As industrial businesses discover the treasure trove of data embedded in their machinery and workflows, a new era of industrial digitalisation unfolds. Seamless data exchange is paving the road to enhanced cooperation, improved performance, and new revenue streams.

The Gérard Perrier Industrie (GPI) group, a leader in automation, electronics and electrical engineering, decided to take a bold leap into this future. Recognising the critical role of digital solutions in industrial operations, GPI championed the cause by launching a startup—DATIVE— dedicated to this mission.

With a focus on industrial IoT, DATIVE addresses the broad spectrum of challenges in the industrial sector and leads companies into a new era of digital excellence. It develops tailored software solutions in two distinct yet complementary categories.

The industrial monitoring category zeroes in on optimising industrial sites and plants. The goal is to gather, aggregate, decode and analyse data to boost site efficiency and cut down operating costs, ensuring sites operate at peak productivity. DATIVE also has a robust cybersecurity division supporting the industrial IoT operations and guaranteeing the state-of-the-art solutions adhere to the highest standards in cybersecurity.

In parallel, the industrial fleet management division shifts the focus from site-specific solutions to a broader scope, encompassing products and machinery. This segment aims to collate data from these assets on a global scale, empowering clients to manage their fleets more efficiently.

“These two divisions form a robust framework within DATIVE, instrumental in enhancing product planning, R&D, and providing clients with more sophisticated, value-added services,” says Lucille Khurana-Perrier, Managing Director, Gpi & Dative.

Industrial Expertise Meets Digital Excellence

DATIVE knows the right mix of digital and industrial knowledge can be a strong catalyst in driving efficiency in smart industrial operations.

Its positioning at the heart of GPI enables it to combine the agility and innovation of a startup with the scale and reach of an established organisation, serving a broad range of industrial needs in diverse sectors like manufacturing and oil & gas.

“Our affiliation with GPI makes it easy for startups to get a complete package. From data visualisation to forecast analysis, our software solutions drive efficiency gains, cost savings and competitive advantages, making us a one-stop provider for efficient industrial digitalisation,” says Quentin Schroter, head of cloud and IoT division.

Guiding Clients for Optimal Digitalisation Outcomes

Companies recognise the need for digitalisation but often struggle with where to start, digital solutions in the industrial sector can be notably fragmented and complex.

DATIVE addresses this by offering its concrete, turnkey solutions through a guided approach. Instead of a simple lift-and-shift, it engages in detailed discussions to help clients realise the potential of their existing resources and how DATIVE’s offerings can bring a significant value addition on top of that. This strategic focus distinguishes DATIVE in a crowded market, offering clarity and a more defined pathway for them embarking on their digital transformation journey.

Simplifying Data Aggregation and Analysis

A remarkable feat is that all of DATIVE’s products rely on two technical platforms. This approach is crucial, as many standalone products lead to inefficiency.

DATIVE’s premier product, DAT’Acquisition, is a middleware data collection platform adept at collecting and aggregating any industrial data. Its capabilities extend beyond collecting data from wireless sensors and radio networks. It seamlessly integrates existing data from industrial automation solutions. This includes information transmitted through private LoRaWAN networks and industrial protocols like Modbus, OPCUA or Profinet, which many IoT solutions struggle to incorporate directly.

DAT’Acquisition is also very user-friendly and natively configurable, making it easy to track the journey of each data point and allows frequent transparent upgrades.

“A key differentiator is our ability to integrate industrial data within the client’s on-premise equipments & software. This approach is unique compared to competitors who may rely on plug-and-play hardware solutions” says Schroter.

Designed to be brand-agnostic, this platform is capable of collecting data regardless of the SCADA system or ERP source.

The challenge lies not in the data collection but in the aggregation process, making diverse data compatible and formatting it for easy analysis. This ability to handle a wide variety of data types and sources is a cornerstone of DATIVE’s technical prowess.

DAT’Acquisition is entirely on-premise and works without internet connectivity—a crucial feature for certain industrial sectors where cloud-based data management is not viable. For customers with high cyber security constraints, DATIVE offers a 100% local dashboarding solution. For clients that want to go even further, DATIVE’s data analysis and restitution platform, DAT’Foundation, operates as a cloud solution. It adapts to a client’s specific needs and preferences, allowing customisation based on their product specifics, desired information, and expected outcomes.

From data visualisation to forecast analysis, our software solutions drive efficiency gains, cost savings and competitive advantages, making us a one-stop provider for efficient industrial digitalisation

While DAT’Foundation serves as a common platform for all five of DATIVE’s products, it appears as a fully personalised solution specific to the product clients have subscribed to. This strategic approach of using a unified platform enables the company to efficiently manage and offer a diverse range of solutions. This versatility is key to its ability to grow and cater to the practical needs of different client categories.

Significant Energy Savings with Efficient Monitoring

Energy optimisation is a challenge many industrial companies face. With energy expenditures escalating in recent years, clients across the manufacturing spectrum have set their sights on improving energy efficiency. This organisational mandate for cost and carbon mitigation encompasses all forms of energy, like electricity, gas and compressed air.

