Piaggio America’s John Bingham
Interview by Mark Huber - August 1, 2010
“When I was telling people that I joined Piaggio,” said John Bingham, “they would say, ‘I didn’t realize that you had gone to work in motor scooters.’ I quickly understood that we needed to do something about the name of the company. So that is why we branded it ‘Piaggio Aero.’”
Bingham, an auto-industry veteran who started at the Italian company last year, was named president and CEO of the Piaggio America division in February. The firm completes, delivers and supports the P.180 Avanti and Avanti II turboprop aircraft in the North American and Latin American markets.
The Avanti II is the world’s fastest business turboprop, cruising at 402 knots, and is a staple of U.S.-based fractional provider Avantair, which operates more than 50 of the airplanes. The model is the sole survivor of a trio of fast pusher turboprops developed in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Over the last several years, Piaggio has been buoyed by major international investments and production has increased at stable rates. The manufacturer, which first delivered the Avanti to customers in 1990, updated it in 2005 as the Avanti II with glass-panel avionics and slightly more powerful Pratt & Whitney engines. The aircraft has speed comparable to that of a light jet, interior dimensions nearly equal to those of a midsize Hawker jet and better fuel efficiency than a King Air 350 turboprop.
Piaggio manufactures the Avanti II at its venerable Finale Ligouri plant in Genoa, Italy, and then flies it to the U.S., where updated executive interiors are installed. The company–which is also developing a new jet–sells 70 percent of its Avantis in North America.
Bingham talked to BJT about the latest developments at Piaggio Aero and his take on the overall business jet market.
You spent a lot of time last year rebranding the company. How important is branding to sustaining sales over time?
You’ve got to gain an identity. I think the image we have now is far more modern and we are hearing from people that we’ve never heard from before. The reason is that we’re actively pursuing print, digital and social media to make sure that the brand is understood and that we show our aircraft in as many places as possible.
What lessons did you learn at Bentley and Rolls-Royce that you can apply to the corporate aircraft market?
Before I worked there, I worked at Renault, the French car company, where I gained a volume perspective on cars, and then I went to high luxury and Rolls-Royce, and there is a clear differentiation.
Then I went to work for Cirrus and now Piaggio and there again we are talking volume against more of a luxury product.
People understand the touch and feel of quality. At Piaggio we understand the human factors beyond the basics of how an aircraft works and its ability to go from Point A to Point B. We appreciate the customer’s desires and motivation.
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