On Wednesday 19 February, our client Total Ertvelde won the 'Factory of the Future Award'.
Total Ertvelde is Total's second largest lubricant manufacturer in Europe. With 190 employees (including 130 in production, 30 in logistics and 30 in ANAC, the analysis and diagnosis centre for used oils), they guarantee the production of 185,000 tonnes of lubricants every year. Today, Total Ertvelde supplies not only motor oils for the 'automotive' sector, but also industrial oils and marine oils. In total, about 310 different oils, each with specific properties (and the associated complex formulation), are made.
Why is Total Ertvelde a Factory of the Future?
By responding very flexibly to customer expectations and embracing the growing complexity in the plant, Total Ertvelde succeeds in perfectly translating the group's strategy into their production context. This leads to growth for Total in the world of lubricants, but equally to growth for Total Ertvelde (in volume, in people and in investments). And this without becoming more expensive.
In addition, they have invested with great dedication in sustainability (both ecological and social), are very transparent to the outside world (the door is open to everyone) and are committed to a people-driven organisation (e.g. in the field of communication, leadership and creating involvement).
Collaboration with Stanwick
Several years ago, Total asked Stanwick to help them implement Operational Excellence. Optimising processes to cope with increasing complexity was the task; it never became a 'cost story'. By focusing smartly on what is strategically important, we were able to make the plant more interesting for new customers, for new products and for group investments.
This also fits into Stanwick's DNA: implementation from the shopfloor with a clear link to the strategic objectives. That's the way we prefer to work, that way we can guarantee real results. So thank you to the management of Total Ertvelde for their confidence in us and we are very proud that we can contribute in our own way to this fantastic result!
Tom Van der Straeten
