Four Data, this Burgundy startup that is revolutionizing fuel supply

2023-08-25 04:02:00

Founded in 2018 in Dijon, Four Data is positioning itself on the fuel distributor market by bringing innovation thanks to sensors placed in container tanks (propane, biofuels, hydrogen, fuel). Via monitoring software, its customers, such as TotalEnergies, can monitor their consumption in real time and be alerted as soon as the tanks need to be refilled, thus avoiding supply disruptions. “ The collected data makes it possible to optimize the rounds of delivery and collection of liquid and solid bulk, and therefore of the energy storage sites distributed throughout the territory. », explains Yann de la Roche Saint-André, CEO of Four Data.

The startup targets the energy, agriculture and waste markets. This solution, which makes it possible to optimize the movements of road hauliers, contributes to the reduction of the carbon impact of logistics.

Become the leader in the connected objects market for the Oil&Gaz industry in France

By acquiring Birdz, born from the merger of Homerider Systems and m2ocity and a 100% subsidiary of Veolia Eau France, last April, Four Data acquired the historic French player and became the market leader in connected objects for the Oil & Gas industry in France. ” It is an important symbol for our customers and for the market in general. says Yann de la Roche Saint-André. This acquisition allows it to double its customer portfolio – from 6,000 to 12,000 equipped storage centers. All Birdz staff have been taken over, i.e. 12 employees in total, with an experience, for some, of more than ten years. This brings Four Data to around thirty employees in total.

Birdz is a major player in the IoT in France, and masters the entire value chain, from the design of sensors to the valuation of millions of collected data. The company had in particular many sensor installers, the weak point of Four Data before this takeover. ” We realized almost two years ago that the installation and operation maintenance part was essential in the case of major deployments says Yann de la Roche Saint-André. ” You can’t go and install 1,000 or 2,000 sensors at a customer’s without having great technical support “, he continues. This is why Four Data subcontracted this part, before the takeover. By internalizing the installation, the company is proud to be able to offer only four weeks of lead time between the moment when the customer orders a sensor and when a technician intervenes for the installation.

Accelerate its international expansion

The acquisition of SilentSoft SA, a Swiss company created in 1991 in Lausanne, a leader in telemetry in the energy sector, carried out one month following that of Birdz, allows Four Data to open a new door to conquer the European market, in particular the Germany, Austria and Switzerland zone. SilentSoft SA counts among its customers Shell, Total, Antargaz. ” While we were very Franco-French, our goal was to win customers abroad and installation contracts “says Yann de la Roche Saint-André. In total, Four Data recovers a fleet of a dozen cities in Europe, ie a total of 6,000 devices to manage. ” The will to SilentSoft were to refocus on their own market, in Switzerland, and to leave us the European park SilentSoft SA which ultimately was more a burden than an added value “, he specifies. Four Data’s job is to design the sensor, install it and maintain it in operation. Thanks to the acquisition of SilentSoft SA, the company can retain installation and maintenance contracts and adds a new skill: the sale of sensors abroad.

With more than 40,000 sensors spread over France in the energy sector, i.e. 30,000 storage points to manage, Four Data achieved a turnover of 3.5 million euros in 2022, which should double thanks to the two acquisitions in 2023, according to the estimates of its leader. The company plans to move into a new building next October in the heart of Dijon to support its growth.

1693118555
#Data #Burgundy #startup #revolutionizing #fuel #supply

Leave a Replay