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Le Figaro - Specialist in the competitiveness of industrial operations

From French business magazine “Le Figaro Partner” – 2019-12

Avencore is an international consulting firm that improves industry performance utilizing the expertise of more than 100 consultants in France, Germany, the United States and Asia. Interview with Matthieu Maudelonde, Senior Manager and Vincent Desportes, Senior Consultant.

A few words to introduce Avencore?

Matthieu Maudelonde: Avencore supports major groups and SMEs to improve their industrial performance. Thanks to the expertise of our 100 consultants, all engineers, we help our customers to gain in competitiveness by working on two main axes:

  • the performance of operations, i.e. product design, suppliers and industrial facilities, since direct costs represent 50 to 70% of revenues;
  • the transformation of operations, from engineering to production, including purchasing, by activating numerous levers, including digitalization (Factory of the Future, modeling, automation, etc.).

Why cost reduction is a relevant issue for the industry

MM: The industry is changing. New competitors, new service-oriented business models, reduced institutional investment, changing safety standards: each sector faces specific challenges. In this context, the search for competitiveness is a constant struggle.

Space, for example, has become a highly competitive market, with many new entrants and increased scrutiny of development budgets. For the historical players, technical and economic optimization has become fundamental, 30 years after the automobile industry. In the launcher market, as with satellites, we must now imagine alternative development methods, transform organisations to ensure innovative product policies and improve time-to-market.

Ramp-up capability has become a critical success factor for aircraft manufacturers as well as system integrators and subcontractors. The players in this sector must control their supply chain, paying particular attention to eliminating non-quality at all levels. At the same time, cost control requires rethinking engineering methods in order to act upstream on non-recurring expenses (NRC). In a world where reducing costs after certification is delicate, the Design-to-cost approach, coupled with the implementation of new developments (platforming, building blocks…), produces the best results.

What issues do you respond to?

Vincent Desportes: We respond to the main challenges, like how to approach the cost reduction of a complex system and identify the cost drivers; which good industrial practices to draw inspiration from; which objective(s) to set, over what time horizon; how to convince all the teams of engineers, operators and decision-makers of the relevance of such an approach… so many issues to which AVENCORE, with its industrial expertise, provides concrete solutions.

How do you accompany your clients?

VD: From the first day, our teams intervene on site, as close as possible to the client. It all starts with a technical and economic analysis of the product, the system or the plant, from which a set of prioritised levers is derived, on which we propose to work. Then a solution development phase starts to generate short-term gains and present possible investment scenarios. Finally, to ensure the sustainability of the identified solutions, AVENCORE offers support during their implementation.

What are your assets?

MM: Our added value: to provide advice dedicated to cost reduction in industry, at an international level, with recognized competence in the main industrial sectors. We are the missing link between large generalist consulting firms and specialized firms operating vertically in one and the same industrial field, a kind of one-stop shop for competitiveness at the service of industry.