Inclusion through employment

Thierry Creach – Project Manager and Head of the Akkodis Industrial Design Office in Nantes

Since 1997, Thierry has worked for the same company through its many reorganizations and mergers. Now head of the Akkodis industrial design office in Nantes, Thierry shares his technical expertise by managing a number of projects. He keeps a close eye on the needs of his team in charge of mechanical design and supports sales staff in the technical aspects of new sales.

Leading the bicycle assembly line project, Thierry worked with a logistics expert, a general layout designer and a project manager who assisted him. He contributed his industrial design expertise to the group, validating the production line concept. He also carefully planned the energy supply needed to ensure smooth operation of the assembly process. This included, for example, supplying pneumatic power to the drilling machines, or installing balancers to help carry heavy tools.

Thierry’s team won the customer’s complete confidence by adapting to changing needs and the constraints of a small site.

“Our team oversaw the entire technical project, including detailed research for the new factory’s location. We were able to choose suppliers for the bicycle parts, set up the new energy networks and manage the implementation on site thanks to an exceptional level of client trust,” highlights Thierry.

This is all the more remarkable given the scale of the task at hand. Professional integration of people with disabilities into the world of industry means the entire production chain has to be adjusted. The workspace, tools, equipment — everything has to be adapted to the needs of future workers, taking ergonomic and safety factors into account.

With an efficient and highly specialized team, Thierry has learned to delegate more easily and has been able to concentrate on other activities and projects. This is going to be a key advantage as other clients are calling on the Nantes office's expertise to set up new production lines.

René Portillo – Project Engineer

With an industrial engineering degree under his belt, and after several years in a career focused on HSE (Health, Safety and Environment), René went on to specialize in logistics engineering. On completion of this training, he was contacted by Akkodis to take part in a project for a client in the automotive sector. Since being hired by the company in 2018, he’s appreciated the variety of projects, the culture of innovation and the willingness to listen to employees. All of which contribute to his well-being at work: “I felt there was a right balance between autonomy and performance monitoring. I felt the right level of support, both from the project team and the organization,” he explains.

René participated in many logistics projects for multinational companies in the transport sector: automotive, rail, aeronautical and naval. In the bicycle factory design project, his logistics expertise was crucial in mapping out internal flows and assessing layout options for the factory. He designed the layout of all areas of the site, including the workstations for the assembly line, the sub-assembly stations and the warehouse, adapting them to the needs of disabled employees. Based on sales projections, he also had to define the production rate and takt time for the assembly line.

The project, with its strong social impact, has prompted the company to re-evaluate its development plans and realize the positive impact it can have on the professional integration of disabled people. “Usually, technical and economic aspects drive decision-making, but it was quite different for this project, where the human aspect was at the heart of every decision,” remarks René.

Romain Genet – Head of Rating and Functional Analysis Department

A mechanical engineer, Romain has worked for a number of consulting companies and specializes in functional analysis and dimensioning, with particular emphasis on 3D tolerancing. He had spent over 10 years developing mechanical systems, interfaces and products for various industries.

As the client had little experience of functional dimensioning, Romain provided expert guidance. His challenge was to identify the right people and bring the right questions and information to bear on the issues. While Thierry worked upstream of the project, suggesting solutions, Romain's role was to go more into detail about the choice of equipment, from pneumatic machines to adapted seats for workers with disabilities.

When the client changed their strategy, for example by moving the production line to their own premises, Romain identified critical design aspects and helped to reorganize the project. As he explains: “We had to quickly rethink and reorganize the project several times over. This meant a great deal of critical thinking and research skills to remain agile and efficient.”

Flexibility and adaptability have earned this small, ultra-specialized team renewed trust from the client, who has made a further request for modifications to the plant. This time, it will involve four assembly stations for e-trikes, which the client hopes to showcase at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. It seems a fitting global stage for a project combining both innovation and inclusion.

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