Since the beginning of this century, Swarovski's imitation crystal stone has been recognized as the embodiment of high quality, dazzling and high precision all over the world, which laid the foundation for Swarovski's success. The charm of Swarovski comes from the quality of materials and the manufacturing methods adopted. As for the details of the unique method, it will not be disclosed to the public. The shining light of Swarovski imitation crystal is famous for its purity, unique cutting and the arrangement and quantity of facets. The town of Wattens is home to only two Swarovski crystal factories in the world. Just like Coca-Cola's guardian formula "X", Swarovski still maintains a family business model, and the crystal making process is passed down from generation to generation as a trade secret. So far, they still monopolize a number of patents related to crystal cutting.
All this is due to daniel swarovski, the founder of Swarovski, whose awareness of intellectual property protection is beyond the times. Daniel 1862 was born in a small village in Bohemia (now Czech Republic) Iseyama, which has always been a traditional crystal glass processing area, but it is basically operated by hand. As the heir of a small crystal cutting workshop, Daniel learned gem polishing from his father and used it to decorate brooches, hairpins, hair combs and other accessories. At the age of 2/kloc-0, Daniel went to Vienna to visit the first electrical exposition held there. The technological revolution of Siemens and Edison inspired Daniel to invent an automatic crystal cutting machine. Nine years later, after around-the-clock experiments, his first automatic cutting machine for perfect cut crystal came out. Its products can be polished into dozens of segments very skillfully, which has excellent refraction ability to light and makes the whole crystal product look dazzling.
In order to ensure that the technology and machine he invented were not stolen by his peers, Daniel applied for a patent on the one hand and left his hometown for Wattens, Austria on the other. It is located in the hinterland of the Alps, and this river can provide power for the crystal cutting machine because of its rich hydraulic resources. Moreover, compared with Bohemia, Wattens was closer to Paris, the largest crystal consumption place and fashion capital at that time. 1895, Daniel and two partners, Franz Weiss and armand Kausmann, formally established the Swarovski Company.
At this stage, several domestic manufacturers are authorized to use Swarovski crystals to manufacture chandeliers, such as Dongguan Bao Hui Lighting in East China and Kaiyuan Lighting in Zhongshan. Daniel swarovski died in 1956 at the age of 94, leaving behind an extremely large family. At present, the Swarovski family has more than 150 members, 28 of whom are engaged in senior management in the company, and 6 of them constitute the highest decision-making and management level of the company.
In 2002, the company has completely completed the transfer of power between the fourth and fifth generation members. However, these new forces have differences in geographical distribution and management concepts. Some of them are Americans and some are Austrian. At present, the company's administrative work focuses on three members of the fifth generation family: Cohen, 39, head of Swarovski North America Branch; Confused, 35-year-old, head of international exchange department; Markus, 3 1 year-old, head of brand management. Although the blood relationship is very close, it is more suitable to match each other as competitors. Their differences focus on how to reposition the Swarovski brand-whether to turn crystal products into high-end luxury goods or ordinary handicrafts acceptable to the public?
Najia, who studied in the United States and was responsible for sales and distribution in Hong Kong after graduation, advocated the former. She found that the swarovski brand has completely different meanings in European and American markets: in Europe and Asia, swarovski crystals are regarded as elegant gifts; In America, people buy crystal decorations in the shape of animals in bulk. When people hear Najia's surname, the most typical reaction is: "Swarovski, do you mean those animals?" This made Najia very depressed: "I appreciate the crystals in the shape of animals, but I don't want to be equal to them."
Najia began to reposition and enhance the brand image of Swarovski. Her first move was to open the first Swarovski Creative Service Center in new york at 1998 as an exhibition hall for crystal products, and to hire fashion consultants to guide crystal cutting craftsmen in Wattens. In that year, Swarovski's sales in North America soared from $6.5438 +0.4 million to $6.5438 +0.3 million. Since 1999, six centers have been opened in London, Dubai, Paris, Milan, New Delhi and Sao Paulo. She cooperated with European fashion designers to launch a $3,000 crystal necklace or handbag filled with broken crystals to cater to the luxury market. New products are all the rage in Milan and new york.