Claudio Caprari – Replica Sistemi 1

Claudio Caprari and Lorenzo Guaschino founded Replica Sistemi in 1984.

Claudio played a key role in the growth and affirmation of Replica Sistemi as one of the most relevant providers of IT Solutions for the Logistics market.

Initially he focused himself on the development of ERP systems for small medium business.

In 1991 Claudio Caprari was the Project Leader of StockSystem, the Warehouse Management System fully developed in Italy.

As of today StockSystem has more than 1,000 installations between about 800 clients.

Progressively Replica Sistemi became more international with several installations in Asia and America.

Despite these relevant successes Claudio Caprari has remained a person with down to earth that likes to remember his origins. When he worked in Cartiere Burgo for more than 15 years as a software developer using Fortran and Assembler software programming languages.

I met Claudio Caprari in 2004 during a Software Selection for a WMS.

The first impact was not so smooth.

But as it happens with all special persons, the more you know them the better you can appreciate their special qualities.  

Even if Claudio Caprari was representing a relatively small IT provider, thanks to his approach, very transparent and honest, Replica System won the tender against a lot of bigger international competitors.

After that first installation in Switzerland, we continued to collaborate for several years installing same WMS in all the continents and for different brands.

When we met for the first time in 2004 and I selected you as WMS provider I had the perception that you could follow my guidelines better than a big international provider. Time has passed and now Replica Sistemi is no more such a small IT provider, what has changed in these 13 years in your Company approach vs. Clients? 

Since more than 30 years, Replica Sistemi is specialized in designing software for the Warehouse Logistics Managament and Transportation and implementing the ERP Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Flexibility and solidity are the elements that characterise our company.

It is flexible because of the simple, fast and innovation-friendly methodology chosen to meet the needs of both customers and market. Indeed, solidity is the result of a conscious and careful financial management.

What has changed in these years in terms of expectations from market/clients? 

The market is changed. The so-called categories “Producers”, “Suppliers”, “Consumers” are no more there. Nowadays, the majority is “Prosume”, I mean, consumers-producers that are also able to provide information and opinions about the product and the service received and to share them online. Doing that it is possible to influence the other potential consumers.

There is a variety of parameters to evaluate a product or a service. It is positive that the company can receive directly from the customers inputs to improve its activity. However, on the other side, this can be restrictive. Without an organisation and a smart information system, the risk is the paralysis because it is not possible to filter out and process the amount of data.

Our systems are designed to optimize and make flexible the management of the information.

The aim is to simplify the operability recovering and investing those useful resources to increase margins and improve the service for the customer.

What are the new challenges during next 2/3 years for your Company?  

Our aim with Smart Integrated Logistics is to consolidate the market leadership in Italy and broaden the horizons abroad working towards both the integration of logistics and transportation software and wider automation projects.

Initially you were central in the business, how has changed your role? 

Yes it is true, at the beginning I was the project leader of Replica Sistemi WMS.

Going ahead I spent a lot of time for creating a team of Project Managers, coaching them personally.

My first objective was to support their growth, teaching them during the different stages of the various projects. Starting from the project analysis and till the consequent deployment at clients site.

Thanks to this relevant investment, today Replica Sistemi can count on a consolidated team of Senior Project Managers.

Last but not least, I like to mention our project for building a Company Academy whose objective is to create Junior Project Manager that tomorrow will be the main actors for guaranteeing the continuity of our business.

What are the most common problems that you must face every day?  

Difficult to answer this question, but honestly speaking, there are two main common issues I see working in this industries since years: 

• sometimes Clients do not know exactly how to plan their projects and coordinate them accurately

• It is difficult to find Clients’ project managers capable to modify the AS IS Process in a consistent TO BE Process

What do you hate most in your work and what you would like to do when you grow when you were a child?

I started working as a software developer. Professionally, I know what I am talking about.

Very frequently I meet persons not prepared for the responsibility they have, but what is touching me more is that frequently these person are really arrogant.

When I was a boy, my dream was to become an aircraft pilot. But leading the projects I manage, sometimes can be more risky than piloting aircrafts.

We’ve done several projects together, from the WMS in Ticino to those in HK, Shanghai, New York, Tokyo. All successful projects. In your opinion, what has made sure that all was well?

Thanks to the long collaboration we had, I learnt how to manage international projects.

Even if difficult projects, Replica System was understanding new methodologies and was fully committed on these projects.

Every collaboration can be really successful, only if you establish a real win-win relationship. That was our case.

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