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Development strategies to face the crisis
The survey on small, medium and intermediate manufacturing companies facing the crisis presents the lessons learned from the interviews of 32 company managers. This survey was performed by Bpifrance Le Lab and Cetim with support from Autre Vision (a consultant firm) and shows how these anonymous companies have implemented genuine recovery strategies to cope with the crisis.
The survey entitled “Small, medium and intermediate manufacturing companies: new development strategies to face the crisis” was presented on 28 October 2014 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (France). It draws on the interviews of 32 managers of small, medium and intermediate manufacturing companies carried out between February and September 2014. This survey was performed by Bpifrance Le Lab in association with Cetim and with support from Autre Vision (a consultant firm), FIM, FIEEC and Plastipolis, and is geared towards understanding how some companies were able to develop winning strategies to overcome the crisis.
These companies were selected especially for their involvement in professional networks and their participation in certain programmes such as Acamas, a programme initiated by FIM with support from Cetim. “Cetim general manager, Philippe Choderlos de Laclos, explains: “In 2005, with support from FIM, we invested almost 2 million euros in economic and forecasting surveys concerning the various sectors, then we initiated strategic support programmes in small and medium companies in partnership with the French regions that we persuaded to come on board. Over a period of eight years, 1,150 small and medium companies have followed the Acamas cycle with support from specially selected consultants”.
“This survey is the first to shed light on those manufacturing companies nobody talks about, continues Nicolas Dufourcq, general manager of Bpifrance. These small, medium and intermediate companies work for all French industrial sectors and, further to the crisis, they initiated offensive strategies which led them to open to the international markets, to innovate and adapt their products and services to the requirements of their customers.”
A rewarded strategy
In fact, all these companies have one thing in common. They have implemented real strategic plans, a vision over a period of 3 to 5 years or more, and an action plan geared around clearly defined objectives.
This survey is not aimed at revealing “miracle” strategies, nor is it aimed at affirming that the strategy is the perfect remedy against the problems facing the industrial sector. In fact its purpose is to shed light on companies that have taken charge of their own fates and use their strategic actions to shape their future rather than be controlled by it.
In addition to the differences between the strategic behaviours and the actions implemented by these companies, we made four main observations.
1) A shock, either within or outside the company, initiated the change. For most companies, this shock was the 2008-2009 crisis.
2) The “new” managers give the impetus. They have new management references and a new international and business culture in comparison to their predecessors. They are very open-minded, belong to networks and share their vision with all parties involved.
3) There is not one magical solution, but there are three essential elements: internationalisation, innovation and alliances.
4) There are multiple stakes: the structural lack of skilled and trained personnel; an excessively asymmetric relationship with prime contractors, based on domination; the transformation of the management organisations and models to cope with continuous interference; the necessary know-how to seize the opportunities given by the information and digital technologies; and the preparation of transmission.
Click here to view the presentation video of this survey.
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