Co-packaging specialist GT Logistics seeks to broaden its horizons

Special-edition gift sets, Advent calendars, items bundled into multipacks, POS display shelves stocked with products, or the simple addition of a discount label… The GT Logistics co-packing unit at Nogent-la-Phaye, near Chartres, France, hand-processes 50 million cosmetic products each year on behalf of groups such as L’Oréal, Caudalie, Guerlain, and Puig. With two decades behind it, the site plans to double its footprint in the near future, while GT Logistics looks to pursue growth in additional lines of business.

Founded as PromoCaf in 1999 and acquired by GT Logistics in 2006, the Eure-et-Loir industrial site has since doubled its area and now spans 6,000 square metres. At its core are production lines run by a permanent team of around 50, bolstered by as many as a hundred additional workers during peak periods, particularly in summer, when the gift sets and Advent calendars that skincare and fragrance brands launch for the end-of-year holidays are prepared.

On these packing lines, products are removed from their cartons to be, for example, grouped and packed in pairs, with each operator performing a specific step in the process. On the neighbouring line, a Paco Rabanne gift set takes shape: one operator assembles the cardboard die-cuts, then another places inside three different bottles from the brand.

More striking still, a clean room where operators wear protective clothing and masks is used to fill a special edition of Guerlain’s Météorites with powder pearls. To reduce the monotony of repetitive tasks, teams rotate roles every two years. According to management, the complexity of these operations makes automation unlikely in the near future.

“In the vast majority of cases, these packaging and presentation requirements relate to limited editions or short runs. The box, the closure system and other parameters change,” explains Omar Tamin, head of GT Logistics Co-packing. “Brands therefore cannot justify a dedicated machine that they could amortise over time. That’s why they entrust these set-ups to us.”

In a second room, this manual work is carried out on a larger and more striking scale. Large cardboard shelves in the colours of Garnier’s vegan personal-care range are assembled. Operators install the bottle holders and then the bottles themselves. The entire display is then packed into large L’Oréal-branded cartons, to be opened by store teams in the supermarkets where this turnkey POS display will be delivered.

The contract-packaging business is evolving, particularly with the shift to more sustainable materials. “Polybag packaging has been replaced by paper bags, and plastic sleeves are now made from kraft paper, for example,” explains Vanessa Madelin, manager of the Nogent-la-Phaye site. “The sector is undergoing a real transformation in its CSR dimension.” The beauty segment currently accounts for 9% of the €100 million generated annually by GT Logistics.

The 1,250-strong company also operates in other sectors, such as nuclear power, defence, and aeronautics. Although it has considered expanding internationally, the company has ultimately opted to diversify its lines of business in the near future, at the pace of one new activity per year. Industrial packaging, materials cutting, surface treatment and quality control could be developed through acquisitions, notably of small specialised units.

“These 20 years illustrate our ability to develop complex, demanding industrial activities, integrated into our customers’ value chain, around our core logistics businesses,” explains Philippe Tellier, managing director of GT Logistics. “These two decades also tell the story of a human adventure, built on the trust of our partners and customers and the commitment of our teams.”

At a ceremony held on site on June 4, six female employees who have been with the company since it opened were presented with a trophy, as were the three major long-standing customers: Guerlain, Puig and, above all, L’Oréal.