LSC360, the name of change

All large companies need to be able to reinvent themselves and rethink their organisation in order to remain agile and increase their efficiency and visibility in the market. This is precisely what LSC Engineering Group is preparing to do with the announcement of the merger of seven of its subsidiaries. We meet the three people in charge of this major project: Myriam Hengesch, Carl Kleefisch and Alain Wagner.

• Before talking about what’s new, let’s go back to the beginning: who is LSC Engineering Group, what does it do, and who are its clients?

Myriam Hengesch: LSC Engineering Group is an engineering firm that currently has 380 employees representing more than 60 different professions and areas of expertise. We operate mainly in Luxembourg, but also in France, Germany and certain African countries (Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea). Our clients come from both the public and private sectors.

Alain Wagner: We cover all the skills needed to bring a project to fruition, from financial analysis and feasibility studies to permit applications, execution, monitoring of works and coordination of all studies.
 Carl Kleefisch: We can say that we know how to manage a project from B to Z, with A being architecture.

MH: One of the priorities of our company and of our project development is sustainability.  Our strategy and the support we provide to our clients are very much focused on this issue.

AW: The human dimension also remains an important part of our DNA within our organisation. It is precisely this aspect that often appeals to our clients. Many of them notice the strong bonds that unite our employees.

• 2025 will mark a turning point for LSC. What are you about to announce?

MH: Indeed, we have taken the strategic decision to merge the seven Luxembourg entities in which we are 100% shareholders into a single entity. This merger is the result of a process of reflection that we have been engaged in for several years, since April 2022 to be precise, and which will come into effect in mid-November 2024.

CK: This entity is called LSC360 and will therefore legally and administratively absorb seven companies (Luxplan, Simon-Christiansen & Associés, LSC Environmental Engineering, Devolux, Zilmplan, Mersch Ingénieurs-Paysagistes and Luxsense Geodata). However, it is very important to emphasise that LSC Engineering Group will continue to exist! The only notable difference is the reduction in the number of entities within the group, with no impact on the overall number of employees.
AW: The employees of the new entity therefore all come from the seven entities. We are ultimately bringing together all the skills and expertise that we already had before, but which were spread across different subsidiaries.

MH: The name LSC360 reflects our multidisciplinary approach, but also circularity, our commitment to sustainability and, of course, the well-being, human dimension and empathy shared by each and every one of us.

• Why this merger? What challenges and ambitions does it address?

CK: The aim is to improve the visibility of our group towards our clients and the outside world in general. Some clients have been working with us for more than 15 to 20 years but sometimes find it difficult to identify “who is who” and “who does what”. Ultimately, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to promote the project, beyond the specificities that each participating entity could claim.

AW: As Carl said earlier, it was our customers who really initiated the change. They were unable to clearly distinguish the differences between the various companies working on the same project. It’s important to note that, ultimately, 300 of the LSC group’s 380 employees will be part of the new LSC360 entity.
From a more organisational point of view, subcontracting and internal invoicing between the various subsidiaries resulted in a significant administrative burden. This change will enable us to gain in simplicity, fluidity and efficiency.

MH: This new structure will also enable us to approach the international market more easily and participate in larger-scale tenders.

• What will this change mean for customers?

CK: The change will greatly simplify interactions and project monitoring for our customers. The number of contacts will be reduced to sometimes just one person, which is generally very much appreciated by our customers.

AW: The complexity of a project does not always lie in the difficulty of the project itself, but rather in its human dimension, i.e. in the interaction between the various experts managing the project. LSC360 will simplify this coordination by appointing a Senior Project Director who will be responsible for orchestrating the project.

MH: The multidisciplinary nature and plurality of expertise that we demonstrate today will be much more visible, accessible and ultimately more profitable for all our clients.

• What does this change internally for employees?

MH: We have carried out several participatory exercises involving all our employees, particularly on the areas of mission, vision and values. A phrase emerged during these workshops that sums up our current mindset:

“We guide our clients in the development of integrated projects of all sizes, combining efficiency and empathy. ” I would particularly like to emphasise the concepts of efficiency and empathy, which we believe set us apart from our competitors.

We also worked collectively on our visual identity through a collective rebranding process, so that each of our employees feels invested and can identify with the choices that have been made.

CK: We also took advantage of this merger to bring together certain employees based on their skills or profession, to ensure better collaboration between them, simplify our processes and optimise customer visibility. In the past, the same service was sometimes divided between different entities. In practical terms, for our employees, this means “moving” to another office. This is not insignificant, but it is not a radical change either.

AW: Let’s be clear, their daily lives will not change. We have ensured that the internal changes are as minor as possible, aware that this could be perceived as a constraint, even if the end result is positive.

• How are roles divided between the three of you?

MH: This is an interesting point because previously, all three of us managed an entity that is now merging. So, for the past six months, each of us has taken the time to get to know all the employees and talk to them so that they know who to turn to in the future.
CK: We wanted to avoid recreating a hierarchy between the three of us at all costs. What stands out for me is how we complement each other; we each have our strengths and weaknesses. We have established a system that prioritises flexibility, agility and stability. When one of us takes charge of a given issue, there is always a back-up, someone else who can take over if necessary.

AW: This complementarity that Carl mentions allows us to establish a solid and cohesive management team. We are a three-headed director, with a wide range of skills! None of us imposes our vision unilaterally, which facilitates dialogue and further strengthens our collective leadership.

In terms of specific areas of expertise, I will be responsible for issues related to innovation, development and new niches that may arise within the company.

MH: As for me, I will be focusing heavily on issues related to human resources and sustainable development.

CK: My background is more in technical engineering, but I will also be responsible for financial strategy and management control. Mathematics, in other words!

• In view of the changes ahead, what are you most looking forward to today?

MH: Personally, I am eager to see our customers’ reactions, what the impact will be, and what questions they will have. We have, of course, given this a lot of thought in advance, so we are ready to respond. I’m also eager to see which market segments may open up for us!

CK: For my part, I’m eager to see our carefully considered initiatives come to life, first internally. I’m very optimistic about the success of this transformation; I even think the results will exceed our expectations, but seeing it “in action” will be a very satisfying moment.

AW: We have been working on this project for so long that, as you can imagine, expectations are high. All feedback from our customers and employees will be interesting and constructive.

• What other new developments can we expect in the future?

MH: As I mentioned earlier, our visual identity has been completely revamped. To represent this new entity, LSC360, a new logo and a new website have been designed by a communications agency. We wanted to emphasise modernity, reflecting the many young people who work in our offices every day.

AW: We look forward to seeing you again in a year’s time to take stock of this great and exciting adventure, the first pages of which we are all very proud to be writing.

Article published in LG – November 2024