Grenoble 13 July 2016 ARAYMOND, A HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL AND HUMAN INNOVATION
The 150 year history of an extraordinary company, launched by one man and continued by four generations of entrepreneurs In the past, the inventor of the press-stud and today a leading provider for the world's vehicle manufacturers and parts suppliers and the technological partner of exacting players in emerging markets, ARaymond shares an unusual vision of French industry. "I've come to realize in my time that a company is only as good as the people in it. Alain Raymond, CEO of ARaymond from 1965 to 1999 Past inventor of the press-stud, innovation has always been encouraged and developed within the teams. The Network therefore took the plunge and diversified into the industrial, energy, agricultural and health markets. 1865. Creation of the Raymond, Allègre & Guttin company 1886. Invention of the press-stud. 1898. Creation of the subsidiary based in Lörrach (Germany) 1925. Invention of the VITEX zipper which was manufactured for 40 years. 1935. First patent for a tempered steel fastening clip for the automotive industry. 1955. Launch of plastic injection, in France and Germany. 1989. Launch of first grip connectors for fuel systems. 1994. Invention of the Raymond snap connector (R.E.R.) 1995. Development of the structural adhesive Techbond. 1999. Creation of the Facil Joint Venture, with partner Kamax, to offer the automotive industry a FSP (Full Service Provider) service (www.facil.be). 2007. Launch of new businesses: Industrial, Truck, Energies, Agriculture, Life. www.araymond.com 2009. Acquisition of the Tinnerman company, a metal fasteners specialist in North America. 2012. Creation of the Raydiall Joint Venture, in partnership with Radiall, a coaxial connector specialist in the automobile market (www.raydiall.com). 2015. 150 years of an extraordinary industrial heritage, celebrated by its 5,000 employees around the world
A belief that the company of tomorrow will be collaborative Current CEO Antoine Raymond is convinced that the company of the future can only be competitive if it works hard to pool its resources, talent and know-how. With its strong multicultural and multi-expertise dimension, the ARaymond Network is committed to global collaboration, from the organization of its people through to the identification of new potential markets. In order for this network organization to function, there must be effective collaboration between the network locations. We must be prepared to work with each other and collaborate in an open manner so that we can respond quickly and adapt to change. For that to happen, people must feel confident. Management style must evolve and move towards genuine collaborative work: management based on the "servant leadership" philosophy makes perfect sense because it unlocks talent through innovation and encourages this collaboration. Servant leadership paves the way towards a new "humanistic management" capable of reconciling the economic efficiency imperatives and well-being at work for employees. As a matter of fact, this style of leadership offers other people management practices which are more ethical and involve actively listening to people, thereby helping to mobilize the organization s human potential. As Géraldine Eyraud, Director of Human Resources, points out: "We wanted to assist the leaders in a move towards a humanistic management style, which actively listens to people and is founded on a respectful, supportive and collaborative approach. The idea is to challenge the traditional "top down" management models and place the leader firmly at the disposal of his or her team. The commitment of all concerned becomes the driving force behind the company's success. Involving employees and handing them the keys to the future Antoine Raymond is upholding the values behind this company's remarkable history by guiding the Network towards a humanistic management style which actively listens to people and is founded on a respectful, supportive and collaborative approach. "Collaboration, both internally and externally, is the key to dealing successfully with a more complex world and global challenges. Our strength lies in the men and women who have made us successful, and I firmly believe they contribute to our effectiveness.
The 6 pillars of management which the leaders endeavor to apply on a daily basis and convey to their team are: listening, trusting, discussing, being there to support your team, encouraging and delegating. These notions are applied while respecting the company values of: Respect Collaboration Innovation Entrepreneurial Spirit Value Creation Enjoyment Mindfulness, well-being and performance at work trialed at ARaymond Together with the Grenoble School of Management and several other companies (Bölhoff, Mutuelles du Mans and Petzl), the ARaymond Network is behind the Chair for mindfulness, wellbeing at work and economic peace. "An increasing number of companies wish to focus on the people in their organization, both for their health and their ability to invent and produce. The aim of creating this teaching and research unit is to generate knowledge on stress management at work, personal development, change in management styles and so on. Its scope is unique in the world, explains Dominique Steiler, tenured professor and co-founder of the Chair. "We co-founded this Chair with other companies, researchers and philosophers, including the founder Dominique Steiler, a highly respected specialist in this field, because we wanted to find out the real progress made regarding well-being in the workplace, explains Antoine Raymond. "Mindfulness aims to develop everyone's ability to live more in the present moment, by being more aware of their own state of mind, their responsibilities and the important issues at stake. The goal is to deal with situations in a better way and equip people with the means to form more mindful, responsible and meaningful relationships with others. If this is applied to the company, it helps us create better operating principles and processes and encourages more successful and respectful collaboration. The aim is to encourage effective, non-aggressive cooperation between people and teams, which is actually in line with the objectives of the Servant Leadership program.
The Chair also organizes conferences and meetings which bring researchers and companies together. Furthermore, the research is published and focus groups made up of member companies are formed to examine it. The goal is to apply the results of the research in this field in practical terms. And so between April and June 2015, around 40 employees of Raygroup and Raynet, divided into three groups, volunteered to take part in the first mindfulness cycle of eight two-hour sessions. For Nicolas Moreux, Finance Consultant at Raynet SAP, it was a positive experience: "I was already interested in meditation, so I got involved and really enjoyed it from the very first session. I became calmer and learnt how to identify priorities and recharge my batteries. I have changed my working methods to focus on the essentials and I feel more empathy in my relationships. The group still mediates together once or twice a week. This experiment is in line with ARaymond's determination to do things together. Véronique Goerger, Executive assistant at Raygroup, feels the same way: "When Antoine Raymond introduced this mindfulness meditation initiative, I thought it would be wonderful to do it in the company. I've been practicing yoga for over 10 years. We've been given the tools to handle stress and focus on the moment. It's given me more confidence to maintain meaningful relationships and express myself. It was an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues and a fresh way of exchanging ideas. Contact person: Florence Lamy Communication Manager florence.lamy@araymond.com +33 4 76 33 49 19 +33 6 33 76 90 88