Family business which employs 85 people in the Grand Duchy, Caves Bernard-Massard has been run since 2016 by Antoine Clasen, 5th generation family member (he succeeded his father Hubert). The company claims a turnover of about 20 million euros, for a production and an annual sale of around 3.5 million bottles. It also plans to invest a further 5.5 million euros by 2021.
“As part of the transition between my father and I, we found the ideal opportunity to think outside the box and have a fresh look at things”, justifies Antoine Clasen, to explain the commitment of Caves Bernard-Massard to the Fit 4 Innovation program from Luxinnovation. “There were no real base problems, but rather the desire to have a critical look at our organisation. It was important at that time to ask the right questions and to seize the opportunity offered by this program. ”
As a result, the 18 month “Bacchus” project was launched, based on a phase of indepth identification allowing,, without real turmoil, to pinpoint some aspects requiring improvement, “with a real added-value for our company, “says Antoine Clasen.
This included a thorough review of the modus operandi of sales teams and refinement of decision-making processes through the introduction of interactive indicators and dashboards.
Operational changes
No less than five projects were implemented in parallel, making it possible to envisage a rise in the company’s turnover on the national market, a boost in sales force performance, a better anticipation of production needs according to forecasts and also the definition of a plan to penetrate new markets over a period of 3 years.
Everything was done in a spirit of permanent innovation that changes Antoine Clasen’s point of view on the issue. “For me, innovation was more synonymous with new disruptive technologies like the iPhone. With this program, we have seen that every change in process or improvement is an innovation in itself. Today, we are therefore more ‘innovative’ than before, or at least we know how to put a name on an action.”
During the 18 months of the program, Caves Bernard -Massard mainly reviewed their flows and tools available for the sales force and the digitalisation of their reporting. This has resulted in significant operational changes, with the adoption of cloud services, the use of more powerful mobile tools and a much more sophisticatedsales force tracking. “It now allows us to be more anticipatory than responsive.”
Other projects, such as logistics and the implementation of an export strategy, have been more marginal. “The first one did not bring real savings and we did not really have time for the second one.”
In the end, the quantitative and qualitative objectives were achieved and the company now has interactive dashboards and monitoring indicators that greatly facilitate its management. “If I had to summarize this experience, I would say that it pushed me to pick up the phone and encourage friends around me to participate in this program which is really a great opportunity for SMEs!”
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Luxinnovation contributes to the economic development of Luxembourg by fostering innovation, fuelling international growth and attracting foreign direct investment and is supported by: Ministry of the Economy, Ministry for Higher Education and Research, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg Chamber of Skilled Crafts and FEDIL – The Voice of Luxembourg’s Industry.