How do you build a global quality system that unites a company with numerous manufacturing sites on three different continents and customers across highly diverse industries such as MedTech, Industrial, and Transportation? GPV has done it. Get the story here.
GPV is an international Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company undergoing rapid growth. Over the past five years, the company has made significant strategic strides, doubling in size through key acquisitions. In 2019, it acquired the Swiss CSS Group, followed by Enics in 2022. Today, the company operates across multiple sites worldwide, generating an annual turnover of 1 billion euros.
To ensure cohesion across its many locations, GPV decided to invest in a global quality system – GBS 2.0, built on the QualiWare platform. The ambition is to enable the company to operate as a single entity while also accommodating local needs. Achieving this required vision, dedication, and strong teamwork.
Brunetto Giusti, the Global Project Manager, along with the GPV project team—including site representatives and business process specialists—has successfully completed the architecture of GBS 2.0 and rolled out the system across the GPV sites on time and with great success. This article is based on an interview with Brunetto.
From Denmark to the World
GPV started as a small sheet metal manufacturing company in Denmark in 1961 and gradually expanded to include electronic production sites in Denmark, Thailand, and Mexico. In recent years, GPV’s acquisition of the Swiss companies CSS Group and Enics has further strengthened its position in the global market, and the company is now the second-largest Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company in Europe.
GPV is owned by Schouw & Co., a Danish industrial conglomerate. Schouw & Co. owns and invests in a portfolio of companies within business-to-business production and commerce. The conglomerate, headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, emphasizes long-term growth and sustainable development.
“So, GPV is becoming bigger and bigger,” Brunetto explains.
Quality Products for Many Industries
“GPV provides complex electronics, in-house mechanics, and cable-harness, testing and assembly into mechatronics, and box-build solutions including ODM product application design as well as test development services to its customers. We produce our customers’ products, but we do not have our own products,” Brunetto says.
GPV manufactures electronic components for customers in industries such as MedTech, Transportation, CleanTech, and Measurement & Control
GPV’s diverse customer portfolio demands high quality and flexibility.
We want to ensure that customers can rely on our products, no matter where in the world they are produced
Brunetto Giusti
The Need for GBS 2.0
Prior to GBS 2.0, GPV had a shared quality system based on the QualiWare platform, applicable to sites in Denmark, Thailand, and Mexico.
However, with the acquisition of CSS Group and Enics, several local quality systems were introduced, reflecting unique local processes and documents. This was unsustainable, as the company needed to operate as a unified global organization. Customers, for example, had to be able to move or expand production to another location without changes in processes or quality.
As a result, GPV decided to develop a global quality system to harmonize global processes while accommodating local needs. The system was also designed to give employees worldwide access to the specific processes and information relevant to them.
Brunetto, who previously served as the quality manager at CSS Group, was assigned as the project manager for GBS 2.0. His task was to develop the system’s architecture and implement it globally. With close collaboration between GPV teams and a QualiWare consultant, the project was successfully completed within the three-year scope. Currently, the system has 1,500 global users, which Brunetto estimates to be about 20% of the potential user base in GPV.
Certifications as the Foundation for Quality
GPV places a significant focus on quality and compliance. The global quality system, GBS 2.0, is designed to support the company’s local and global certifications, including multiple ISO standards, Brunetto explains.
The certifications serve as a tool to ensure customers can trust the quality of GPV’s products across all locations, which has been a key focus in developing GBS 2.0.
“We want to ensure that customers can rely on our products, no matter where in the world they are produced. ”
A Smooth Transition Without Disruption
Although the project has been largely problem-free, there were some challenges along the way. Brunetto describes them as “small things” that needed resolution:
“How do we document processes? How do we organize the documentation? And how do we transfer data from the old systems to the new one? It’s a bit like moving from an apartment to a new house. You want to take everything with you – your clothes, your pots, your kitchen – but you also want it to be better than before. That was our challenge.”
Another key challenge was ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting operations.
“The concern from our Executive Leadership Team was how we could ensure the transition happened without interruptions while still passing audits. With the QualiWare platform, we managed to achieve both,” says Brunetto.
Now, with GBS 2.0, everything is very well documented. You can demonstrate to anyone when a document was released, by whom, and at what time. It’s much better than our previous systems, and this is appreciated by the top management, the quality team, and our customers
Brunetto Giusti
QualiWare: A Key Role in the Success
One of the most important factors in the project’s success has been the collaboration with QualiWare and their experienced consultant.
“One of the most positive aspects was working with the QualiWare consultant. His support and advice were crucial to the project’s success. He not only provided technical expertise but also helped us make strategic decisions and trained our teams. Even when we faced complex challenges, he was always ready with solutions and support,” says Brunetto, adding:
“Jens Anker [QualiWare consultant] was really great. He supported us like a colleague, and we built a team together.”
Benefits and Future Potential
With GBS 2.0, GPV can document all processes and demonstrate compliance with international standards. The system has also made it easier to show customers and auditors when documents were released, by whom, and under what procedures:
“Now, with GBS 2.0, everything is very well documented. You can demonstrate to anyone when a document was released, by whom, and at what time. It’s much better than our previous systems, and this is appreciated by the top management, the quality team, and our customers.”
Collaboration and Success
GPV’s global quality system, GBS 2.0, exemplifies how companies can build cohesion and quality across locations using the QualiWare platform. Collaboration with QualiWare and their consultant played a pivotal role in the project’s success, ensuring the system not only meets current requirements but also allows for further improvements in the future. With a strategy focused on harmonization and continuous quality improvement, GPV is well-positioned to meet future demands and continue their success as a global production company.
