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The Group is also rationalizing its management tools. The
convergence of its information systems into a uniform Group-wide
IT system continued. By the end of 2007, the Group IT system covered
84% of total consolidated sales (80% at the start of the year)
and 75% of production costs and supplies (against
51% at the start of the year). Other advances in
2007 included automatic invoice scanning for the
Group’s Shared Services Centre for accounting.
This helps to increase productivity and improve our
environment performance.
* Clusters: structures spanning several markets,
used to pool and coordinate administrative,
logistics and other functions.
STRATEGY – LIVING THE FUTURE
REDUCING THE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT
The Group’s products cover long distances from factory or supplier to the Group’s logistics platforms, and then
on to distributor warehouses. Concerned to limit the impact on the environment, the Group gives priority to
freight transport that causes the least pollution.
While maritime transport is used for most intercontinental freight, road haulage still tends to dominate inland.
The Group has added a sustainable development clause in its contracts with road haulage firms. In France, for
example, this covers engine type, recycling of oil and fuel
consumption. The Group also aims for a maximum loading
rate for road haulage, particularly for out-going freight
from its French export platforms for delivery to its European
subsidiaries.
When possible, rail or water transport are given priority. In
Mexico, for example, 97% of containers arriving by sea in 2007
were transferred by train to the Mexican warehouse, whereas
this had been done by road haulage up to 2003. Another example:
since 2006, transport of the Group’s products destined
for Russia and the CIS countries has been switched from road
to inland waterway between Rotterdam and Saint-Petersburg.
United States – All-Clad production line
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