CEO OF TRANSITION STATIONERY

The stationery sector

Paper mills are structures whose activity is often exercised alongside a bookstore or a press house.

There are 3 types of stationery:

• School supplies
• Correspondence
• Administrative

For years, stationery professionals have faced stiff competition. The low prices of large retailers, the rise in raw materials, changes in consumer purchasing behavior, many professionals are joining franchise networks to take advantage of better purchasing conditions.

The main market players are:

• Hamelin
• 3M
• Office Depot France
• Valley Office
• Tiger Paper

Online, generalist marketplaces as well as specialized e-shops and other pure players continue to make good sales. However, a shortage of paper is to be feared according to specialists in the sector.

France ranks 6th among European paper and cardboard producing countries, with no less than 74 companies specializing in the sector.

Companies, like individuals, want to consume more responsibly, and are increasingly using recycled materials.

The sector was heavily penalized by the health crisis in 2020 due to the increased development of teleworking, combined with the progression of budgetary constraints for companies, encouraging them to control their purchases of supplies. In addition, in 2022, the price of paper has risen from 600 euros per ton to 1300 euros.

Personal consumption was impacted by the decline in their purchasing power and the development of telecommuting and distance education, which further reduced the use and purchase of paper.

Finally, the health crisis has further accelerated the dematerialization of communication media.

More and more companies tend to dematerialize their invoices or to digitize their process in order to gain in efficiency, a trend which could threaten stationery in the medium term.

Despite these difficulties, the sector’s turnover in 2021 increased by +4.2%, or 3.23 billion euros in turnover.

Market organization:

• Traditional paper mills
• Large specialized surfaces
• Non-specialized supermarkets
• Wholesalers and mail order companies
• e-commerce players

The interim CEO in the stationery sector:

The missions of a stationery transition manager:

• Lead the various production units by optimizing the organization and supervising the daily incidences.
• Ensure compliance with papermaking and maintenance costs
• Propose improvements to reduce costs
• Develop synergies within the organization
• Plan, organize and supervise teams
• Implement the group’s various policies on the technical, economic and human levels.

Generally, the recruitment of an interim manager is done in a hurry. Companies calling on an expert firm want a woman or a man with solid knowledge of the sector of activity.

A transition manager in the stationery sector must demonstrate a good capacity for adaptation, analysis, autonomy, resistance to stress and must in particular have good interpersonal skills.

Preparation is an important step for the interim manager, indeed during this phase, he must take advantage of it to accumulate a lot of information on the market, the structure of the company, the operating rules, etc.

Then, when taking up the position, taking the time to get to know the scope for which he is responsible will help the interim manager to determine how to achieve the objectives set. This information gathering phase is not always feasible. In some cases, the interim director must make important decisions from day one.

The definition of the action plan makes it possible to summarize the list of subjects or problems to be dealt with, but also of the actions to be carried out. However, contingencies must be taken into account, the action plan cannot be followed to the letter, the interim manager must however ensure that high-impact actions are carried out as quickly as possible.

As soon as the latter’s leadership is imposed, he must ensure that the action plan is carried out. However, he must always remain flexible and keep a certain margin of maneuver to deal with all eventualities or unforeseen events.

Finally, the mission of a transition manager is to move a company from one situation to another . As soon as the mission comes to an end, he must complete his mission by passing on his knowledge and advice to the person who will take his place.

In addition, here are the key steps during the mission of an interim manager:

• Conduct an audit and implement an optimization plan
• Accentuate the managerial approach
• Supporting teams through change
• Reduce non-quality
• Ensure a return to productivity
• Putting the customer at the center of concerns
• Optimize processes
• Transmit your knowledge