Offre de services Project management
Domaine d’expertise Direct procurement of commodities
Secteur Entertainement
Albert&Co Alexis responsable d'activité
Alexis Business Manager for Albert & Co Voir le profil
Albert&Co achats commodités grande roue

Context:

An international Group specializing in cable lifts and urban transport had a problem in its Entertainment business (responsible for the assembly and installation of capsules for the panoramic Ferris wheels in London, Las Vegas and Macao).

The Group’s subsidiary specialized in manufacturing cabins decided not to propose its services for the Shenzhen and Dubai Ferris Wheel projects due to the client’s requirements in terms of lead times. The Group’s management decided to bid for the project and won this dual contract at the end of 2018!

This achievement would enable the brand to establish itself as the leader in this niche market, but this meant accepting extremely tight deadlines on the two projects. For the Shenzhen project, the Group had a year and a half to design, assemble and deliver 28 capsules to China. For the Dubai project, the Ferris wheel was to be commissioned in the summer of 2018, but after 4 years of work on the project, our predecessor was unable to deliver the capsules on time and removed from the project. The new contract imposed a new delivery schedule: 48 capsules (with a new design) were to be installed by the summer of 2020.

The contract provided for penalties on delays for both projects, amounting to several tens of thousands of euros a day for each project.

Background figures:

  • DUBAI
    • Size of one capsule: 5m in diameter and 10m in length, i.e. 30m²
    • Capsule weight: approx. 25 Tonnes
    • 48 capsules, including 6 VIP capsules
    • Ferris wheel: 250m in diameter (largest in the world)
    • Capacity of the Ferris wheel: +/- 1,920 passengers

 

  • SHENZHEN
    • Size of one capsule: 4.5m in diameter and 8m in length, i.e. 17m²
    • Capsule weight: approx. 16 Tonnes
    • 28 capsules, including 6 VIP capsules
    • Ferris wheel: 130m in diameter
    • Capacity of the Ferris wheel: +/- 700 passengers

Mes actions

  • Finding assembly workshops for the two projects: (special specifications due to the capsule dimensions): In France, for the Shenzhen project (4,600m²). In Dubai, for the Dubai project (8,000m²).
  • Calls for tender then purchase of the components that make up the capsules: Main components: parts made to plan (mechanically welded, machined, thermoformed), aesthetic parts (Terrazzo floor, LED lighting, handrails, VIP bars, benches), safety sub-assemblies (platforms to lift the capsules to install them on the wheel).
  • Determining and anticipating needs for complex parts in order to have them prioritized by the design office.
  • Supervising the production and delivery schedules of suppliers with regular monitoring (visits, audits, quality controls).
  • Supervising suppliers' production capacities to avoid saturation and therefore delivery delays.
  • Design reviews with suppliers and the project Design Office to simplify certain parts (reduce manufacturing time and cost saving).
  • Identifying and approving new suppliers (sourcing and audits).
  • Purchasing spare parts for the 2 projects.
  • 3 months in Dubai to source and increase the reliability of a local supplier panel in order to reduce delivery times and costs from Europe and China. Commodities concerned: mechanical welding, machining, EPDM gaskets, plastic parts, Reinforced Plastics Fibers
  • Recruiting a Purchaser in Dubai to ensure purchasing continuity following my return to France.

Mes résultats

  • More than 20 suppliers accredited to:
  • - Avoid saturating the production capacities of our main suppliers.
  • - Find specific expertise (thermoforming of mineral materials, bending of elliptical tubes, upholstery).
  • - Reduce delivery times (proximity to assembly shops).
  • Creation of solid, long-term partnerships with the new suppliers approved. This also made it possible to prioritize requests and therefore the control lead-times.
  • Controlled production and delivery times: no late delivery penalties applied on the 2 projects.
  • Compliance with the quality level, notably thanks to a crisis management process leading to long-lasting solutions (European suppliers intervening in Dubai to supervise or correct certain installations).
  • Cross-functional approach to purchasing on the 2 projects: operational and strategic.
Albert&Co Alexis responsable d'activité Alexis Business Manager for Albert & Co

My background:

I have a Master’s degree in International Purchasing & Innovation from Kedge Business School. Before joining Albert & Co, I held several positions in industrial purchasing in various sectors such as: the rail industry, the food industry and the chemical industry. I therefore had 3 years of purchasing experience before joining Albert & Co in February 2019 to work on an initial 18-month project.
Indeed, I decided to move out of "my comfort zone" on a given portfolio to take up new challenges and discover new industries. This also involved working in project mode on direct procurement operations, with which I was only familiar from a theoretical standpoint.
After this initial mission, I was able to move up the ranks at Albert & Co and become a Business Manager, in order to share our expertise and purchasing philosophy with as many manufacturers in my region as possible.

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