+20
Plants across Europe
Transforming European Bakery Operations at Scale
A bakery brand faced profitability challenges with EBITDA at 8% versus an industry average of 13%. EFESO alongside the company’s own team to implement comprehensive training and operational improvements across its European bakery network. The transformation engaged teams from shop floor to management, establishing sustainable operational capabilities.
Industry: Food & Beverage
Service: Manufacturing
Service: Operational Excellence
Service: People and Organization
Service: Supply Chain
Our Client
A European bakery company specializing in bread and pastry products with €870 million turnover. Operating 22 plants across 8 European countries, the company serves 23 countries with bakery products.
The organization employs between 30 to 100 people per plant, creating a close-knit operational environment where comprehensive engagement was essential.
8
European countries
€870M
Annual turnover
+20
Countries served
“This brand didn't want support for its own sake. It wanted to transfer responsibility to its own people.
“
The Challenge
The bakery operations faced significant profitability pressures requiring systematic transformation.
- Below-industry profitability: EBITDA stood at 8% while bakery industry averaged 13% and competitors achieved 15%
- Operational inconsistency: Plants operated without unified standards, using financial-focused SAP systems that tracked costs but not efficiency losses, limiting visibility into improvement opportunities
- Process inefficiencies: Defrosting times reached 16 hours, disrupting production flow while material losses and labor inefficiencies accumulated to €45 million in identified losses across the network
Real Results Achieved Together
The comprehensive transformation program combined extensive training, loss reduction initiatives and digital tool implementation across the bakery network. Working alongside plant teams, we established sustainable operational excellence capabilities that delivered measurable improvements.
+1.6%
EBITDA improvement achieved
€5M
Losses recovered in first year
50%
Reduction in defrosting time
Transformation Impact
- Established autonomous OpEx community with internal capabilities, reducing dependency on external consultants
- Promoted multiple OpEx managers to senior positions including plant managers and France operations manager
- Implemented clear KPI tree linking shop floor operational indicators to management metrics
Our Approach
The transformation began with comprehensive bilingual training programs targeting OpEx managers, production managers, maintenance managers, HR, and quality teams. Training modules covered problem-solving systems, OEE, labor productivity, capacity, material inefficiency, loss intelligence and autonomous management. We established an academy hub delivering sessions in French and English to accommodate the multinational workforce.
Factory model training engaged 21 plants’ managers and controllers, identifying €45 million in losses and developing targeted recovery plans. We supported teams at multiple levels—from one-day problem-solving sessions to three-month initiatives addressing breakdowns, defects, setup times and preventive maintenance.
Quality tools including QX matrix and performance control systems were implemented alongside MES integration using EFESO’s KPI tree concept.
The approach emphasized knowledge transfer and capability building, with EFESO developing a dedicated toolkit for day-to-day operations and training capitalization. Strong management involvement ensured that operational indicators improved while financial teams linked economic results to physical performance.
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Facing Similar Bakery Production Challenges?
- Struggling with profitability gaps while competitors achieve higher margins
- Seeking to standardize operations across multiple plants and countries
- Ready to build internal capabilities that deliver sustainable operational excellence
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