Background: A strategic industrial site in need of revitalization
Orano’s Melox plant, one of the few facilities in the world that recycles spent nuclear fuel, plays a key role in France’s electricity production: it supplies the MOX fuel used to generate 10% of the electricity produced by France’s nuclear power plants. However, in 2021, the site is losing momentum. Technical problems, followed by cost-cutting measures and layoffs, have led to a 50% drop in production.
“Team morale is low, and the French nuclear industry is facing a bottleneck: the storage areas for spent fuel awaiting reprocessing at the La Hague site (Manche) are nearing maximum capacity. Without a rapid turnaround at Melox, the continuity of nuclear operations is at stake.”
It is in this context that a new site director is appointed and launches an ambitious plan : “Let’s Revive Melox.” Among the six pillars of this plan, Operational Excellence (OE) is identified as a key lever for boosting production, restoring confidence, and ensuring sustainable gains. But one challenge remains: how to involve all 900 employees at the site, when only a limited number of them had previously been involved in performance issues?
Client need: to restore meaning to performance and engage teams
To successfully relaunch the Melox site, it’s not just a matter of increasing production, but also of:
- Rebuild a sense of team spirit by showing each employee that they have a role to play in improving the site.
- Resolve operational issues that hinder production by focusing on concrete, on-the-ground initiatives.
- Train and empower teams so that they themselves can become drivers of continuous improvement.
The priority, then, is to move away from a top-down approach—in which only the Executive Committee and a few project managers were involved—and to foster a culture of shared performance. The challenge? To turn small, everyday victories into a broader momentum capable of restoring confidence and reviving production.
Achievements: A Hands-On, Collaborative Approach
1. Kaizen initiatives to empower teams
From the very start of the project, the Cubik team and Orano Melox’s internal representatives launched an initial wave of Kaizen initiatives. The goal was not to revolutionize the site, but to address specific operational issues that impact the teams’ day-to-day work. These initiatives made it possible to:
- Show employees that they can directly influence their work environment.
- Achieve quick wins, such as optimizing changeover times or reducing unplanned downtime.
- Train the first members of the Operational Excellence network so that they, in turn, can lead and support projects.
The results were immediate: the teams embraced the approach, and the site quickly launched a second, then a third wave of projects. To date, 10 waves of projects have been carried out, with the number of projects exceeding 100, involving more than 450 employees—half the workforce.
2. A management system to ensure long-term gains
To ensure that progress is not short-lived, a rigorous management system has been put in place:
- A three-year roadmap has been developed, including assessments based on the Orano Group’s Operational Excellence maturity framework.
- The gains from each project are measured to ensure that they translate into sustainable improvements in production. The “benchmarks” defined in this way are monitored monthly by operational management and the site’s performance team.
Cubik’s role has gradually evolved: initially leading projects, the team became a coach, and then a coach for coaches. Members of the Operational Excellence network learn how to support front-line managers, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which performance becomes everyone’s responsibility.
3.A level of maturity that exceeds expectations
Over the course of four years, the site’s maturity has improved dramatically:
- Teams are becoming self-sufficient in managing improvement projects.
- The site is becoming a benchmark within the Orano Group, with increased appeal to internal talent.
Results: restored performance and sustainable momentum
The results of this transformation are tangible and measurable:
- Annual production has increased from 50 metric tons in 2021 to 100 metric tons by the end of 2025, with a target of 125 metric tons by 2028.
- More than 100 Kaizen projects since 2021, with an average of about 25 projects per year, generating tangible operational gains (reduced downtime, process optimization, etc.).
- +4.2 metric tons of yield per bottle neck, thanks to the contribution of the production runs.
- 450 employees have been trained and are committed to the initiative, representing half of the site’s workforce.
- A robust management system that ensures gains are sustainable and that performance will not decline.
- 50% of the productivity gains were achieved through the project’s Operational Excellence component.
A Flagship Project: When People and Operations Transform Performance
This project, carried out in partnership with Orano Melox, has become a benchmark for Cubik, illustrating the strength of our approach: the combination of on-the-ground expertise and strong relationships with teams and managers.
Our team immersed itself in the day-to-day work of the teams, working side by side with operators, shift supervisors, and managers. This immersion helped build a unique relationship of trust, to the point that the Melox teams now refer to “Cubor” (Cubik-Orano), a symbol of their close collaboration.
In particular, this has led to a gradual evolution of the relationship:
- A “doer” then “coach” approach: starting by solving concrete problems on the ground, before taking a broader view by structuring the Operational Excellence roadmap and helping the central team lead these projects and coach the network.
- A transparent partnership: Orano Melox became the first client to ask us to conduct a “supplier NPS” survey to identify areas for improvement. This is a testament to the absolute trust that has been established between our two teams.
- A lasting impact: By ensuring that gains are sustained through a rigorous management system, we have demonstrated that we do not merely deliver short-lived results, but that we build powerful and sustainable performance momentum.
