Focus : Behind the Scenes of the Production Ramp-Up
Angelo Collot, Production & Maintenance Manager at CROSSJECT
To better understand the drivers of the production ramp-up, let us begin with the men and women working on the production lines. Who are they?
CROSSJECT’s production ramp-up is first and foremost built on the men and women who operate our industrial facilities every day. Our HR strategy is designed for the long term and is aligned with our operational timeline.
Each new employee follows a structured skills development program, validated position by position and level by level, leading to the required qualifications. This skills development is supported by experienced Qualified Operators, who are themselves qualified to pass on the expertise required for each position. Recruiting individuals who are already integrated into our production system, particularly among our temporary employees, helps us achieve our recruitment objectives.
Today, approximately forty people work across our production flow, including twenty-two production operators and three Production Supervisors. The teams are distributed between the Gray Glass manufacturing area, the Gray Pyrotechnics manufacturing area, and the Dijon manufacturing area. Each manufacturing area is supervised by a Production Supervisor.
The tube pre-assembly activity in the new ZENEO® Nest manufacturing area in Dijon will further strengthen this organization, with a projected workforce of fifteen employees.
How is the work organized?
Our current organization is primarily based on a two-shift operation, with one morning shift and one afternoon shift, five days a week. This operating model corresponds to a production capacity of up to 300,000 units per year.
This organization is scalable. It can be reinforced, particularly through the introduction of night shifts, to support the next stages of our production ramp-up. The Glass manufacturing area, where the thermal toughening of the tubes is carried out, already operates on a three-shift schedule to optimize furnace utilization.
The Production Supervisors and the maintenance teams also provide on-call support. In Gray, the versatility of the Production Supervisors enables them to ensure operational continuity and provide back-up for one another whenever necessary.
How is production distributed among the different manufacturing areas?
CROSSJECT has internalized the strategic manufacturing activities of its platform between its Gray and Dijon sites.
The Glass manufacturing area is dedicated to thermal toughening. The glass tubes are strengthened through heating followed by rapid cooling before undergoing inspection steps, including pressure testing and visual inspection.
The Pyrotechnics manufacturing area carries out assembly in two stages: manufacturing the gas generator as a subassembly, followed by its integration into the ZENEO® actuator.
In Dijon, operations continue in a controlled cleanroom environment. The tubes are washed, siliconized, and then undergo pharmaceutical processing steps, including depyrogenation in a dry-heat oven and autoclave sterilization, to ensure the final quality and sterility of the product.
The ZENEO® Nest process, which is currently outsourced, will complement the existing manufacturing process through the internalization of the aseptic pre-assembly of the tubes. This step will contribute to increasing the filling capacity of our subcontractors.
The availability of production equipment is essential to securing production capacity. What measures have you taken to optimize it?
We continuously work to improve the performance and availability of our equipment. Each machine is subject to dedicated monitoring, including preventive maintenance and optimization whenever necessary.For example, we have significantly improved the operating conditions of the furnace by upgrading the automation systems and redesigning the human-machine interface (HMI). These improvements make operation more intuitive, more efficient, and more user-friendly on a daily basis.
Optimization also relies on the continuous development of our production operators’ skills and on improving the readability of our production indicators. Monitoring scrap rates by defect category enables us to identify improvement opportunities more quickly and take targeted action.
The standardization of operating procedures is another important driver. It facilitates the integration of new employees, promotes versatility, protects operators, and contributes to both production flow and product quality. We have also carried out significant work to optimize the flow of personnel and materials.
Finally, our maintenance organization has been strengthened. The resources allocated naturally follow the same capacity ramp-up curve as the production system. In particular, our spare parts inventory has been adjusted based on a more comprehensive maintenance history. This approach directly contributes to preventing downtime and reducing equipment unavailability.
To what extent are the quality and stability of CROSSJECT’s industrial partners an asset in maintaining your production trajectory?
From the outset, CROSSJECT has relied on a local industrial ecosystem. Whenever possible, we work with subcontractors located within two hours of our facilities.
The same approach applies to our industrial partners, particularly for machining parts used in our production equipment. In Gray, the presence of companies recognized for their machining expertise is a major asset. It enables us to respond more quickly, reduce intervention lead times, and secure our production trajectory.