Investing to optimize production and grow profits: that’s the course being followed by OBI, acronym for Officina Bigiotteria Italiana, a company specializing in the creation and production of fashion accessories and bijoux for luxury. Founded in 1958 with headquarters in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), it became part of the Altofare group in 2023 and today employs 140 people.
The transformation of Officina Bigiotteria Italiana
OBI has implemented “artigìtal” transformation, as the company itself called it, in which manual skills are merged with digital management systems, collaborative platforms and optimized production processes. The goal is to satisfy a market that is moving toward shorter lead times, fragmented orders, and increasing pressure on quality levels. “We have become more accessible and friendly. Our customers, the luxury brands, demand that their problems be solved, and quickly. This is something we have enhanced and focus on”, Paolo Calamandrei, CEO of OBI, tells La Conceria. Calamandrei joined the team at Altofare, a group controlled by private equity fund Whitebridge, in late 2024.
Elevating towards luxury
The Florentine company will close 2025 in line with the previous year (around 18 million euros) “with an increase in margins of almost double that of 2024 precisely because of the optimization of production”, Calamandrei says, adding he expects growth between +10% and +20% for 2026. “In the coming year I think the market will not have particular changes but, perhaps, a moderate increase. And yet, we can aspire to double-digit growth because we have reconnected with some customers we had lost.
Are we approaching premium customers? No, on the contrary. We are rising to the higher end of luxury”, Calamandrei points out. According to the CEO, brands are willing to pay more to get higher quality. “For now, brands don’t have many production programs, they are in a waiting position. They are at the window to see the results that will come from the new creative impulses”, Calamandrei highlights.
Acting on development time
The company invested about 700,000 euros to overhaul its production organization, with the creation of autonomous work cells. OBI introduced digital tools for real-time progress monitoring, material tracking and document management. Development and industrialization time has been reduced by an average of -35% compared to 2023, production lead time has been shortened by about 2 weeks, and the nonconformity rate has been halved.
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