Philippe Conticini

A challenge: modernise management while maintaining craftsmanship

Before adopting Inpulse, the management of orders, stocks and margins were based on Google Sheet files, resulting in malfunctions frequent. Manual entries caused errors in the quantities ordered, leading to unsold items and breakages. Coordination between the shops and the laboratory was complex and these limits directly impacted the production chain, increasing the work of the teams.

To meet these challenges, the House has chosen Inpulse, an integrated tool capable of improving each stage of production. Integration with Lightspeed, the home checkout system, allowed for complete automation of orders and a accurate margin analysis. This innovation has profoundly transformed the organization.

Controlling production costs: a key challenge in fine pastry

In the demanding world of fine pastry, where margins are much lower than in other luxury sectors, controlling production costs is a crucial strategic challenge. For Philippe Conticini, this means monitoring Day by day the evolution of the prices of raw materials, such as chocolate, cocoa or flour, which are subject to strong fluctuations. Thanks to Inpulse, this aspect is now simplified: the software interconnects directly with its suppliers, thus automating part of the process and reducing the workload of teams, especially in the production laboratory.

Raw materials, human resources and rents are our “workhorses”“, the three main expenditure items that we analyze with great rigor. With Inpulse, it is possible to react quickly to rising costs, adjust sales prices, or, in some cases, make radical decisions, such as temporarily stopping products that have become unprofitable. This responsiveness is essential to maintain economic viability in a sector in which each product is shaped. By hand, in just-in-time and without stock, to guarantee impeccable freshness and quality.

Contrary to the high margin standards of luxury, fine artisan pastry must deal with much tighter margins. This delicate balance, between artisanal excellence and economic optimization, is now better controlled thanks to Inpulse, allowing Philippe Conticini to remain true to its values while ensuring rigorous financial management.

A clear vision of margins for better financial management

One of the most significant changes brought about by Inpulse at Maison Philippe Conticini is the transition from a turnover-based approach to margin-based management. Indeed, focusing only on turnover is a strategic error, as this prevents effective planning of future investments and the correct calculation of working capital requirements (WCR). Inpulse automatically retrieves sales data, allowing accurate calculation of margins on raw material costs.

This marginal-oriented vision offers several strategic advantages. It allows better anticipate investment capacities, especially for key periods such as December and January, which represent a major part of annual turnover. In addition, it provides the tools to manage seasonal variations and smooth out your financial vision over a full year, thus avoiding cash flow tensions linked to “piecemeal” approaches. This approach also facilitates discussions with banks or investors, thanks to the possibility of rational arguments supported by reliable data.

Inpulse represents real added value for the House: by aligning production with real needs, it can reduce unnecessary marginal costs and avoid producing cakes that will not be sold. This transition to a more structured methodology reinforces overall financial management and the effectiveness of teams, thus consolidating the position of the Maison Philippe Conticini as a leader in high-end pastry.

A societal commitment to limit food waste and respect craftsmanship

Each cake is much more than just a product. When dessert is thrown away at the end of the day, an entire ecosystem of work, passion, and resources is wasted:electricity, thewater, the efforts invested by the teams, and even the budgets allocated to marketing and communication. Maison Philippe Conticini, driven by a profound desire to limit this waste, places this approach at the heart of its values.

Each pastry is the result of the rigorous work of enthusiasts who get up, sometimes as early as 2 or 3 am, to guarantee the freshness and quality of the products in store. These creations, made with almost artistic precision, are much more than desserts: they embody unique know-how.

Throw away these creations, real small works of art, is tantamount to ignoring the dedication of these artisans. That is why the optimization of processes, thanks to Inpulse, makes perfect sense: to produce just what is needed, to meet demand, while honoring the quality and work invested, and minimizing losses. This approach reaffirms Philippe Conticini in its role as a responsible and respectful player in French gastronomy.

A transformation: the impact of Inpulse on teams

Managing purchase orders, which used to be a task time-consuming and error-prone, has been simplified and automated. In-store teams quickly saw the benefits of the tool: no need to handle complex files where deleting a formula or entering incorrectly could lead to major disorganizations, such as forgotten or erroneous orders.

The implementation of Inpulse has had a positive effect on internal relationships, especially between the production laboratory and the shops. By automating and rendering processes factual and transparent, the tool made it possible to empower each department. Production teams can ensure that their releases match actual orders, while stores rely on reliable forecasts to avoid inflating or underestimating their needs. This clarity has helped ease potential tensions, especially during periods of high activity, such as December and January, which represent up to 35% of annual turnover.

By offering a centralized and non-questionable database, Inpulse Bring a operational serenity. Discussions are now based on specific facts, limiting the misunderstandings and conflicts that can arise under the pressure of annual goals.