Antonio Cecere is the CEO of Ciceres Business Consulting, Monaco. He holds board advisory roles for several corporations and is the President of Geneva Diamond Exchange and Founder of Monaco Diamond Exchange. Antonio has served as a Lecturer for several universities.
His consulting experience covers multiple sectors across the supply chain; he was bestowed by H.R.H. The Princess Royal for services rendered to the industry in the United Kingdom and in the Principality of Monaco he was presented with the I.P.A. Honorary Diploma for his contribution to ethical sourcing.
Perhaps one of the most significant initiatives today in terms of innovation in the diamonds and jewellery sectors is the partnership between TeamViewer, the technology giant global leader in secure remote access and Augmented Reality (AR), and Ciceres, the consulting company headed by Antonio Cecere, a prominent specialist in the diamonds and jewellery sector. Ciceres becomes the first non-tech partner of TeamViewer to bring innovation to the sector.
Although this partnership with TeamViewer is at an initial stage of the collaboration, it is interesting for Rough & Polished to understand what areas of business are being targeted and what solutions they are aiming at generating. We asked Antonio Cecere to disclose in exclusivity their approach to integrating technology into diamonds.
Some excerpts:
What convinced you to be the first non-tech partner to TeamViewer in order to bring innovation to the diamond and jewellery sectors?
The people behind it did... I could say that I was impressed with the ground-breaking technologies that they employ at Mercedes Petronas Formula 1 Team where I identified the opportunity to import some of that innovation to the rough diamonds online auctions in Africa and Dubai.
I could argue that I was charmed by the simplicity through which they improved performance and cut costs of Manchester United Football Club, and I asked myself “What if those were diamonds instead”. I could mention their hands-on approach to the complexities of Coca-Cola stock-keeping requirements that they seamlessly solved -any diamond trader would have loved those.
I could list their tech partners that range from SAP to Siemens, from Microsoft to Google. But the truth is that when I met Michael Wilkens, Chief Financial Officer, at the Monaco Grand Prix, I was smitten by his pragmatic approach; when I met Oliver Steil, Chief Executive Officer, at Old Trafford Stadium I was charmed by his clear vision as leader of this pioneer tech-company that shifted its focus onto non-tech environments.
Why is this partnership so important?
This is not a technological exercise to improve the traceability of the diamonds like blockchain or to monetize through asset-based digital currencies; this is a clear attempt to apply technology at the service of the professionals that work in the industry without changing their ways of work, but integrating it with tools to optimize their abilities.
We observe all the areas in the supply chain that can benefit from technological innovation; our strategy is not only to apply existing technologies to the environment but to develop bespoke applications for situations specific to the sector to improve processes and innovate through cost-cutting exercises.
What areas of the diamond supply chain will be focused on?
End-to-end. Mining the minerals will benefit at the extraction stage by reducing the downtime of the machinery by giving the experts virtual access and giving instructions to unskilled workers remotely; this will also be a cost-cutting exercise and it positively impacts CO2 emissions.
In this respect, I observed how TeamViewer operates in the maintenance repair of BMW or Ford Motors, for example, through Augmented Reality (AR); so, this solution already exists and it is implemented with measurable success. Staff training will also be shortened in terms of time, and it is going to be more accurate and constantly available.
You mentioned that applications will be vertical through the supply chain, hence how can innovation benefit the trade of rough diamonds?
This is right in the domain of TeamViewer, the inventor of Secure Remote Access. Eligibly, the most secure service provider in the world, it can ensure that online diamonds auction houses work perfectly in the most flawless secure environment during the transactions, whilst TeamViewer hardware, the smart glasses, will record each product, stock count and transfer the data to their owners as well as prospect buyers. This brings a level of security unseen before in our trade.
Cutters and Polishers will then transform the rough minerals into shining diamonds; how do you see TeamViewer technologies implemented?
My first thoughts go to stock control, data protection and delivery, machinery downtime, and training. All these aspects will gain from implementing the solutions and the hardware at their disposal.
Security is paramount in our sector, and TeamViewer will ensure that our industry enters the innovation era by cutting costs and increasing efficiency by changing nothing in the way they operate, but the tools.
How are diamond traders being affected by this innovative set of programs?
Stock count and proof-of-life is a primary concerns which can now be delivered remotely to the owners and prospective buyers. Security on the data stored will be second to none.
If you are in the trade, keeping track of your stock by accessing secure videos of when the parcels are opened, stored, counted for and proof-of-life delivered is a game changer. The ability to achieve all this effortlessly and securely is priceless.
What happens when diamonds are set on jewels at factories and then delivered to retail stores?
We are studying end-to-end solutions for the sector; stock-keeping, proof-of-life, stock management, training, repairs and after-sale services are all central to the solutions that we are devising; they need to be cost-effective, infallible in how they operate and easy to use, precise and secure.
How can diamond bourses and jewellery centres improve their operations through the employment of the above-mentioned solutions?
This environment is extremely open to solution-based opportunities. A tradeshow benefits in countless ways from innovations, whether users are remote or experiencing it in person.
Similarly, education and academic courses can expand their radar and make their course available online, but also through the hardware which will offer the on-site students access to technical experiences that will forever form their understanding of jewellery-making from a practical standpoint.
All this is beside the importance of securing the data being shared amongst traders and with trade customers. The true innovation is to create an environment secure enough for the traders to feel comfortable interacting and sharing information.
The impact will be profound. It will be all designed to deliver to the final users a sense of security and ethical provenance so that confidence is ultimately restored for the benefit of all, which has been the hardest barrier to overcome in the last two decades.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
