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Jean-Michel Colnot,
Operations Director,
European Distribution Organisation
J & J
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Johnson & Johnson was looking for a strategic location which would allow them to access their key markets in Europe. They opted for Courcelles in Wallonia.
Jean-Michel Colnot, Distribution Centre Manager for J&J, explains: “Following the 2004 acquisitions we ended up with 26 distribution centres for the hospital sector alone! The result? We were faced with significant dispersion of technical, IT and logistics resources as well as personnel. That led to a poor overall view of product flow. Consequently we reconsidered distribution throughout Europe with the aim of opening a central platform which could supply the different distribution units, close to the markets and with excellent road links.”
Local authority backing and financial incentive
Colnot: “The most striking thing in my view? Wallonia’s welcome. Whether from local and regional authorities or from the political spectrum, we were made feel truly welcome. We also greatly appreciated everyone’s availability and commitment.”
Employment and quality of life
Although the activity already existed, J&J’s centre turned out to be a genuine opportunity for the region. 334 people now work on the site which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 363 days a year. J&J hopes that in 2009 that number of employees will rise to 380! “We are just coming up to the stabilisation phase; all transfers from the European sites to Courcelles are finished… Opening this site meant rethinking the organisation of our entire European distribution model. That meant good team work and everyone making an effort to adapt. The mix of cultures has been very interesting. My family left Paris to come to Brussels and they have adapted to the quality of life here in Belgium very well”, he adds.
Mission accomplished
The aim was to continue to offer the same level of quality, or better, to clients, as well as develop improved supply and stock management. Those efforts have been recognised by logistics professionals who have awarded J&J with certificates. “3 years on, we have surpassed our objectives. We have gone from 38 to 4,000 orders a day and all that has been done while improving the quality of our service. Our markets are better supplied, even if we are sometimes further from certain centres than we used to be…”
Quality optimisation and proactive dialogue with our clients
“The transition phases are behind us now and we can take the time to sit back and think about what else we could do or improve to better meet our clients’ needs and expectations. The health sector is changing and we would like to think with our clients about solutions, in particular logistics, which will help them to work towards sustainable development. That is also one of the strengths of our policy”, confides J&J’s representative.
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