The luxury sector, driven by a few heavyweights in the French economy, has entered the industrial era. In order to conquer new markets, major French groups have moved from a traditional production mode to an industrial world. Nevertheless, they still rely on workshops and subcontractors renowned for their know-how.
In this particular context, how to optimize maintenance in order to gain in productivity, while adapting to the specificities of the sector? How can we modernize the management of the machine park and production tools without hindering good communication and efficient collaboration between the various players in the manufacture of luxury products?
If the stakes are high for this flagship of French industry, new digital tools, from another dynamic national sector, can enable luxury companies to successfully meet them. In terms of maintenance management, Mobility Work CMMS is a particularly advantageous solution that has already seduced major groups such as L’Oréal and Shiseido.
The Luxury sector, an economic sector of its own
The luxury industry occupies a special place in the French economy, for several reasons.
A dynamic industrial sector
Today, luxury and fashion represent about one million direct and indirect jobs in France, world leader in the sector. Above all, it is one of the few French industries that creates jobs and resists outsourcing, and even relocates its production.
Fashion, leather and watch and jewelry are the main pillars (40% of jobs), followed by wines and spirits (17%), perfumes and cosmetics (17%) and gastronomy, with its palaces and 2 and 3 star restaurants (15%). Tableware and design complete the picture. And if few people know it, France is a leader in the manufacture of luxury bottles. The Bresle Valley, in Seine-Maritime, employs nearly 10,000 people in 70 companies that manufacture more than 70% of the world’s production for perfumery, spirits and cosmetics. The better known “Cosmetic Valley” has 3,200 companies, from Sisley to Shiseido, Coty and Clarins.
An export-oriented sector
While the French trade balance is generally in deficit, French luxury companies are enjoying considerable success abroad. The 9 French companies among the top 100 largest luxury goods players in the world alone account for 24.3% of global sales (Deloitte ranking, Global Powers of Luxury Goods, 2018). Perfumery and cosmetics, for example, is the second largest export sector after aeronautics.
A dense local fabric
Another specificity of the sector is that it irrigates a large part of the national territory. The superposition of production sites for all the luxury businesses thus highlights a geographical coverage of almost the entire country. All regions therefore benefit, in one way or another, from these jobs, through ecosystems of very diverse nature and size.
A wide variety of actors
This diversity is another characteristic of French luxury. Many professions belong to the sector, among which we can note several professions of excellence that make the reputation of France internationally: perfumes and cosmetics, leather and leather goods, design and decoration, haute couture and fashion, earthenware and porcelain, jewelry and watchmaking, goldsmithing, glass and crystal, hotels and palaces, or wines and spirits
In addition, the luxury industry includes both global giants listed on the stock exchange and a vast network of artisans, small and medium-sized businesses, who work in collaboration with the major houses and sometimes even directly on an international scale.
High quality requirements
More than in any other sector, production quality is a key issue in the luxury industry. To meet their customers’ expectations, companies must sell them products that live up to their reputation, even though production tends to be more and more industrialized.
Adapting and optimizing maintenance in the luxury industry with a next-gen CMMS
The characteristics of the luxury industry have major implications for maintenance management in industrial companies in this sector.
Adapt to foreign market standards
To market products abroad, it is imperative to comply with the standards in force in these foreign markets. In the field of cosmetics, for example, the United States require compliance with the 21 CFR Part standard for the management of electronic documents, which implies the use of IT tools that comply with this standard.
Promote good communication between partners
The characteristics of the luxury ecosystem, with multiple companies of very different sizes, require the implementation of processes and tools that promote good communication. In terms of maintenance, the ideal is to adopt a community-based and mobile CMMS, so that the various stakeholders and service providers can easily exchange information, documents and instructions.
Develop preventive maintenance
To guarantee optimal production quality, it is important that machines and equipment are constantly in perfect working order. To achieve this goal, the implementation of preventive maintenance routines, or maintenance plans, is a major asset. It is therefore in the best interest of companies in this sector to choose a CMMS solution that facilitates the creation and management of maintenance plans, to encourage their use and compliance by the teams.
Mobility Work, a CMMS adapted to all companies
The CMMS proposed by Mobility Work can be used as well by large groups, like L’Oréal, as by small and medium-sized companies. It is both easy to set up and simple to use, while being adapted to the use within large plants or industrial groups. Moreover, the rates are particularly attractive because they depend on the number of managers and maintenance technicians who use the application.
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