Mise en page 1 - Invest in Tunisia, The Foreign Investment ...

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38 “In a field where you have to maintain a competitive edge, quality of production along with proximity make VAN DE VELDE’s Tunisian affiliate a strategic site.” Peter Bynens, Director V A N D E V E L D E The VAN DE VELDE Group designs and markets luxury and fashionable lingerie. Design, logistics and sales are the pillars that have made this company a leader on the BENELUX market. It is also well placed in other western European countries. The company has 1,300 employees at three sites (Belgium, Hungary and Tunisia), generating 95 million euros in turnover. In 1919 Achiel VAN DE VELDE and his wife Margaretha opened a workshop in Schellebelle, Belgium to design and manufacture corsets for women. Initially all items were entirely handmade to order. But in less than 30 years the second generation turned the company into a prosperous manufacturer of quality women’s lingerie. Since the end of the ‘40s, these products have been sold from stock to stores in Belgium and Holland. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, VAN DE VELDE NV began to seek new markets, in hopes of becoming a major actor on the European luxury lingerie market. The first designer line (Mary Jo) was launched at this time and company growth soared. In 1986 the company set up workshops for the first time in France and China. The move to delocalize continued, with the establishment of plants in Hungary and Tunisia. But design, materials management, quality control and cut of basic materials were still handled in Belgium, where almost 5% of total production was manufactured. In 1997, VAN DE VELDE was posted on the Brussels Stock Market and today about 40% of shares are publicly held. Last year the company bought back a large amount of stock from Top Form, the most important manufacturer of brassieres in the world, located in Hong Kong. VAN DE VELDE thus entered the eastern Asian and Chinese markets. VAN DE VELDE currently uses four brand names, developed in line with market studies and in close consultation with its sales network. Each brand has its own style and aims at a particular market segment. There is very close monitoring of marketing and sales. Every three months new products are put on the market. Prior tests are run to determine the chances of success. The distribution circuit is made up of more than 4,000 multi-brand and up-market stores. Design teams keep on top of new trends, new materials, new colors and attractive styles. About 12 months are needed between launching of a new line and availability at stores. Thanks to constant monitoring and attention to quality, VAN DE VELDE has won a number of awards: 1991: export Oscar 1995: fashion Award (Holland) 1997: the Best of Marketing 1998: the Belgian Clothing Federation’s Trophy.
The group is also strong in monitoring production. V A N D E V E L D E Monitoring raw materials delivered to the plant Although VAN DE VELDE systematically opts for the best materials and works only with the best known suppliers, it subjects all deliveries to rigorous quality control. A sample is cut from each roll delivered to the plant to test all aspects of quality: weight, elasticity, shrinking and fading. The results of these tests are then recorded in the central computer and they determine acceptance or refusal of a shipment. Cut of materials Solid color fabric is cut automatically, but lace and embroidery are cut in pairs using the chantournage technique. Assembly Assembly requires considerable labor, consisting of a process composed of several successive stitching jobs that demand great precision on the part of the operator, extreme professional care and skill. Special skills are needed in working with the delicate, relatively small materials that need to be handled quickly. Until the middle of the ‘80s assembly was handled entirely at the company’s Schellebelle facility. Rapid expansion has led management to set up operations in a number of countries with high production potential. Thanks to sound organization, skilled local management, solid preparation and technical support by the parent company, VAN DE VELDE has succeeded in manufacturing products with the same high standard of quality in all countries where they are produced. Quality control of finished products All items manufactured at the various production sites are shipped to the head office in Schellebelle where they are checked piece by piece according to specific, very strict procedures. The Tunisian affiliate was founded in Kondar near Sousse in 1995. Its 400 employees assemble and produce 20% of the group’s production at a brand new plant. In this highly competitive field where cost and quality are decisive, only well organized companies can hope to survive. In this context “Tunisia provides quality staff, proximity to the head office, and political stability, all of which are decisive for the long term.” Peter Bynens, Director. VAN DE VELDE is strongly committed to linguistic and cultural adaptation and its management has introduced modern working conditions that provide for the comfort of employees along with ongoing training. FIPA’s help in setting up operations and facilitating the financial incentives available to industrial companies has been a decisive factor. VAN DE VELDE plans to expand activity in Tunisia in the years ahead. 39
Page 3: SUMMARY INTRODUCTION 3 AUTOLIV 4 BE
Page 6 and 7: 4 “AUTOLIV is here for the long t
Page 8 and 9: 6 “Geographic proximity to Europe
Page 10 and 11: 8 “Our staff is 90% Tunisian. The
Page 12 and 13: 10 “The partnership between Danon
Page 14 and 15: 12 “There are many strong points
Page 16 and 17: 14 “Tunisia has many strong point
Page 18 and 19: 16 “By building our new plant, we
Page 20 and 21: 18 “We opted to set up operations
Page 22 and 23: 20 "Our Tunisian engineers form a s
Page 24 and 25: 22 “Cabling is a basic component
Page 26 and 27: 24 P H I L I P S “Having soundly
Page 28 and 29: 26 “The SIOEN Group has based exp
Page 30 and 31: 28 "Despite the small scale of our
Page 32 and 33: 30 "PIRELLI is not only a sharehold
Page 34 and 35: 32 “The existence of a delocalize
Page 36 and 37: 34 “Our clients will find in Tuni
Page 38 and 39: 36 “Even more than the advantages
Page 42 and 43: 40 ”We are highly qualified craft
Page 44 and 45: 42 FIPA - Tunisia - your partner fo
Page 46: Conception et réalisation SERVICED

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