OLG luxury logistics

Founded with the aim of assisting high fashion and jewelry customers when it comes to the logistics of interior design and visual merchandising, OLG has also become a logistics hub based in Switzerland for the storage, restoration, study, and exhibition of works of art and fine wines, but also jewels and watches

A hub for logistics, transportation, shipping, and storage, as well as restoration and exhibition.

Founded with the aim of assisting high fashion and jewelry customers when it comes to the logistics of interior design and visual merchandising, OLG has also become a logistics hub based in Switzerland for the storage, restoration, study, and exhibition of works of art and fine wines, but also jewels and watches.

A place where clients can make use of various services to conserve and add value to their collection. More than 5,000 square meters dedicated to the preservation of luxury goods, with a temperature- and humidity-controlled cell that allows for the optimal storage of 90,000 bottles of wine. Armored, controlled spaces with constant system maintenance (climate machines, alarm and video surveillance systems, smoke detectors…).

OLG la logistica del lusso

Daily movement of works of art, jewels, and bottles of fine wine. A team dedicated to controlling the goods and their correct allocation, in every way (suitable packaging, condition reports, archiving…) and 35,000 shipments per year, managed by a team of 15 people.

OLG la logistica del lusso

OLG offers the full package: the possibility to restore, photograph, and view one’s assets in suitable spaces, but also to propose collaborations to add value to one’s heritage, by exhibiting or publishing it. More than just a supplier for other companies’ activities, then, but a real partner for its clients, who can rely on a single interlocutor for a complete service. Collectors, art galleries, advisors, banking institutions, international fashion brands, luxury jewelry and design brands, but also private individuals who place their trust in OLG, entrusting us their precious assets for storage or to be moved and shipped around the world.

Interview with Federico Fuochi

Federico Fuochi – CEO of OLG International SA

What does luxury logistics mean today?

It means being able to respond to the requests of our clients, offering a complete and personalized service based on their needs. It is essential to create a relationship of trust and have a network of valid partners to offer a complete service.
We need to distinguish ourselves and show the customer the difference between a general cargo service and a “white glove” service. Always be on top of things, focus on every detail, follow the shipment from start to finish, avoid overlooking anything, and be ready to find the most suitable solution for every request.

Logistics, transport, shipping, warehouses. But also, a restoration laboratory and exhibition center. The many facets of a company that makes excellence its baseline. How was the company born and how has it evolved? How is it positioned today at the Swiss and international level?

OLG was founded several years ago with the aim of assisting high fashion and high jewelry customers when it comes to the logistics of interior design and visual merchandising. Then, it also became a logistics hub based in Switzerland for the storage, restoration, custody, study, and exhibition of works of art, fine wines, but also jewelry, watches, and cars. A place where clients can make use of various services, have a customized package to conserve and add value to their collection. A strategic location, in Switzerland, but close to the border with Italy, precisely in order to be an international reference point.

OLG la logistica del lusso

Can you share some figures regarding the different areas of activity of your company (both in terms of dedicated resources – time, space, human capital – and in terms of turnover)?

Our structure covers more than 5,000 square meters dedicated to the conservation of these goods, as well as a temperature- and humidity-controlled cell with room for the optimal conservation of 90,000 bottles of wine. A daily movement of works of art, supercars, and bottles of fine wine. A young team dedicated to controlling the goods and their correct allocation, in every way (suitable packaging, condition reports, archiving…) and 35,000 shipments per year, managed by a team of 15 people, with an average age below 35. I would say that these numbers speak for themselves.

Art, fine wines, cars, fashion, jewels: can you tell me something about these sectors? What does your job entail from the point of view of risk and liability (and insurance)?

As I said before, it is a relationship based on trust. Receiving valuable items belonging to third parties means taking responsibility to care for them in the best possible way. For each of these categories, nothing can be taken for granted. From a practical point of view, it means having complete documentation, photographing the goods every time they are handled in order to have a history of their state of conservation, making the packaging suitable for conservation, placing them in the most suitable space, inventorying everything to always have control of the goods, take all necessary measures to operate safely, and use suitable materials.

