Assisting an OEM new to the region in coaching its local suppliers
The Goal
As PSA Peugeot Citroen started operating its new production plant in Trnava, Slovakia in 2006, it looked for local suppliers, either asking its traditional suppliers to localize their production in Central Europe, particularly Slovakia, or by selecting new local suppliers. “Even in large Tier 1 organizations, local teams did not know the standards and methodologies and were not trained to international levels of quality and industrialisation, since these teams were all new,” recalls Michal Matusek, Manager of SNECI Central & Eastern Europe.
Thanks to its office in Central Europe based in Slovakia, SNECI assists local companies (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia) to understand methodologies of the automotive industry. The goal is also to bring them to an international industrial and quality level.
SNECI’s Role
SNECI trained suppliers in understanding the standards and methodologies of the automobile industry and particularly the French automakers and Tier 1s. The French have specific demands and procedures that are very different from those that the Central European suppliers may already know.
In Russia, for example, SNECI trained suppliers for Magna in Project Management and Supply Chain. Little by little, aided by word of mouth, SNECI achieved a certain reputation throughout the region. For Continental, training sessions were held at six different sites in Central Europe.
Today SNECI proposes services to over 80 suppliers in Central & Eastern Europe.
SNECI’s Added Value
Knowing the local industrial fabric allowed SNECI to locally work with PSA to establish supply lines for its Trnava plant, but also with other suppliers. SNECI’s local presence played a major role. “We are the only company able to offer these trainings in the regional languages on top of English, German or French,” says Matusek. “We also do supplier coaching and supplier development here: many companies are interested in working with us since they know we will be able to provide local support over the long term.”
In addition to access to these focused training sessions, companies in the region know that they can turn to SNECI for assistance in the industrial, logistical or commercial field. “This makes us very unique,” concludes Matusek. “Thanks to different offices worldwide, including in Slovakia, SNECI is able to work closely with these customers and bring them to international levels of quality and industrialisation.”
