+90K
Employees worldwide
Multi-year Partnership With Global Beauty Leader to Drive Operational Excellence
A French multinational beauty company with over 90,000 employees worldwide partnered with EFESO to transform operations across 38 factories globally. Together we implemented digital shop floor management and supply chain optimization, delivering sustained operational improvements for more than a decade.
Consumer Goods and Luxury
Life Sciences
Digital & Ai
Manufacturing
Operational Excellence
Operations Strategy and Transformation
Smart Factory
Supply Chain
Our Client
Founded over 100 years ago, this French multinational focuses exclusively on beauty, offering 37 international brands across skincare, haircare, makeup and fragrances.
The company operates manufacturing facilities and distribution centers worldwide, serving customers through diverse channels. Its global manufacturing network includes plants across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions.
+150
Countries of operation
38
Manufacturing plants globally
120
Distribution centers
The Challenge
In 2010, the company needed to enhance its operating system through a comprehensive operational excellence program. The initiative began with critical operational challenges:
- Productivity constraints – Three initial plants in France, Belgium, and Germany required significant productivity improvements to meet growing demand
- Material losses and scrap – Manufacturing operations experienced substantial material waste, impacting both costs and sustainability goals across the production network
- Digital transformation needs – After achieving operational autonomy by 2016, the entire shop floor and factory departments required digitization through advanced performance management systems
Real Results Achieved Together
The transformation journey evolved from three pilot plants to a global operational excellence system across all manufacturing and distribution operations.
Working alongside the in-house teams, we implemented improvements that fundamentally changed how operations perform and adapt.
-30%
Material losses
-35%
Lead times
+20%
OEE
€120M
Annual savings
Transformation Impact
- Target productivity levels achieved within 3-4 months without exceeding planned budgets
- Full operational autonomy achieved in the excellence system by 2016
- Operational excellence program extended to distribution centers with compelling results
Our Approach
The partnership began with three pilot plants, focusing on productivity improvements and material loss reduction. After initial successes, we collaborated to expand the program group-wide, implementing across 35 additional factories worldwide.
Following operational autonomy achievement, we supported shop floor digitization through the implementation of the Solvace platform, starting with a pilot in the factory in Belgium.
The digital performance management system rollout extended to all 38 factories and 40 warehouses. We developed an operational excellence program specifically for distribution centers, implementing that across 30 warehouses.
The collaboration also expanded to greenfield projects in Egypt and Mexico and a research initiative in Russia. In 2021-22 we implemented an end-to-end supply chain approach through four pilot projects, enhancing agility and reducing inventory.
We also developed a vertical startup approach for new production lines, accelerating time to target performance.
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Facing Similar Manufacturing Excellence Challenges?
- Struggling with material losses and productivity constraints across multiple plants
- Seeking to digitize shop floor operations while maintaining operational momentum
- Ready to build lasting operational excellence capabilities with a proven partner
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