OLG la logistica del lusso

We ever take anything for granted. Every time something needs to be moved, we follow a list of some fundamental points, so nothing goes unchecked: we start with general information that must always be checked (dimensions, weight, but also more specific details such as year of manufacture or origin of the goods), understand the process that the goods will follow (if they have been sold, or shipped for an exhibition, a viewing, or a loan). We check all the documentation and understand what kind of authorizations we need to request (for example, works of art that leave from or arrive in Italy always require permission from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage; while wines often require import permits or you need to check for any quantity limitations).

Then we verify the type of insurance that the customer prefers; understand who will pay for the transport, because that will affect any customs duties. Finally, there is a more practical aspect of shipping, something else that requires attention: the number of handling personnel, the need to request any specific authorizations to load/unload or to access restricted traffic areas. In short, we need constant attention and supervision on everything that begins before the goods leave and ends when they are delivered and accepted.

OLG la logistica del lusso

In the face of these responsibilities and risks, what is the best thing about working with the essence of Beauty and Exclusivity?

Lucky! At the end of the day, when you are sure that everything has gone as it should have, you realize that perhaps you have had the opportunity to see works by the most important painters in history, cars that have won races with drivers who have made history, ancient bottles of wine… In short, sometimes we tend to take it for granted, but it’s not just anyone’s everyday life. It is the right reward for the times of anxiety that we experience as we carry out our job. It is a constant loop and often we don’t have time to stop and reflect, but sometimes we really need a moment to appreciate the efforts that we have made and enjoy the result.

Are there any similar companies in the area? And how do these companies differ from the one you founded?

There are other companies that offer storage services, however OLG does not want to stop there; we want to offer the full package. The possibility to restore, photograph, and view one’s assets in suitable spaces, but also to propose collaborations to add value to one’s heritage, by exhibiting or publishing it. More than just a supplier for other companies’ activities, then, but a real partner for its clients. The perfect place to share one’s heritage.

OLG la logistica del lusso

In logistics, competition is fierce: often fees are what mark the difference. In our case, however, we deal with a niche that requires flexibility, problem solving, and a consistent relationship with the client, which not everyone is able to offer. Our commitment is to improve every day, in order to grow constantly.

What can we say about your customers (type of customers, product category, etc.)?

They are collectors, art galleries, dealers, advisors, banks, artists. These are the main subjects with whom we interface on a daily basis. They are experts in this sector that require a high-quality and reliable service. International fashion, jewelry, and luxury design brands, but also art galleries, organizations, and individuals who need our services.

Regarding your structure: what are the characteristics of the spaces where you carry out the various activities that make up your core business?

Our structure was created specifically for this type of business. Armored spaces, always clean and tidy, constant maintenance of all our systems (climate machines, alarm and video surveillance systems, smoke detectors…) and daily checks to avoid any anomalies.

It is essential to choose partners who meet the minimum standards required in terms of storage, but also handling. We need to select the correct service, be it armored vehicles and two drivers, or an armed escort service, or whatever is needed. OLG is a safe place to which clients can entrust their property whenever they need to store it for some time. It is especially important to be able to check on the goods constantly. Our location is strategic, as it is close to two international airports (Milan Malpensa and Zurich Flughafen), to the goods sorting centers of the port of Genoa, and in a central position at European level. In addition, we have the possibility of providing customs and packaging services.

What is your working reality today (taking into account the changes imposed by the pandemic) and how are you planning for the future?

We know that during the pandemic the cultural world has stopped, no exhibitions, no fairs, closed art galleries and museums. OLG has been transformed into a parlor where dealers and collectors could meet to develop partnerships for future projects, which are now slowly beginning to come true. This period really highlighted the importance of a hub like ours. Furthermore, any assets deposited for a long period were preserved in optimal conditions. The wine sector, on the other hand, moved more towards B2B, which marked a very strong acceleration.

During the pandemic, shipments were difficult to manage, one hitch after another, due to the restrictions that each country adopted. Now, we are experiencing a frenzied desire for a normal life.

 

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