even when it doesn’t pay off immediately.
Pontremoli starts from here, from a vision that returns humanity and responsibility to business practices. According to him, a company is not just a set of numbers: it is a system of relationships, an evolving community. And it should be treated as one would treat a child: with care, consistency, and patience.
Don't ask yourself which technology to use. Ask yourself first what you want to do.
Another cornerstone of his vision: technology is not an end, but a means. And true digital transformation never starts with the latest software solution, but with a real problem, with a concrete purpose, with a need that makes sense to people.
Only then – and only with that awareness – is it meaningful to talk about tools.
At Dallara we use technology to make mistakes as often, quickly, and cheaply as possible.
In this perspective, the mistake is not a failure, but a necessary condition for learning and innovating. The real problem is not making mistakes, but not learning anything from what was done wrong.
Innovating means taking risks. But it also means doing so methodically, with humility, and with the freedom to test – and correct – without fear.
Trust in a company is not just wishful thinking. It is a strategic asset. It is what allows decisions to be distributed, people to be held accountable, and them to grow.
No system is more efficient than a motivated and free person who acts competently.
Finally, the most subtle but decisive theme: the sense. Because businesses do not last if they do not have a purpose that goes beyond profit.
At Dallara we asked ourselves: what values do we want to carry forward for the next fifty years? We answered with three words: humility, loyalty, curiosity.
These values form the basis of the way we relate to one another, plan and innovate. These values build the corporate culture. And, in the end, this is how competitiveness is also built. And perhaps, returning to those three initial words – values, curiosity, innovation – we can read them like this: the values as a compass, curiosity as fuel, innovation as direction.
Pontremoli showed us how important values are, the sense and ability to make mistakes in order to truly innovate. But what does it actually mean to stand out in today’s global market?
To answer this question, let’s take a closer look at those who have already successfully completed this journey: the hidden champions. Companies that have managed to combine strong roots and global ambitions, becoming a concrete model for Italian businesses as well.
The interview is taken from the book “25 Years of Lean Thinking in the Italian Way”.
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For Andrea Pontremoli, CEO of Dallara and former top executive at IBM Italia, competitiveness is summed up in values, curiosity and innovation. The manager interprets these as follows: values are the compass, curiosity is the fuel, innovation is the direction the company moves towards every day.
According to Pontremoli, a business should be managed to build a future, even when it costs or does not yield immediate returns, and not to maximize quarterly profits. A company is not a collection of numbers but a system of relationships, an evolving community that must be nurtured with care, consistency, and patience.
Before choosing a tool, it is necessary to clarify what one wants to achieve. For Pontremoli, technology is a means and not an end: true digital transformation arises from a real problem, a concrete goal, and a need that makes sense to people, not from the latest software solution.
In the Dallara method, error is a necessary condition for learning and innovating, not a failure. The company uses technology to make mistakes as often, quickly, and at low cost. The real problem is not making mistakes, but not learning anything from the mistakes made, and for this reason method, humility, and the freedom to test are necessary.
Trust is not a form of good-will but a strategic asset, because it allows decisions to be distributed, people to be held accountable, and them to grow. According to Pontremoli, no system is more efficient than a motivated and free person who is able to act competently; this allows responsibility to be distributed without losing control.
Dallara has chosen three values for the next fifty years: humility, loyalty and curiosity. According to Pontremoli, these are the foundations of the way they relate to each other, plan and innovate, and therefore the culture of the company. Companies only last if they have a purpose that goes beyond profit.
ai translated