The two firms, Marrone and Pier, take different approaches to design. Marrone develops design in-house relying on input from hotel advisors, chefs, and food lovers to meld functionality and aesthetics. Pier relies on input from business customers, bloggers, and celebrities to match clients' requirements innovatively. Both firms translate input into design sketches with designers and students, but Marrone involves qualified designers while Pier involves young design students. Technologies support Marrone by enabling custom cooking blocks production while for Pier it facilitates digital design changes before manufacturing while not replacing paper prototyping. This impacts internationalization, with customization making Marrone approved for Asian cooking and a reliable supplier worldwide, while Pier's precise paper prototypes make it

1. In which sense the word design has been used by the
two firms?
Marrone
Design is a key activity, melding together functionality (excellent performance
+ reliability) and aesthetics.
Pier
Design is a key activity that is successful when matching clients’ requirements
(difficult translation process) in an innovative way.
Group Name: Brownies

2. In which ways they have been able to develop a
structured design approach?
Marrone
Design is an in-house activity that relies on strong ties with hotel advisors, top
qualified chefs and passionate foodlovers (fine dining entities) that
explicitly express their preferences. These preferences are translated in
design sketches through the involvement of qualified designers and art
directors.
Pier
Design is an in-house activity that relies on the specific indications and
collaboration with a network of business customers and bloggers +
celebrities. These indications are translated in design sketches through the
involvement of young and meritorious students of famous design schools.
Group Name: Brownies

3. How do technologies support the strategies of the two
firms?
Marrone
Technologies and know-how are acquired from the surrounding area of the
innox valley. They do allow the production of the finest customised
cooking blocks.
Pier
Digitalisation facilitates changes in the product design sketch before the
product is manifactured, supporting and not substituting the core
competence consisting in the creation of the paper prototype of the product.
Group Name: Brownies

4. How is the internationalisation process of the two firms
affected by the technologies implemented by the two
companies?
Marrone
Customization as a core competence makes Marrone the only approved
supplier for asian cooking methods and the best and most reliable supplier
of cooking blocks for passionate chefs and foodlovers worldwide.
Pier
Extremely precise paper built prototypes make Pier an ideal producer for
luxury fashion brands and demanding celebrities worldwide.
Group Name: Brownies