Hello Thierry, can you introduce yourself?
I am responsible for logistics at CVL Cosmetics and in particular for our logistics site in Vétroz (Valais). I joined Valmont five years ago after an atypical career path: I used to be a chef and worked in several restaurants before reorienting myself in logistics... which has a lot in common with cooking.
Tell us about CVL Cosmetics...
The parent company of the Valmont brand, CVL Cosmetics is a Swiss company that has been in business for over 30 years and now employs nearly 300 people worldwide. CVL Cosmetics develops the Valmont range of products, Elixir des Glaciers and Storie Veneziane perfumes. We are present throughout the world - North America, Asia, the Middle East and of course Europe - via eight subsidiaries that sell our products to distributors, SPAs or through our Valmont Houses.
What are your characteristics in terms of transport and logistics?
It's very comprehensive, we go from micro to macro and all in a very multimodal way! We have five types of flows:
- Domestic transport in Switzerland;
- Imports of packaging items (PI), such as cases and boxes, from France, Italy or Asia to our Swiss logistics site. It is about 70% road, 25% sea and 5% air;
- The delivery of these PI to our laboratory partners in Switzerland, France or Italy;
- The return of the finished products to our Swiss center;
- The export of finished products internationally, 75% by air because we are in the luxury business
So the maritime sector is not one of your options?
Except for the import of packaging items, no. First of all, because the delays have become much too long, which would force the subsidiaries to increase their stocks to compensate for the slowness of transport. In sea freight, we would lose a month and a half and would be forced to use reefer containers. In short, too many variables for little benefit. For us, maritime transport is not compatible with the need for flexibility.
With very varied flows between national and international, and in this difficult context, is flexibility essential for you?
When you do this job, you have to be extremely flexible, versatile and have a wide address book, because no one player can offer you all the transport solutions. And maybe it's also in our Swiss DNA to be independent! I don't want to lock myself into a single relationship. It is necessary today anyway to be as agile as possible. For example, I have sometimes organized last-minute transportation by cab or bicycle!
But when it comes to import-export, how can we guarantee flexibility today?
It's all about the ability to deliver on time. We can't fully control prices. Fighting to win 10%? I don't see the point. My priority is quality of service. So if we have to leave from Genoa and not Rotterdam to meet the deadlines, we have to do it. Nowadays, we have no other choice than to learn how to make sacrifices.
How do you approach the coming months and this year 2022?
There are positive signals. Our business has recovered well and the forecasts for the first quarter of 2022 are good. It is true that Covid is starting to lose impact, but we have to accept that after two years of crisis, a return to normalcy cannot be achieved in a few months. However, there is a slight downside to Chinese production: not all factories seem to be restarting normally after the Chinese New Year. Finally, I am very vigilant about the geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe. We must keep this in mind.
How have these two years changed the way you work?
We are more attentive, more in tune with what is going on. We are more observant, we lift our heads from the activity to get more height. The other benefit of this Covid period is that we have strengthened our networks, participated in seminars, read more... In short, we have increased our level of market knowledge. In the end, this job has become more interesting. We become strategic players on a daily basis.
In essence, what advice would you give to other loaders?
Flexibility, responsiveness and attentiveness. Taking a step back and building a very good network is what allows you to be reactive in transportation. You can't know everything, so you have to get your knowledge from those who do and therefore multiply your contacts. Being agile means never sticking to a rigid mold or relationship.
