Press releases

Sep 15, 2009

The Bonduelle group has renewed the contract to manage the bulk of its computer infrastructures, the transformation of which was entrusted to Steria in 2004. The European IT services company will therefore continue to manage the central computer system and decentralized servers, as well as the global Help Desk, office IT and support functions for the group.

By renewing its trust in Steria, the Bonduelle group confirms the success of a five-year partnership that has managed to adapt to the changing environment of both players. The system deployed by Steria is part of the cost optimization strategy introduced by Bonduelle, offering local-level support in order to meet its business challenges even more effectively. The Bonduelle information system is heavily geared towards logistics and the need for reliability and responsiveness, which are increasingly crucial as its product range develops. It applies in particular for the fresh product and catering business lines. Their development requires just-in-time management of each step in the supply chain, from reception of the raw materials, to taking of orders, adjustment of production and delivery to the final customer, in compliance with current standards for preserving products. Steria manages the systems that coordinate these processes, and ensures their stability, which is vital to Bonduelle's production.

The agreement between Bonduelle and Steria has been extended for another five years. It is based on a commitment to achieve results and invoicing according to cost units. These units correspond to actual invoicing elements: each service has an agreed cost and the charge for the service is based on the number of cost units delivered. This transparent invoicing method enables Bonduelle to know the costs for each of its sites.

The industrial module deployed by Steria combines customer proximity and rationalization, and is based on the group's on-shore and near-shore centres, making it possible to share resources to improve cost control.

"The industrial capacities of the Steria group allow us to offer Bonduelle a mixed model combining a strong local presence with improved rationalization of costs" states Philippe Borfiga, Facilities Management Director at Steria France.

The management and technical offices set up by Steria are located in Lille, close to the Bonduelle IT Department. The local teams which are mainly present at the headquarters of Bonduelle in Villeneuve d'Ascq (Nord), also cover the factories located throughout France and Benelux. Shared administration of servers is carried out in Sophia-Antipolis, at Steria's shared administration centre. The help desk and management services are provided by Steria's platform in Katowice in Poland.

About the Bonduelle Group:
The Bonduelle group has 8,000 employees and is present in 80 countries. It is currently the undisputed world leader in the vegetable sector.The group has three core businesses: canned vegetables, frozen vegetables and prepared fresh vegetables (bagged lettuces, salads in containers with dressing).It has 37 production sites throughout the world, and aims to achieve growth through innovation, a full range of brands, and unique expertise in processing vegetables.