Co Design&Build
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 Feedback by Patrick Hugi, Partner of the SCI Why did you choose OpenBox? Our project was strategic: there were challenges involving time, business continuity, installation... We had already managed one property project, but we did not have all the resources needed to succeed by ourselves. OpenBox provided us with support at a very early stage. However, we also conducted a competitive bidding process in order to obtain the best proposal. Their experience and knowledge of the regional eco-system, their prices and their motivation made all the difference. Regarding the project, they were available and ready to listen, they put forward the best solutions. Their obvious knowledge of logistics and its constraints is reassuring. What's more, it's a small, dynamic and innovative company. We were attracted by their way of working and their mindset. We are proud today to have helped them to grow. How did the collaboration with the OpenBox teams go? We never doubted their professionalism. They are experienced and know how to find the right people. They are also very attentive and have handles our requests, even the last-minute ones. They use a model that enables this to happen. We felt we were supported before, during and on delivery of the project. Despite the difficulties associated with their profession, I believe they always have the desire to satisfy their customers. How did the delivery process go? Delivery is always a delicate moment. We quickly realized that OpenBox shared, as we do, the desire to maintain a steady pace and to remove any reservations as quickly as possible. They remained highly available during the acceptance period and they resolved problems as they arose. What does Co Design&Build mean for you? We had to ask OpenBox to adapt their proposal, which they agreed to very quickly. They were very transparent, especially regarding costs over the entire project, and changes were far easier to manage. OpenBox has also collaborated with numerous stakeholders with a great deal of integrity (three project management assistants, a developer and an investor). Regarding the sharing of savings, as commonly happens with Co Design&Build, we preferred not to consider this alternative during the competitive bidding stage. We only addressed this proposal after selection. They agreed to pay €60,000 for renovations to our old platform. This is a kind of variation on the sharing of savings offered by Co Design&Build. You have been in your new building for a few months now. Are you happy with it? Everyone is happy with our new working environment. As part of the acquisition of Transports Charvin by BBL INVEST, it was a question of successfully accommodating four of the group’s companies at the same site and making people comfortable there. We wanted a high quality, well thought-out building: the choice of materials, the architecture, the services and the organisation of the building are all elements that have created a great lo   Last July, OpenBox and DCB Logistics thanked the project’s partners and associates around a traditional ‘gigot-bitume’ [leg of lamb wrapped in kraft paper and cooked in molten bitumen]. This new 23,000 m² temperature-controlled warehouse (+15°C / +18°C), which was completed at the end of July, is dedicated to food product storage, order preparation, co-packing and transportation. 3 cells were built, a fourth remaining as a further extension. OpenBox’s expertise on this type of logistics platform enabled the challenges of this complex project to be addressed with all of the stakeholders. More information on the project.   A look at the collaboration between OpenBox and GLD with Pascal Dominois, Director of Operations at GLD
Why did you choose OpenBox? When consultation began at the beginning of 2016, it seemed to us that OpenBox, as a company, was too young and was not, therefore, a credible option for us. But OpenBox insisted on delivering an offer, they were extremely motivated! For our part, we wanted to assess the proposal of the contractor with whom we were already working. We were surprised by the gap between both prices. The determination of the team, indeed its obligation to succeed in the operation, convinced us. We decided to trust them. And we have no regrets! How would you describe your experience with Co Design&Build? The Co Design&Build meetings were very reassuring and they enabled us to move forward with the project together as a whole. Reports on accounting, planning, costs, everything was reviewed each month. A completely different way of working. We were able to see that the OpenBox strategy didn’t involve margin recovery but was more concerned with information sharing and collaboration. When issues arose (which inevitably occur on such projects), they were discussed and resolved. Everything was done progressively as we moved forward, in a collaborative way. When you don’t discover things too late, you can’t suspect a hidden agenda. So tensions are quickly dissipated. Given the highly competitive circumstances and the consensual efforts made during the negotiation, the “shared savings” at the end of the operation were limited, but the transparency was a reality that made the offer unique. Objectively, this transparency and collaboration allowed us to conduct this operation in a relaxed and constructive way, until the snagging list was resolved. Throughout the entire project, we felt supported. Are you satisfied? Of course, because the timing and the price were kept in check and the building is consistent with what we wanted! Our new 24,000 m² tool means we can work with large industrial clients, who are careful about the handling of their goods (like Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear, Hager, etc.). We offer them tailored solutions for storage, procurement, industrial packaging and transportation. Whatever the sector (pharmaceutical, food, energy, mass distribution), our expertise in logistics and our set-up are the hallmark of our reputation, but our warehouses are a definite advantage: now when we tour the warehouses with our clients, the design quality wins them over. The building is also scalable, as demonstrated by the 25-tonne-capacity overhead travelling crane, which are already being installed for our industrial packing and handling operations for large volumes. We will therefore be able to offer integrated solutions under the same roof, in a high-end environment.  Together they will be moving into brand new premises at the Chesnes Ouest urban development zone in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier where they will get to share over 18,000 m² of building space, including 1,600 m² of office space.
