News 
Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier (VMF) launched an operational excellence programme a year and a half ago.
After focusing on the accuracy of design, feasibility, precision, reliability, testing, complications and creativity, the Fleurier company, under the impetus of its CEO Jean-Noël Lefevre, is embarking on a cultural change. Internally, the programme is known as CLEAR, a combination of the words Customer, Lean, Efficiency, Agility and Resources. “Together, we are putting in place within the company a culture of indicators and measurement. One of my expectations is to be able to “break down” the objectives and requirements on a weekly or daily basis so as to even out production and deliveries in order to ensure smoother processes.
This visual management, which naturally involves installing open tables that are accessible at a glance, has the advantage of providing optimal and permanent visibility of several operational indicators, including the service rate, as well as widespread accountability. “When you look at a table, you can see immediately what is working but also what is in the red so that you can take immediate action. This encourages teamwork, a change in mindset, transparency and measurement,” explains the CEO. “Every customer is important, from the largest to the smallest. Satisfying them is no longer just a matter for the logistics department, but for everyone. And the fact that we have visual access to daily objectives means that we know where we are headed, where we are; it’s a real GPS for all the teams, from managers to operators.”
Since the arrival of its director in April 2019, VMF has dedicated itself to its core business: namely to satisfy its clients as a movement producer. In concrete terms, this translates into increased reliability, stabilised and then improved quality, as well as more efficient logistics throughout the chain: optimised productivity, reduction of stocks, etc.,” adds Jérémy Romier, head of the “Operational Excellence” project, who was specifically hired in March 2020 to oversee this managerial reform.
Building on his experience in Lean management, this manager heralding a new era aims to obtain the support of the teams. According to him, it is above all a question of “humility, psychology and a willingness to listen”. He adds that “improving flows and reducing lead times is sometimes counter-intuitive. It can only be done with time, patience and education, as well as with clearly expressed and implemented managerial determination.”
September 02, 2021