"Exploiting potential for improvement"

Tamedia Publishing Services Printing & Logistics is a division of the leading private Swiss media group Tame- dia. It consists of the four organisational units Centre d'Impression Lausanne, Printing Centre Bern, Printing Centre Zurich and Publishing Logistics. Tamedia's own newspapers as well as external newspaper titles are produced at the three printing sites and delivered to the delivery or point of sale.

Tamedia pursues a dual strategy; on the one hand, it attempts to maintain profitability in the printed media sector and, on the other hand, to grow in digital business areas. Tamedia's newspaper printing business has successfully asserted itself in a demanding market, in particular through a consistently high utilisation of printing capacity thanks to third-party orders, through optimal procurement and through systemic efficiency gains thanks to continuous improvements along the production-transport-delivery process chain.

In the following interview, Ri- chard Mollet, Head of Processes VLD Tamedia AG, talks about the opportunities offered by the EFQM model in his division and how the path taken since 2012 will continue.

Mr. Mollet, what made you decide to apply the EFQM model in your company?
Richard Mollet:

The EFQM Excellence Model supports companies and organisations in developing and sustainably increasing their performance and competitive strength in the long term. The thought model, which has proven itself in practice many times over the years, requires us to understand our daily actions and activities in a holistic manner. By applying the EFQM Excellence Model, we work with the relevant factors for sustainably successful organisational development and are able to actively manage and systematically improve our own performance capability.

What challenges have been overcome thanks to the model?
The successful implementation of the ambitious consolidation strategy is based, among other things, on the regular site assessments on the basis of the EFQM Excellence Model. The analyses carried out annually in this context, as well as self-assessments and assessments by third parties, have on the one hand made progress visible, and on the other hand also highlighted areas for action for improvement and further development. Corresponding measures were derived and implemented from the findings with regard to the strengths and optimisation areas of the organisation.

Where will you focus in the future in connection with further improvements?
We will use the assessment we conducted in connection with our participation in the ESPRIX Award 2019 to maintain the strengths we have identified and to exploit relevant potential for improvement. For example, we will continue to drive the harmonization of our performance and support processes across all sites and organizational units. In addition, we will ensure that there continues to be a close exchange between the management and process teams in order to constantly improve and further develop our comprehensive management system.

To what extent is the EFQM model a good means of remaining competitive in the print industry?
The EFQM model not only helps us, but also other companies and organisations, to remain efficient and competitive in the long term. It offers an ideal surface for reflection, reveals "blind spots" and illuminates corporate management from a holistic perspective. Thanks to the EFQM model, we have been able to achieve significant optimisations at both strategic and operational levels for sustainable successful organisational development.

In an industry dominated by price wars - keyword: rising paper prices - and falling volumes, what role does quality play?
Quality is and remains a priority and relates to all areas and processes: be it in terms of meeting the requirements of our customers, their needs and expectations, in terms of the quality of newspaper printing, but also in terms of other important requirements, such as punctual delivery and competitive pricing. The aim must be to increase efficiency while at the same time safeguarding quality.

As head of processes: How much of your time is taken up with quality? And specifically the EFQM model?
The constant optimisation of our organisation and processes is an absolute necessity in order to continue to successfully implement the challenging consolidation strategy in a demanding, constantly changing market. As a comprehensive management and evaluation model, the EFQM Excellence Model supports us in this and helps us to ensure quality while at the same time making processes more efficient.