“Digitalization gives us flexibility, meaning we can react to customer and market changes and switch from one product to another in near-real time – which is one of our key competitive advantages.”

Frederic Moret,

Worldwide Industrial Director at Faurecia.

 

Digitizing the Five Star Customer Experience

When it comes to driving the transformation, for Faurecia, a global leader in automotive technology, the destination is total customer satisfaction.

Faurecia has built a company culture centered on its customers and focused on continually improving how it serves them – with the goal of being their preferred supplier and partner. The foundation from which this culture has been built is the Faurecia Excellence System (FES), recently renamed FES X.0.

Based on the lean management approach, FES X.0 involves all functions and aims to understand, anticipate and exceed customer expectations – something it does via a combination of technology and people. For example, Faurecia launched an app that allows customers to provide feedback anywhere, anytime. In 2022, it received over 3,260 customer responses from over 1,500 unique users, with an average rating of 4.6 stars (out of 5).

 

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Confident Customers

“The confidence of Faurecia’s customers in our strategy is expressed both through its record order intake over the past few years and the numerous awards that customers give to the Group for global performance, manufacturing excellence, cost savings and innovation” says Frederic Moret, Worldwide Industrial Director at Faurecia.

But this feedback isn’t just a pat on the back – all concerns and issues are proactively addressed. “Achieving that coveted five star customer experience requires a near-perfect match between our customers’ expectations and our capacity to deliver on those expectations” notes Moret.

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Digitalization is Flexibility

When it comes to achieving this match, Faurecia can leverage its high level of digitalization. In fact, following a comprehensive transformation project launched in 2016 that saw the integration of a wide range of Industry 4.0 technologies into its processes, Faurecia is today considered one of the most modern factories in France and beyond.

“This digitalization gives us flexibility, meaning we can react to customer and market changes and switch from one product to another in near-real time – which is one of our key competitive advantages” explains Moret.

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The Importance of Data

Moret particularly notes the important role data plays. “With the right algorithms, when a change needs to be made, we can quickly analyze all the data on what has been produced and use that to accurately forecast our capacity to manufacture the new product” he says. “Without digitalization, such flexibility would be impossible.”

Whenever Faurecia purchases a new machine, it gives the supplier a list of data they expect the machine to provide and in what format it must be provided. Thus, every machine should provide the same type of data – adding an important layer of consistency across all the company’s sites.

The same goes for reacting to a customer concern or issue. “When digitalization is done right, everything is transparent – you can look at the data, identify the problem – even predict the problem – and then act” remarks Moret.

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Problem-Solving Starts on the Shop Floor

Data and digitalization also ensure that issues can be addressed not from the top down, but directly where they happen: the shop floor. “A critical feature of our FES strategy is that it places the bulk of our problem solving with our shop floor people” says Moret.

To secure its long-term customer centric transformation, Faurecia has rolled out a five-star certification program focused on enhancing the service mindset and skills of its people.

As Moret explains, whenever there is an issue, it first goes to the shop floor, ensuring that the operator immediately sees the issue and can react. If the issue cannot be fully addressed by the operator, the FES includes a hierarchy of action, meaning the operator is always clear about who they should escalate the issue to.

This approach has proven to be very efficient, with about 99% of all issues being handled by the company’s shop floor employees.“By involving everybody – from the shop floor to the top floor – and providing them with the right digital tools, we are well on our way to delivering a five star customer experience” concludes Moret.

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“Regardless of how digital a company becomes, you cannot remove the human factor.”

 

Kyle Tansill,
Digital Manufacturing Solutions Architect, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics

 

Revolution 4.0

At Saint-Gobain, which designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets, the Industry 4.0 revolution is just as much about people as it is about digital.

2018. That was the year the revolution started. “There was a lot of hype but also a lot of confusion” recalls Kyle Tansill who, as an automation engineer, was on the frontlines of Saint-Gobain’s Industry 4.0 revolution.

According to Tansill, who today serves as Digital Manufacturing Solutions Architect at Saint-Gobain Life Sciences, the spark that lit the digitalization fire was a spur of acquisitions. “Facing a low level of standardization for our machinery, we turned our focus to automation and connectivity” he says.

It was also a matter of bringing the company from the Paper Age into the Digital Age. “We got to work using Google Maps on our smartphone, but once we are there, we switch the phone for pen and paper,” explains Tansill.

However, as Tansill is quick to point out, the solution to this problem wasn’t as easy as replacing the pen and paper with tech and apps. Change is never so simple. “We brought in all these sexy tools and then we realized that while everyone knew we should be doing something with them, nobody actually knew what that something was,” he adds.

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Bridge a Disconnect

To bridge this digital disconnect, the company took a couple of steps back. They started with skills, ensuring that its people had basic automation skills. They also upgraded their PLCs and invested in automation infrastructure.

As a result, today Saint-Gobain is in a position where most of its strategic machinery features updated PLCs and some form of connectivity. Most importantly, its sites are staffed with people who understand automation.

“Our teams didn’t know what an industrial network was just a few years back” remarks Tansill. “Since then, they’ve developed the necessary skills, which puts us in a really strong position going forward.”

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Digitize Your Head

While going forward does mean increasing automation, it does not mean replacing people. “Regardless of how digital a company becomes, you cannot replace the human factor,” says Tansill.

So, how does one preserve that essential people component in a sector notorious for having a high turnover?

Somewhat ironically, the answer is digitalization.

“Turnover means more than just having to train new people, it also means constantly losing your company’s knowledge base” explains Tansill.

To help plug this leak, Saint-Gobain is in the process of digitizing its know- how. One approach being implemented involves utilizing data to establish standardized operating procedures for its machinery. This ensures that the operational steps are embedded within the machine itself, rather than relying on an individual’s memory or personal knowledge.

The company also decided to bring in a ringer. “We employed a top-level senior software engineer who was an incredibly talented Python developer and all-around software genius,” says Tansill.

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“I don’t even like the term Industry 4.0, believing it gives the false perception that one comes in, does digital, and then is done.”

Achieving the Goal of Performance

While the developer was only with the company for less than two years, his impact remains. “Having this developer allowed our automation developers to learn how to develop properly and then implement a proper continuous integration lifecycle and support system” adds Tansill.

We’d All Love to See the Plan

Over the course of six years, Saint-Gobain went from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0. Yet its journey is far from over. In fact, Tansill doesn’t even like the term Industry 4.0, believing it gives the false perception that one comes in, does digital, and then is done – which clearly is not the case.

“Digital shouldn’t be seen as the end but the means to achieving the goal of improved performance” says Tansill. “Whatever domain you’re working in, you need to accept that even though your expertise might be digital, you are just as responsible as everyone else for the company’s performance.”

Yet while Saint-Gobain’s digital transformation may be an ongoing work- in-progress, they do have the benefit of hindsight – meaning they can offer some sage advice for those just starting off on their journey.

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Having a Clear Plan is Key

“Do not start this journey without a clear plan of where the business is going” warns Tansill.

As Tansill explains, without a plan, you risk deploying technology for technology’s sake. “But with a well thought out roadmap, you can match technology to objective, ensuring that every investment gets results, improves performance and, ultimately, advances the company towards where it wants to be” he concludes.

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