Local actions for business development As a company aware of the value of its ECH Lanificio Leo was one of the first enterprises approached to contribute to and test the ECH training material developed by MNEMOS. After looking at the ECH management training material himself Emilio now plans to present the MNEMOS learning platform and training material to SME owners from a private development organization of business in 15 local towns

1. Case study – Lanificio Leo
– use of Enterprise Cultural Heritage training material
The aim of this case study is to provide you with an example of Enterprise
Cultural Heritage training material use by Lanificio Leo.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

2. Before you start…
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3. A factory from the past moves into the future
Established in 1873, today Lanificio Leo is one of the
most significant examples of an enterprise-museum, in
which design-oriented production and Enterprise Cultural
Heritage (ECH) values are integrated into a management
model mixing business with cultural heritage.
This original approach led the company to be among the
finalists for the 2001 Guggenheim Prize for Business and
Culture and to win the Management Culture Prize.
The woollen mill has been run by the Leo family since it
founded in Soveria Mannelli among the Sila Mountains in
Calabria, South Italy. Today Emilio Leo is the fourth
generation of the family to own the mill and leads a
project that is developing a new future for the family
business.
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4. Innovation through heritage
Emilio’s 88 year old father Peppino Leo was the
previous owner of the factory, he is a repository of
knowledge about vintage production processes.
The old woollen mill is now a working factory, an
enterprise museum visited by
students, professionals, tourists and a think-tank
for new product development ideas. Its plain front
door leads the visitor into a high-end design
showroom with a shop and shelves piled with the
colours of this season’s collections. The company
is still using its historical archive of 200-years-old
blocks for textile printing.
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5. Enterprise Cultural Heritage applied
Enterprise Cultural Heritage used effectively and
creatively helped the company to establish its brand in
international niche markets. The Lanificio Leo strategy
has been developed around the SHEEP brand that is
woven in the factory. The Leo family worked extensively
across generations to develop the innovative use of the
factory.
“The issue that drove the change has been the quality of
transformation rather than preserving tradition at any
cost”.
Lanificio Leo is starting a corporate identity project aimed
at the factory workers to make them aware of the success
unfolding thanks to their skills and effort.
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6. Local actions for business development
As a company aware of the value of its ECH
Lanificio Leo was one of the first enterprises
approached to contribute to and test the
ECH training material developed by
MNEMOS.
After looking at the ECH management
training material himself Emilio now plans to
present the MNEMOS learning platform
and training material to SME owners from
the Local Action Group - Reventino, a
public-private development organization of
business in 15 local towns.
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7. Using ECH to gain competitive advantage
Emilio sees Reventino using the ECH training
material as a resource for their VET activities
with local SMEs.
Together with the Enterprise Cultural Heritage
approach the material will be used to help local
SMEs improve the quality of their products and
services. It will also be used to develop their
readiness for to the global market by using their
heritage and the area to gain a competitive
advantage.
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8. To find out more…
Visit Lanificio Leo at http://www.lanificioleo.it
Read more about Lanificio Leo on 3rd MNEMOS newsletter at
http://www.enterpriseculturalheritage.org/images/stories/Third_Newsletter.pdf
If you would like to access the free training material and read case studies on the use of ECH
visit the project website at: www.enterpriseculturaleheritage.org
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9. Disclaimer
The content included in this training material has been compiled by the MNEMOS project team
from a variety of sources. The MNEMOS project team reserves the right to change the terms and
conditions of use of this training material without notice and any time. The training material is
produced for educational purposes only and does not offer legally binding advice. The training
material as well as the www.enterpriseculturalheritage.org website are made available “as is” and
“as available”.
MNEMOS project team makes no representation and does not warrant:
a) That the information selected for the training material and the website is
comprehensive, complete, verified, organised and accurate;
b) That it is licensed by the copyright or database right owner of any third party content to include
or reproduce such content in this training material and the website;
c) That the training material and the website will be uninterrupted and error-free; and
d) That the server from which the training material and the website is available is free of viruses
or bugs.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

10. End of Case Study in Enterprise Cultural Heritage (ECH) Management use
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