A year of discovery and reorganisation that enabled us to redefine the company's values. What are they today?

Hervé Zipper: When I arrived, I immediately wanted to work on these values in order to create common points of reference. It's the fruit of a collective effort, so that everyone can find their way around.

First of all, we need to surpass ourselves. This means constantly challenging ourselves to offer the best solutions to our customers. Every event is an opportunity to think about things differently. I love celebrating successes, but I also think that we learn a lot from our failures, especially if we look at them collectively.

Then there's proximity. Internally, by having an open office, for example, regardless of their position, everyone can talk to everyone else. Although responsibilities differ, the project remains common. With the customer, it's about understanding what's at stake, what the customer's interests are and what the customer has to say, so that we can provide the most appropriate response, thanks to data. Finally, for me, proximity also means solidarity. It's important to be able to help each other to pull everyone up, from our employees to our partners and users.

And then the third pillar is responsibility. This is a principle I hold dear. In everything we do, we bear a responsibility. By definition, our products - personal protective equipment - involve us and require us to be aware of this responsibility towards our users... and towards our environment. We owe it to ourselves to take care of our planet and its resources.

These values are more than just words on our lips. They are our pillars. They guide everything we do on a daily basis.

Any examples?

Hervé Zipper: Our partnership with WorldSkills is very important to Coverguard! Because it's a demanding competition, there's necessarily a notion of surpassing oneself. For us, it's also about being close. We're working alongside the French team, alongside the people who use our products and who put France on the map through their expertise. Finally, WorldSkills is also about the new generation, the users of tomorrow. So this competition echoes our principle of responsibility. Our job is to ensure that these young people don't injure themselves and that they use equipment that helps them express their full potential. We know that good habits are formed during training.
I would also say that our new premises are a fine illustration of the three pillars that drive us. They are energy self-sufficient, have innovative equipment and offer very pleasant working conditions.

In 2024, what footprint would you like to leave on the PPE market? What will Coverguard's priorities be?

Hervé Zipper: We operate in a highly competitive environment. The distribution model has changed a great deal in recent years. Processes are going digital, and standards are changing very fast. There are a lot of uncertainties, particularly where transport is concerned, and an unstable international climate. But Coverguard has chosen to see all this as an opportunity!

We are therefore going to reinforce our European footprint to continue working on the development of areas that we have identified as strategic, based on our 3 main zones: Central Europe around our platform in Hungary, Northern Europe with all the countries around France, and finally Southern Europe and the Great Export (Africa, Near and Middle East). The aim is to continue to work in close proximity, by being active in these markets. Coverguard also intends to work on relocation, to gain in flexibility, in agility, limit the risks associated with fluctuations in transport costs and participate in a European dynamic. Acquisitions will also be on the agenda.

We are also working hard on our CSR, in terms of our products, packaging, eco-design, recyclability, selection of our suppliers, and so on. Our aim is to protect our users ever more effectively, responsibly and in line with their expectations.

"Coverguard is quality, responsibility and innovation accessible to all".

A new image for Coverguard...

Hervé Zipper: Absolutely! We want to continue our drive to make our brand more desirable. Our aim is to strengthen Coverguard's reputation and image, so that the brand is known and recognised by our distributor customers and by our users as a guarantee of quality at a controlled price. We want them to think: Coverguard is quality, responsibility and innovation accessible to all. It was with this in mind that we created CoverPerf, our performance label, which enables us to show that we not only exceed standards, but that we can go beyond certain competitors who position themselves as being premium.

In the same way, we want to assert our position as a "supplier partner" by going beyond a simple commercial relationship. With our sales staff and digital technology, we want to make it even easier for our customers to do business with us, to support them and make the buying process easier. There's still work to be done. But we know that they are already aware of our efforts, because in a recent study, the keywords most cited by our customers were "trust", "proximity" and "easy to work with".

Finally, we will be seeking to make our ranges easier to read and understand. To do this, we will be relying more and more on our CoverLab, our in-house laboratory that enables us to design our products in collaboration with our users. We also need to strengthen certain product families, such as headwear, which is very important. For this, we can rely on our subsidiary Weltek and its welding expertise.  

"The aim is to double sales by 2030". 

All this has been materialised in an ambitious transformation plan for the company called "Plantigrade". Tell us about it!

Hervé Zipper: Yes, "Plantigrade" is a reference to the bear, our totem animal of course, which, like humans, walks on the sole of his foot. Our transformation plan is designed to enable us to grow, but always with our feet firmly on the ground! It's about putting in place tools to work on the 5 major areas I've just mentioned.

First of all, there's the brand, a key element in the company's identity.  Then there's CSR, with product recycling, eco-responsible packaging, product traceability and new certifications. We are also working hard on the supplier side, strengthening our supplier portfolio and our purchasing practices. Lastly, we are working on our products, with the introduction of a category management approach to make our offer more easily understandable.

All these projects are centred at the heart of the company: customer relations, with a change in business model and the provision of services, a pricing policy that is more understandable and therefore better adapted to their expectations. Our sales staff will play an essential role here. We need to support them, because they are the real liaison officers.

Plantigrade is an ambitious project, and one that will have a major impact on the company as a whole. We want to lead the way at every level. The first results of this plan will be visible from 2024.  

And what are your sales targets?

Hervé Zipper: The plan is to double that figure. This would give us the resources we need to operate and remain agile. In a world that is consolidating and concentrating so strongly, it's very important to achieve critical mass. I believe more in the beehive than the elephant... and the bear loves honey!