Key responsive manufacturing: our philosophy!

Key responsive manufacturing®: Our commitment to an ultra-responsive and high-end industrial service, à la Française

Responsive manufacturing is our new philosophy, which for several years has pragmatically combined and intertwined lean manufacturing and all agile methods of industrial management at short notice with the technology necessary in all company processes, at the service of production and the customer.

Some excerpts from our philosophy:

1. The evolution of the world is changing paradigms and pushing us to be more reactive.
2. The values of key responsive manufacturing by GARDETTE
3. The 7 major pillars of Key Responsive Manufacturing by GARDETTE

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‍The evolution of the world is changing the paradigm and pushing us to be more reactive

Industrial companies are constantly challenged to meet customer expectations while ensuring just-in-time production, and improving the return on investment. With the advent of globalization and successive crises, these challenges have been exacerbated, as manufacturers now have to serve diverse markets, managing complex supply networks that have replaced traditional linear supply chains.

In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis have accelerated these phenomena for two major reasons:

• First, many countries have temporarily closed their productions and sometimes their borders. These travel restrictions have disrupted supply chains and created shortages everywhere (of materials, energy, finished products, etc.). These events have completely changed procurement practices and have pushed companies to diversify their range of suppliers while bringing them closer together geographically to reduce dependence on transport.
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• The advent of teleworking, which was the norm only in certain tertiary sectors, has also democratized in industry and with it the practices related to it, such as the increased use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for remote work and collaboration, online commerce as well as data feedback and their use.

At Gardette Industries, these events pushed us to adapt. To deal with this, we have come up with an extremely agile industrial management method that is not only applicable to production but also and above all to all other company processes, which are called Key responsive manufacturing. ‍

The Key Responsive Manufacturing, is our new leitmotif, which allows us to meet all these challenges and to become even more competitive in the globalized industry as a manufacturer but also as a provider of solutions for our customers through pragmatic management that starts with incoming demand.

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The values of key responsive manufacturing by GARDETTE

In Key Responsive Manufacturing, our companies follow very different production models, sometimes on demand, predictive, predictive, agile, lean...

The entire product lifecycle, from innovation to delivery, is streamlined to quickly produce only what is needed, meet quality expectations, and eliminate additional costs, while having the ability to grow and adapt to changes in demand.

Complete visibility into all stages of production is critical to the success of this approach. As manufacturers with an industrial DNA, we therefore needed to break departmental silos and ensure optimal integration of the systems and processes involved in the life cycle.. In addition, the continuous collection of real-time data at each stage of the business cycle (from opportunity research to after-sales), forecasting and then detecting changes, and manufacturing to order are key aspects of responsive manufacturing.

In Key Responsive Manufacturing, production is carried out when it is “necessary” and optimal.
‍This approach has allowed us as a manufacturer to develop a portfolio of very varied and complex products while drastically reducing ancillary production costs and eliminating phantom expenses.

Finally, the influx and constant analysis of production and organizational data ensures that products meet the quality and compliance standards of customers, and regulators who issue product certifications and accreditations according to our customer base.
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The main pillars of Key Responsive Manufacturing by GARDETTE

Agile management of top management

The management committee as well as the business executive committees (capteam, Vteq, etc.) meet at least once a week for a qualitative and quantitative but above all ultra-rapid review of the measured KPIs.

This approach is directly and clearly linked to the strategic plan adjusted as much as possible every year, and which takes into account modelled forecasts of the needs of our customers, recurrent and non-recurring.

Key point: the KPIs measured and monitored are also adaptable according to challenges and weekly iterations related to the reality and the variety of offers and orders in progress at the moment.

This management method favors two things:

• The pragmatic adaptation of a “common thread” plan rather than its theoretical application by definition erroneous: In a constantly changing industrial environment, it is essential to have an ultra-flexible and adaptable strategy that can be adjusted according to new challenges and weekly iterations. Agile management allows you to work on short-term goals while maintaining a long-term strategic vision. This allows the business to adapt quickly to market changes and make more informed decisions about what to do next.

• Management that follows operational indicators “live” rather than monitoring based on previous results: Agile management is based on a goal-oriented approach, which focuses on operational indicators in real time rather than on previous results. This approach allows management to adapt very quickly to changes and market challenges by making informed decisions based on reliable and up-to-date data. It also makes it possible to identify potential problems earlier and to put corrective measures in place to improve results.

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A proposal for a tailor-made commercial solution

We have adapted our sales department to the “new” needs of the market, or rather the markets: a mix of small and medium quantities (80% of orders) and large quantities (20% of orders).

Many customers, many new markets, many types of needs (quality/quantity,...).

From lawn mower repairers to direct car manufacturers, “post-covid” customers are always asking for more reactivity and service.
However, traditional industrial systems do not allow commercial services to offer expected solutions.
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The “make all” or “buy to local expert partners” strategy

We have developed a solid network of approved partner suppliers in collaboration with our quality department, which allows us to offer several solutions for our customers.

As a manufacturer, we have refocused on the backbone of our differentiating processes by focusing our investments on innovation on these “in-house” processes.

