McBRIDE
GALATEA
McBride is a leading European manufacturer of cleaning products for household use and for the professional cleaning and hygiene market. For their department that develops product packaging, McBride sought a new software solution that would encompass the entire process of all printed packaging. Furthermore, the tool needed to be usable in each of their regional offices.
RELIABLE AND USER-FRIENDLY CUSTOM WORKFLOW PORTAL
McBride is one of the largest European manufacturers of cleaning products for household use and for the professional cleaning and hygiene market. The company, founded in 1927, employs around 3,400 staff at 18 locations in 12 countries. McBride develops, produces, and distributes products for both private label customers in the retail sector and through Contract Manufacturing for established brands. The range of cleaning products is divided into three divisions: liquids, unit dosing, and powders.
In the packaging department of McBride in Estaimpuis (Belgium), the packaging for cleaning products is designed, checked, and fully prepared for printing. Kevin Himpe has been active there for many years: he leads the team that creates and manages the packaging.
“My team is responsible for the Benelux, France, Scandinavia, and Contract Manufacturing. The other countries where McBride operates have their own packaging department and therefore their own way of working,” explains team leader Kevin Himpe. “My department had been using a workflow portal for a long time, albeit as the only one among the various regional departments. Initially, it functioned well, but over time it no longer met the needs of our organisation and our increasingly complex processes. Moreover, it was not customised. Therefore, we began searching for a partner for a new workflow portal.”
The platform needed to enable a smooth approval flow and follow-up for the packaging. “An important requirement was that it had to include a web viewer to compare and finalise different layout versions, as well as a reliable and user-friendly database of all our digital material. Through one of our project managers, we came into contact with Conics. After an initial conversation, they immediately came up with a plan of action; that was in the spring of 2022. By looking at things from a different perspective at times, Conics encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone. That was enriching and gave us a lot of confidence. The basic package that Conics could offer already contained more functionalities than were in our original requirements. The fact that it was a fully tailored solution was the deciding factor in entering into a collaboration with Conics.”
“Originally, the intention was to provide a new workflow portal solely for my team in Estaimpuis. But it soon became clear that we needed to involve our other packaging departments in this project,” said Kevin Himpe. “We thought we were more or less following the same process, but as the analysis progressed, it became apparent that each team had specific nuances in their operations.”
BENEFITS FOR THE WHOLE GROUP
The project started with an analysis phase, during which Conics mapped all the processes of McBride's packaging departments. “Through online meetings, we validated our findings with the sites in Belgium, Spain, Italy, England, and Luxembourg, to ensure that our analysis aligned with their processes. This way, we gained a detailed understanding of how McBride operates, what they need, and what they expect from a workflow portal,” says Vincent Heughebaert, Project Manager at Conics. “The small nuances in each regional flow added extra complexity, but also highlighted the significant need for a customised and scalable system.”
After the analysis, it was time for the development phase. For this, McBride worked with several Key Users per region. “These Key Users were quite critical, but at the same time realised that the system would offer them many advantages. For that reason, and also thanks to the excellent guidance from Conics, the development went very smoothly,” recalls Kevin Himpe.
“We worked with a structured whiteboard. Every two weeks, we met with the Key Users of McBride to review all elements: what needs to be done and by whom, are there any issues, and how is user satisfaction? Thanks to this approach, we were always able to switch quickly,” explains Vincent Heughebaert.
Ultimately, the five European sites of McBride switched to the new platform in January 2023.
"The small nuances in each regional flow created extra complexity, but also demonstrated the great need for a customised and scalable system."
"It allows us to work faster and it is all very user-friendly."
WORK FASTER, MAKE FEWER MISTAKES, MORE PEACE OF MIND
The tool was named Galatea, a name that has its origins in Greek mythology. In that story, Galatea is regarded as the epitome of beauty and elegance. “We believe that our Galatea will help us achieve better results, so the name is truly fitting,” laughs Kevin.
The platform indeed offers many advantages to the packaging teams at the various locations of McBride. They can now check designs and provide feedback much more easily, which reduces the chance of errors. “For me as a team leader, the KPI tool is a great advantage. It allows me to closely monitor the performance of our employees and thus maintain control,” Kevin explains. Laura Roose, Reference Officer, is also full of praise for Galatea. “I can hardly find anything to criticise: it allows us to work faster and it is all very user-friendly. Moreover, as fewer mistakes are now being made, it also provides more peace of mind in our team, which is pleasant.”
THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR THE LONG TERM
Laura is not the only one who is enthusiastic about Galatea. “All employees enjoy working with it and they even think along about possible improvements. We check their suggestions and questions as much as possible with Conics. Even for very complex issues that I think are difficult to realise, they always come up with a possible solution quickly. It is pleasant to collaborate in this way. For now, the platform fully meets our needs and no expansions are necessary. But we know that it is possible to further optimise and refine it if needed. It is truly a very future-oriented bespoke system.
Because we are so pleased with Galatea, a second project has recently been launched that will relate to the entire product, from concept through to production.
In Conics, McBride has truly found the ideal long-term partner,” concludes Kevin Himpe.