From lifelike Studio 100 figures to cardboard Red Devils, they are all produced at 3Motion. "We don't have a traditional printing background. This has made it easier for us to innovate" says CEO Femke Helon, who received this year's WOMED Award.


In the corner of the meeting room, Kevin De Bruyne looks on with crossed arms and a focused gaze. It is made of cardboard, but still lifelike. Zele-based 3Motion secured the licence to do so just before the start of the European Football Championships."
"Because of the corona crisis, we had to move fast and find new sources of income," says case manager Femke Helon (35). "It's a matter of seeing opportunities. It was obvious that we would do something around the European Championship. We knocked on the door of the Royal Belgian Football Association. They liked the idea. There they said, "If the supporters can't come to the Red Devils, then the Red Devils will just come to the supporters. "We still have the licence for the cardboard Red Devils until the end of 2022, which also allows us to take in the World Cup."

Femke Helon, who is at the helm of 3Motion with her husband Wouter Mouton and brother-in-law Gerd Mouton, may call herself female entrepreneur of the year for a year. She received the WOMED Award in early March from Markant vzw, Unizo and the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 3Motion is a production company specialising in visual communication. "We do everything related to advertising and visuals to creatively market a brand or product," says Helon. "We offer a service from start to finish. We start with the graphic design and are also in charge of production and installation at clients' premises. Our customer base includes supermarkets and the largest retailers in Belgium."


Flagship

Besides visual communication, 3Motion has two more departments: displays and packaging, and 3D printing. That first department also caters to retailers: from shop decorations to displays for temporary promotional offers or mood images of the shops. The 3D printer is the company's flagship product. "Here is the largest printer in Belgium," Helon says proudly. "The sillier the project, the better. At Plopsaland De Panne, we were allowed to decorate the Atrium. Each balcony features a figure from Studio 100, including Samson and Marie, and Bumba. Those were all printed here."  According to Helon, the 3D printer opens doors. He is strengthening the other departments. After the assignment for the theatre hall, 3Motion was also allowed to provide the stickers in the Plopsa Hotel, for example. "With the printer, we can unpack. Only then do the big customers also look at the rest of our offerings. Our other departments are always ready to help make a difference. But they also function completely on their own. Our visual communication remains the biggest source of revenue."

In November, 3Motion celebrated its 10th anniversary. By corona, it was an anniversary with limited festivities. Although Helon assures that a big party is still coming up for all employees and customers. The course she and her husband have taken should be seen. the company would like to pay tribute to everyone who helped in the process. "My spouse and I have no background in graphics," says Helon. "This has always allowed us to innovate more easily than the competition. We always started from the customer's issue and wanted to take a very solution-oriented approach to everything. Competitors often looked at it first from traditional printing processes. They may have jumped on the digital train a little later. That explains our lead."


Robots

Helon comes from the marketing sector, her husband from the logistics world. They were bored with their jobs and were looking for a new challenge together. They rented a small building in Apples near Dendermonde and lived above the business. For the first six months, the couple did everything themselves. Helon also operated the machines. When the first larger orders came in, they recruited a graphic artist. Full pallets of cardboard were delivered to the doorstep. These had to be carried in one by one in the absence of forklifts. They met in the kitchen.

"Soon we will move to our fourth location," says Helon. "We are moving into premises with double the surface area. It is going very fast. Larger and even more automated machines will be installed, as well as two robots. Everyone who works here will also have a place there. That's what I like about our company: everyone can progress. Someone who once started here as a job student is now running the graphics department. Those who want more responsibility or need a creative outlet can always ask what the possibilities are. It is up to us as business leaders to create a framework in which there is room for new initiatives and personal growth.


Refocus

3Motion has about 50 employees. The atmosphere is very family-like in an open-plan workspace, with a football table to relax on and fruit baskets to snack on. Helon felt it was very important to keep its employees informed of the difficulties during the corona crisis: "We saw the problems coming faster than the rest of the country, I think. Among our customers are quite a few stand builders. Those orders were cancelled as early as February 2020, even if the items were already in production." When all orders fell away, 60 per cent of workers had to enter the temporary unemployment system. The company quickly refocused to minimise the economic damage of the pandemic. Machines were used to make plexiglass screens, spacer stickers and face masks. After a week, 80 per cent of the staff had returned to work. The quick response allowed 3Motion to finish 2020 with 15 per cent growth. According to trading information platform Trends Top, 3Motion made a profit of 231,475 euros last financial year. That's more than in 2019.

Helon's quick response was one of the reasons it received the WOMED Award. "Our focus on creativity, innovation and sustainability also played an important role," Helon said. "My enthusiasm and passion for entrepreneurship will also have had something to do with it." According to Helon, the recognition for that is the best thing about the award. And that female entrepreneurs are put in the spotlight, because more female role models are still needed. The electric bike Helon won is a nice added bonus. "If I take the children to school by bike now, I still have my exercise," she says. "I attach great importance to sports and healthy eating. Entrepreneurship is often top-class sport and then it is crucial to keep your body and mind in shape. On Sundays, I like to rummage through cookbooks to create a weekly menu. I order groceries online, so I don't waste time during the week. Whether in the workplace or at home, organisation is everything."