On the other hand, when we do not have the necessary machine or process in the manufacturing range, rather than taking the risk of being too expensive or having too long deadlines, it may therefore happen that, in parallel with our internal manufacturing proposal in our factories, we propose to have part of the customer request carried out by one of our authorized partners. This makes it possible to match customer demand while ensuring Gardette quality. Here are the benefits of this strategy:

• Reduction of deadlines : By having access to a network of local partners, we reduce production times by relying on their expertise and production capacities. This makes it possible to respond more quickly to customer requests and to gain in responsiveness.
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• Diversification of skills : Partner suppliers have skills and production equipment that are complementary to those of the company. This allows us to expand the range of finishes and types of products offered to customers and sometimes even to improve the quality of the products manufactured.
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• Cost optimization : By having all or part of customer demand manufactured by authorized suppliers, the company can optimize its production costs by exploiting the competitive advantages of these suppliers. This leads to a reduction in the time and cost ratio for the company and therefore for its customers.
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• Guaranteed quality : The company invests in ensuring that its partners have the skills and capacities to produce quality services via a complete matrix revisited according to the highest standards by our quality department. This allows us to guarantee the quality of the services offered to customers and to improve their satisfaction.

Hyperflexible production in islands

Island production consists in grouping various stages of production into a compact set dedicated to a specific product or to a group of products with similar characteristics. Unlike online production, where each product goes through each production stage in a predetermined order, island production makes it possible to work on several products at the same time while offering greater flexibility in the order in which the production steps are carried out. It is made possible by a carefully measured investment to finance assets that allow us to constantly oscillate between high flow and pull flow without losing the key to our job as producers: productivity.

Island production allows us in particular

• Flexibility : The island approach allows greater flexibility in the production of different types of products. Islands can be designed to meet specific needs, such as the manufacture of customized products or the production of small series.
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• Versatility : The employees in the islands are very autonomous and constantly trained in new equipment and new processes. This allows for versatility at its peak in production and a better approach to human resources.
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• Innovation R&D processes and automation : Our performance is judged by our ability to have “the right machine for the right process at the right time” and for the right products. Thus, the whole logic for measuring our performance has been redesigned on the basis of humans and not machines.

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The value of women and men is our jewel, but that also makes it rare.

To maintain and develop it, everything that can be automated must be automated, but automation does not only mean robotization. Of course, our robots know how to load and unload machines and much more, but in a human-led logic, the autonomy of machines, the elimination of resumes of operation through innovation in the R&D of our own processes, the replacement of recurring tasks thanks to ever more efficient and precise machines are among the innovations implemented in recent years as part of our logic of key responsive manufacturing.

• Quality improvement : Island production makes it possible to better control the stages of production, because employees share the responsibility for a specific set of tasks. We demonstrate that this reduces errors and improves the overall quality of our offering.

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An internalized value chain

At Gardette we understand that controlling the entire value chain in our industrial SME, from start to finish, brings numerous advantages. We can adapt each stage of production as soon as the raw material is processed specific to our needs, identify new needs quickly and respond to them more quickly, which makes it possible to improve the overall responsiveness of the company.

• The vertical integration of the manufacture of our own raw material processed cold in our factory in Villars. This almost crazy bet, taken in 2013 to industrialize this company, which was at the time almost artisanal but with a unique know-how, is today the cornerstone that has become a major asset in the wake of covid and in scarce global contexts.. We now manufacture for ourselves and our customers in a few days what we used to take several months to supply.
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• The reduction of deadlines : By having control of the entire value chain, the company can reduce production times by eliminating delays and waiting times between the various stages of production. This makes it possible to produce more quickly and to deliver products more quickly to customers.
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• Continuous automated quality control : By controlling the entire value chain, the company can control each stage of production and quickly detect quality problems. This reduces the risk of quality defects and improves customer satisfaction.
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• Flexibility : Mastering the entire value chain allows the company to be more flexible in the production and delivery of products. The company can quickly adjust production according to customer needs or market conditions, improving overall responsiveness.
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• Continuous improvement : By controlling all the data reported in real time, the company can set up continuous improvement processes to constantly improve the quality, productivity and responsiveness of the company.
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• Cost control : By controlling the entire value chain, the company can better control production costs, identifying sources of unnecessary costs or inefficiencies in production processes. This makes it possible to improve the profitability of the company while maintaining the quality of the products.
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Adapted digitalization

In recent years, we have invested heavily in internal and external digitalization. This is the result of a simple observation: the market is changing and so are consumers. The buyer of 10 years ago no longer has the same practices as today and the provision of effective and easy to implement tools that create incredible opportunities. Here are the major elements of our digitalization:

• Implementation of a digital marketing strategy: By using online communication channels, the company can better target its potential customers and personalize its offers. This makes it possible to respond quickly to customer requests and to better understand customer needs to improve the quality of its products and services.
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• Implementation of a modern CRM linked to marketing data: An effective CRM system makes it possible to centralize all customer information in a database accessible by all departments of the company. This makes it possible to improve communication between the various departments, to better understand customer needs and to offer solutions more quickly. Customers can also benefit from a better experience through follow-up