DATIVE encounters this imperative for energy management routinely in client engagements.

It offers DAT'Power, a flagship product designed to optimise industrial energy consumption. Clients can access an energy map of their sites to track energy performance indicators (EPI) with alerts, automatic reports and many other analytical features.

DAT'Power excels in collecting various types of energy consumption data, not limited to conventional sources like electricity or gas, but all types of fluids such as steam and water. Aligning energy consumption data with production data, it enables industries to improve efficiency without compromising their operational effectiveness.

“This approach helps create comprehensive performance indicators that consider both energy and production metrics, making it a vital tool for industries looking to optimise energy use and promote environmental sustainability,” says Khurana-Perrier.

Complementing DAT’Power is DAT’Process, a comprehensive industrial monitoring solution. While it includes energy consumption data, the primary focus is optimising industrial processes. This includes implementing predictive maintenance and conducting vibration and motor analysis—an aspect in the industrial sector critical to identifying early signs of machine wear and tear or malfunction.

Catering to Niche Industry Demands

To address the specific needs of energy management in ski resorts, DATIVE developed an exclusive product, DAT’Mountain. This niche market is significant in France, a leading destination for skiing.

Much like industrial companies, ski resorts have infrastructure like ski lifts and snow groomers. Until DAT’Mountain, no comprehensive solution in the market could optimise the functioning of diverse elements within a ski resort.

Setting DAT’Mountain apart is its direct integration into the resort’s automation and SCADA systems. This allows remote control and optimisation of operations, such as adjusting ski lifts speeds based on queue lengths, leading to significant energy savings without compromising the user experience. The product’s capability to remotely manage widely dispersed resort equipment, sometimes spanning 5 to 10 kilometres, is a crucial feature.

Innovative Fleet Management with DAT’Products and DAT’Machine

When it comes to industrial fleet management, DATIVE offers two distinct products—DAT’Products and DAT’Machine, differentiated primarily by the type of equipment they connect to.

DAT’Products is designed for standalone machines and equipment that have embedded electronics and do not require integration into a production process.

These machines, such as industrial ovens or paint dispensers, are often mass-produced and distributed globally. DATIVE’s approach is to collaborate not with equipment users but manufacturers, helping them connect with their equipment, improving spare part management and gaining insights for optimising R&D processes for future products.

A similar concept, DAT’Machine is tailored for machines and equipment that are integrated within production processes rather than functioning as standalone units. This product is suited for items like gearboxes, turbines, or compressors embedded within a production line or process. While the technical aspects of data collection are similar to industrial monitoring, involving automation and SCADA systems, the analysis aspect aligns more with fleet management.

“The key distinction of DAT’Machine lies in its target audience. We collaborate with the manufacturers of these machines, enabling them to connect their equipment and offer connected services to end-users. This focus on machine manufacturers, rather than industrial plants, highlights our versatility in addressing different aspects of industrial needs,” says Justin Kancel, Key Account Manager.

Letting Results Speak

DATIVE has had the opportunity to significantly improve the industrial performance of various companies. A case in point is a world leader in the packaging sector, known for producing boxes for companies like Amazon. This client required multiple local plants to cater to their customers, with more than 20 plants in France alone. They sought a solution for energy monitoring that would function within each plant and allow for comparisons across plants to identify efficiency variations and potential improvements.

The client began with a pilot at their flagship plant. This initial phase quickly demonstrated value, as the detailed energy consumption insights provided by the software led to significant savings, covering the software cost within a month. Simple actions like identifying unnecessary weekend operations contributed to these savings.

Pleased with the results, the client expanded the solution to connect all their plants in France. This expansion facilitated deeper comparisons, revealing that similar machines performed differently in terms of energy efficiency across different plants.

Beyond software solutions, DATIVE’s technical experts provided personalised data analysis, offering practical recommendations for further improvements. This comprehensive strategy resulted in substantial energy savings across the client's plants.

Shaping the Future of Smart Industrial Management

With a strong presence in the market, DATIVE is now focusing on enhancing its offerings with more advanced AI capabilities, including machine learning and predictive maintenance. This evolution is driven by the distinct challenges and opportunities each new client presents, continuously enriching its product roadmap.

It is concentrating on two key areas of innovation Currently proficient in analysing and retrieving data through image analysis, the company is developing an advanced feature that will allow for real-time video stream analysis with immediate, on-the-fly processing.

Another area is enhancing cloud-to-edge communication, allowing for actions like remotely controlling production machines while complying with state-of-the-art cyber security constraints. This feature is aimed at providing cloud-based supervision, mirroring the control traditionally provided by on-site systems.

This strategic expansion positions DATIVE as a potential leader in SCADA systems, blending cloud or IT solutions with traditional industrial control systems. Its position as a tech startup within an established industrial group, with expertise in automation and SCADA systems, places it at the forefront of merging these two ecosystems.

Fusing advanced technology with conventional industrial processes, DATIVE sets new industrial efficiency and smart management standards, paving the way for a more integrated, intelligent and efficient industrial future.