His main role is to prevent risks that could affect employee health and safety, harm the environment, or cause property damage leading to operational disruptions. Raphaël relies on site-specific teams and a central support service to define the group’s roadmaps for improving these areas, encompassing no fewer than 27 objectives for 2024-2029. These include chemical risk management, ergonomics, forklift-pedestrian interactions, energy savings, and fostering a safety culture.

The ambitious goals reflect the group’s strong commitment, supported by significant resources, especially in human capital.

Raphaël also sits on the CSR steering committee, overseeing environmental management and health and safety aspects within the social pillar. This alignment ensures the group’s stated commitments are backed by concrete actions. His top priority is to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment, followed closely by environmental objectives, particularly those linked to decarbonizing operations.

“These are issues where our clients increasingly challenge us, as they must intensify their efforts and demonstrate their partners’ commitments. We contribute to their performance while improving our own. This will only accelerate, especially with the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the new European framework for corporate environmental reporting),” he explains.

He oversees projects from design to completion, ensuring a perfect balance between increasingly demanding customer requirements and the technical feasibility of delivering within deadlines and budgets.

His strong quality background is a significant asset, as much of his work involves assessing risks related to product design and aligning them with project needs. He liaises daily with suppliers, clients, technicians, production managers, planners, logisticians, and accountants. In essence, he acts as a small-scale conductor, tasked with turning aspirations into reality.

“Expectations vary greatly from one client to another, but sustainability is now fully integrated into a designer’s objectives, whether incorporating more recycled materials or designing refillable bottles,” he explains.

An engineer by training, he is no stranger to this responsibility, having previously managed the Texen Rose and Mayet sites and supported the European deployment of the SAP project. His primary mission is to ensure the safety of his employees. His second is to elevate the site’s performance across all aspects, aligned with the group’s goals.

Team management, quality control, process improvement, financial oversight, and CSR policy implementation are just some of his tasks.

“Optimizing the supply chain is crucial today because our clients seek more than cost efficiency; they want partners who can support them in every dimension of the technical evolution of packaging,” Franck explains.

While external stakeholders are an obvious concern, internal challenges are equally pressing. “The local employment situation is tight, with very low unemployment rates. Recruiting, particularly for technical roles, is becoming increasingly difficult. These jobs attract fewer young people and have suffered from the COVID effect, which pushed many professionals to change careers,” he observes.

In response, the company has intensified its training efforts to offer new opportunities to employees. However, enhancing the sector’s overall appeal is also essential.

According to Franck, his role as captain is fueled by passion—a key driver for success in such a challenging and dynamic field!