My Story, Our Story: Andrea Amore
10 May 2016BBS alumni talk about themselves: what was before, what came after and the memories of life as a student, to offer a personal story and a narration of one’s own professional experience, for a history of our Community. The protagonist of the XX episode is Andrea Amore, Vehicle Process Quality and Suppliers Charge Back Manager at Ducati Motor Holding. MBA Part-Time (Evening).
Andrea’s soundtrack is “Arriverà” by Emma and Modà
OUVERTURE
Like a race aboard a fast car. This is Andrea’s trajectory, all consistency and wishes that have come true, at regular steps. The analogy with the racing world, which Andrea adores since when he was a child, is banal, but it sums it up quite well. A few pit stops, necessary pauses to acquire further knowledge, to improve his professionalism. The passion for Formula1 started when he was four. The early risings, at three in the morning, to watch the Grand Prix live. His studies, quick, to get to a role of responsibility in a leading motorcycle company; the continuously evolving story of Andrea Amore’s career, a young engineer, minute by minute. Almost.
THE STORY SO FAR
“I’m originally from Catania. You may wonder what I do here.” The fact is not surprising. People come to BBS from all sorts of places, in order to learn. Curiosity though needs to be satisfied. “Having completed my three-year degree in engineering in Catania [Sicily] I was aware that for those who like me love everything that’s motor-related, I had to move to Emilia”. The Motorvalley effect. The thought had already emerged in 2007, as soon as Andrea ended high school. Destination Modena, to attend the Vehicle Engineering course. Andrea has a marked practical sense and he carefully reflected on the opportunity of the choices to be taken. “I told myself: Modena’s course is too specific. I had no intention of hampering my possibilities. I didn’t want to exclude by default other opportunities, considering that the world of engineering is so vast: from candy making to Shuttle design.” Indeed, a few years later he ended up astride a Ducati rather than holding the steering wheel of a Ferrari. Target almost hit.
SEI COME LA MIA MOTO [You’re like my motorbike, famous 80’s song by Italian singer Jovanotti aka Lorenzo Cherubini]
When Lorenzo Cherubini used to be only Jovanotti, motorbikes were the status symbol par excellence, a motor-shaped desire. “In reality, my passion was still cars” Andrea confesses. It’s important to follow one’s aspirations, but one must always keep a space for adjustments. “And then when you drive a motorbike and work for Ducati, passion grows”. At university, Andrea dealt with many different topics. He studied mechanical design, going from automatic machines to energy-producing machines. “Actually, what I’m currently doing isn’t strictly linked to engineering. I manage a quality department where, besides me, there are no other engineers. There are mechanics, people who’ve been working for Ducati for twenty, twenty-five years on engines”. Professionals who know motorbikes inside out, better than the engineers. His task: working so that motorbikes leave the assembly lines without a defect.
…AND I SOLVE PROBLEMS
And Andrea also deals with (money) charges to suppliers. “It’s also called recovery of non quality costs from suppliers. It’s a new branch born in Ducati five years ago, also thanks to the dissertation I wrote while in the company. Basically, the idea is to identify supply issues and re-debit mistakes to suppliers”. It’s the accounting part of it; checking that all pieces that are bought work properly. “There’s a reception for incoming goods, they check the pieces we receive from our suppliers. And from that moment on, I supervise that part of production that goes from the assembly of the motorbike to the delivery to the customer”. This too is included in the quality line, therefore it’s under his jurisdiction.
WHY BBS
“I chose the master’s course. I informed the company of my intentions in November. I knew of many others who’d received subsidies to train at BBS, so I applied and they granted me a scholarship, with the commitment though to remain for two years”. Andrea is dynamic and ambitious. He knows he wants to get far, build a career, possibly racing through the stages. But he also felt the need to attend a qualified Master’s. “From the point of view of your CV, it’s so important”. A Part-time evening MBA is perfect because it allows you to immediately apply in the company the knowledge you acquire during the Master’s.
SHORT U-TURN
At the beginning, Andrea was in Lamborghini, writing his dissertation. “The second dissertation, I was supposed to write it in Lamborghini as well, but there was a mismatch between the time I had available and the possibility they had of taking me in. Either I missed classes at University or I had to wait seven months after graduating. I chose to go to Ducati right away”. Andrea’s maxim could be “don’t wast time, race through the stages”. Then the inevitable internship, when Andrea dealt with the chargeback administration. “ At Ducati, another position became vacant, in another role. They hired me with a permanent contract, then they reassigned me to chargeback.” The Grand Prix and maths as relaxing past-times are clear clues for a vocation. Finance as a surprising discipline discovered al the BBS Master’s. “And I think I’ll work very hard at the Master’s, as the hypothesis of going back to Uni to study finance is a no-way”.
A PIECE OF ADVICE TO A STUDENT
Andrea is young. He already has enough authoritativeness to provide advice to those students who are about to start the BBS Master’s course. “The master’s is the tool to spur your career. It offers contacts with other sectors that are most likely unknown to you and that will turn out to be very important to complete your view of things.” Andrea believes the MBA is something to be done.
“It’s demanding, you have to study during the weekends, always attending classes to study subjects that I’d have found very hard to learn alone, by myself. In particular, finance and accounting related subjects, that are definitely tough”. And then apply knowledge to work. Theory to practice. “Knowing how a balance sheet works and how to dismantle the bike’s muffler were among the most formative experiences of my professional path.” Now Andrea is more than ever astride the motorbike, let’s see where he’ll manage to get to.
