Excellence in Motion
Fostering continuous improvement
Continuous improvement is at the heart of our industrial culture and rests on two pillars.
First, the daily improvements proposed and implemented on an ongoing basis by our operational teams.
Second, the disruptive investments that transform our production capabilities.
Making Progress Every Day
Continuous improvement projects involve all sites and departments.
Each year, nearly 300 projects are carried out, generating measurable gains in financial savings, carbon footprint reduction, safety and ergonomics improvements, and energy consumption.
These projects are not limited to production: all departments within the company are now engaged in this process.
Some projects yield savings of several hundred thousand euros, while others yield only a few hundred. But all are valued, because they follow the same logic: identify a problem, report it, propose solutions to correct it, implement them, and measure the results. And start over.
At Schmidt Groupe, we say “Great, a problem!”, because a problem is an opportunity to improve.
Stars of Progress
This is our internal recognition program that rewards both major achievements and small-scale initiatives led by individual employees.
The 2025 edition, which marked the program’s 20th anniversary, was a record-breaking year with more than 320 continuous improvement projects led by teams from all departments. In total, the initiatives over the course of the year generated:
- €10.5 million in savings,
- 2,736 tons of CO2 avoided,
- 10,000 improvement measures implemented to reduce risks and improve occupational health and safety.
Beyond the numbers, these are above all ideas brought to life, everyday frustrations transformed into solutions, and small, repeated steps that build sustainable performance.
Investing to transform
Disruptive investments, on the other hand, bring about structural changes to our capabilities. The U3B project illustrates this approach: disconnecting production lines to reduce electricity consumption, integrating autonomous vehicles to streamline workflows, and the widespread deployment of robotics to improve productivity and ergonomics. These projects require significant investment, but they permanently redefine our performance standards.
This culture of continuous improvement is based on a conviction: an identified problem is an opportunity for improvement. We do not seek to hide malfunctions; we document them, analyze them, and resolve them.