Interview with Pierre Charvin, managing director of Transports CharvinWhat was the goal of this new project for your two companies? Transports Charvin joined the BBL Transports group in 2016. BBL operates an integrated multimodal logistics network that spans right across Europe. BBL wanted to extend its reach both in France and in Europe and to expand its range of services. Transports Charvin are specialists in the transport of sensitive products along France's north/south corridor, particularly for the mass retail sector and key accounts. Together, we now benefit from more comprehensive national coverage, not to mention new expertise in the area of logistics management. At Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, our two companies had a number of logistics platforms with accompanying office space. It made sense to group our teams together and build a new shared platform capable of accommodating the increase in volumes. We stand to benefit in terms of efficiency and performance. Why did you choose OpenBox? I had known Bertrand Chabanne for many years. And during our discussions during the tendering phase, I had the opportunity to experience Laurent Charrier's professionalism first hand. I had also asked advisors with expertise in the area to verify the solidity of the commitments that had been made by OpenBox and backed up by BEG Ingénierie. I made my decision without any hesitation. Clearly, their proposal was very competitive. However, their "Co Design&Build" methodology was also a decisive factor. Constructing a logistics building, which in our line of business is essential to the work we do, is no trivial matter. It should be viewed as a business project that involves a certain amount of risk – risk that needs to be managed. In particular, it's important to ensure that the final outcome is in keeping with our original expectations. We want to know what is going to be done, and how it is going be done. With the "Co Design&Build" methodology, we can track the progress of our building project from start to finish, which brings great peace of mind. How does it work on a practical level? During the monthly "Co Design&Build" meetings, we are provided with all of the relevant information and have the opportunity to share our opinions, discuss options, find out about purchase prices, get a better understanding of what companies are offering, review the schedule, etc. We are actively involved in the project, which means that misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises are avoided. It makes for a healthier working relationship. We are co-creating our own building, which is a very effective way of really understanding the issues involved. Of course, we don't always agree, but we have all of the information we need to get a true understanding of the issues involved, so we can avoid negative fallout from unilateral decisions and have the opportunity to create really constructive solutions together. I was also able to use the savings that were achieved during the project to fund the completion of additional work. To safeguard the deadline, I also asked OpenBox to begin work even though there were outstanding issues yet to be clarified. In both cases, OpenBox agreed to my request in a matter of seconds. It was clear to me at that point that I was dealing with business owners that were capable of showing great flexibility in the way they made decisions and managed risk. For more information: Collaboration in action  28 June 2017, Villard-Bonnot, Francis Gimbert (President of Grésivaudan), Pierre Béguery (Deputy-President of Grésivaudan), Daniel Chavand (Mayor of Villard-Bonnot), Patrick Goffi (founder and managing director of GLD), and Bertrand Chabanne (founder and managing director of OpenBox) laying the cornerstone of this 24,500 m² logistics platform.
The elected representatives spoke about the importance of logistics infrastructure to the economic growth of the region. Bertrand Chabanne commended Patrick Goffi's decision to place its trust in OpenBox, a mere 8 months after the company had been established. Patrick Goffi spoke of his satisfaction in relation to the quality of the building and the timeframe in which it was completed. He also attested to the transparency of the "Co Design&Build" solution and the practical benefits of the collaboration between OpenBox and GLD. Goffi praised the expertise of the project team, made up of Martine Worme-Girard, Loïc Thomas and Laurent Charrier. Responding to the thanks he received from Bertrand Chabanne, he recalled how he too, thirty years previously, had received support from other individuals when setting up GLD. In so doing, he summarised the sentiment of the day; a renewed awareness of the role of businesses in the local economy and of the importance of individual responsibility. When people place their trust in entrepreneurs, and elected representatives put in place conditions that are favourable to investment, everyone wins  This e-commerce pure player was won over by OpenBox's offering. Sylvain Ferreira, CEO of parent company Jadéo, explains why he decided to entrust his distribution centre project to OpenBox, and describes the way in which he collaborates with our teams.
What are your goals for this commercial real estate project? As a pure player in the e-commerce sector, logistics has always had a strategic focus for Jadéo – it's one of the cornerstones underpinning customer satisfaction. For this reason, we had never even considered outsourcing logistics before, because it's of such vital importance to our company. Similarly, we felt it was important to retain control of our real estate to ensure that it was optimally adapted to both our business sector and our growth targets. Since starting the project, there has been an increase in the scope of our business and in our sales volumes, due in particular to an acquisition in Germany. Our new platform will handle all despatches in Europe. In your opinion, how does the "Co Design&Build" offering differ from the other design and construction solutions on the market? Before now, we had never been involved in managing construction projects. Therefore, our first task was to gain an understanding of the different offerings in the sector, the positioning of the various market players and the potential solutions available. Again, we wanted to retain full control of all information and decisions. For this reason, we invested a lot of time in the tendering phase. I should mention that we were approached by a large number of companies. Several of them tried to impose their own schedule and conditions on us, based on their knowledge of the market, the legislation, the other players, etc... The "Co Design&Build" proposal was different to all the other proposals we received. The OpenBox team was on our side from the word go, and we held all the cards when it came to decision-making. They provided us with all of the information available to them, including details of the technical solutions and their pricing – but also the actual costs involved. Building our working relationship on this basis meant that all of the key steps in the process were carried out in a spirit of constructive dialogue. We have now adopted a project-based approach, with everyone pulling together, especially during "Co Design&Build" meetings where we are updated on company pricing, technical alternatives, works contracts, expected savings, etc. Nonetheless, our relationship is clear: we are the customer, and OpenBox are bound by certain performance obligations as specified in the real-estate development contract. Why did you select OpenBox for your project? The relationship of trust was built up gradually in the tendering phase. OpenBox understood our requirements perfectly and proposed solutions that were tailored to our needs. As they were a young company, however, we at first assigned them a project management assistance task so that we could gauge the quality of their work. During this phase, we had the opportunity to witness their commitment and their ability to protect our interests. When we compared them with general contractors, the "Co Design&Build" model proved considerably more competitive yet provided the same guarantees. As we were very impressed with OpenBox's working methods and collaborative approach, the choice was obvious. For more information on this project, go to : Collaboration in action |