CFTC Stellantis

Labor unions face a communication paradox: their members need timely, reliable information precisely when it matters most — during strikes, negotiations, or major corporate announcements — yet traditional channels (email newsletters, printed tracts, notice boards) consistently fail to reach employees at the right moment.

The CFTC section at Stellantis France, one of the country's largest automotive groups, turned to AppStarter to solve this challenge. The goal was clear: build a native mobile application that would become the go-to source of truth for union members across all Stellantis France sites — fast, structured, and always up to date.

THE CHALLENGE

Real-Time Communication at Scale

Stellantis France operates across multiple sites with tens of thousands of employees. Distributing union communications — press releases, negotiation updates, election results — through email or physical channels creates inevitable delays and low readership. The app needed to deliver breaking news instantly, directly to members' home screens.

Organizing Complex Information

Union communications span multiple content types: current events, official tracts, negotiation documents, and practical HR guides (exceptional leave, company benefits, social contacts). Structuring this content in a way that is immediately navigable — without training or onboarding — was a core design challenge.

Trust Through Branding

For a union app to be adopted, it must feel official and credible. The design needed to reflect the CFTC Stellantis identity with precision, creating an experience members would trust as their primary source of information rather than an afterthought.

OUR APPROACH

We applied our four-phase methodology to deliver a focused, high-impact internal communication tool.

PHASE 1 — PRODUCT STRATEGY

We mapped the full spectrum of communication needs for a union section: breaking news, official document distribution, and HR reference information. The product strategy was built around three distinct content pillars — Actualités (News), Tracts (Official Documents), and Infos (Practical HR Guides) — each serving a different member need and usage frequency. We defined a content management architecture that allows union administrators to publish updates independently, without technical dependency.

PHASE 2 — UX/UI DESIGN

The design language draws directly from the CFTC Stellantis visual identity: blue and white brand colors, clean typography, and a no-friction navigation structure. Three bottom tabs provide instant access to the three content pillars. The news feed was designed to prioritize readability — large cards with category tags, dates, and preview text, giving members a clear signal of what's new and why it matters. The Infos section uses an accordion layout to present dense HR information (leave policies, benefits, social contacts) in a digestible, mobile-first format.

PHASE 3 — DEVELOPMENT

The application was built as a native iOS app optimized for iPhone. Key technical components include a real-time content feed with push notification support for breaking union news, a categorized document library for tracts and official communications, a structured information module covering exceptional leave policies, company benefits, and social services contacts, and a content management backend enabling non-technical administrators to publish and update content independently.

PHASE 4 — LAUNCH

The app was distributed via the Apple App Store under the CFTC Stellantis France brand. Rollout was coordinated with the union's communication team to ensure member awareness across all sites. Push notifications were activated from day one to drive initial engagement and establish the app as the primary communication channel for time-sensitive union announcements.

KEY FEATURES

News Feed (Actualités): A continuously updated stream of union news, press releases, and negotiation updates — categorized, dated, and delivered via push notification the moment they are published.

Official Documents (Tracts): A structured library of union tracts and official communications, organized chronologically and accessible offline for members who need to reference documents during meetings or on the shop floor.

HR Information Hub (Infos): A comprehensive, accordion-structured guide covering practical employee rights and entitlements — exceptional leave (hospitalization, birth, marriage, sick child), company badge procedures, and direct contact details for social services.

Push Notifications: Instant alerts for breaking news and critical announcements, bypassing email filters and social media algorithms to reach members directly and reliably.

Branded Experience: A fully CFTC Stellantis-branded interface that reinforces trust and recognition — the digital equivalent of an official union notice board, always in members' pockets.