Montpellier-based Synox, specialist in the Internet of Things (IoT) and publisher of platforms integrating IoT solutions, opened its capital in May 2021 for Sofilaro (affiliate of Crédit Agricole du Languedoc) and Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts) during a fundraising campaign, Its director, Emmanuel Mouton, now wants to set the amount: 1.5 million euros.
” The amount is not so important as the fact of the appropriation of the capital of the land bank, points out today. for themSupport the digital transformation of the regions and is part-time. It opens doors for us with local authorities but also with their affiliates like Icade or CDC Habitat. »
The director thus points out that an experiment is underway at the headquarters of the CDC Habitat Group (affiliated with the Caisse des Dépôts Fund, a heritage of 400,000 housing units) in Bordeaux: “The goal is to provide existing residences with sensors to supervise the maintenance of elevators, fire systems, or water and electricity consumption.”
Local authorities represent a large part of Synox’s clients, 300 out of 700 in total, which are large agglomerations or large cities (eg Montpellier or Grand Besançon), medium-sized towns (eg Alès or Dijon) but also public facilities. Water (eg Aix-en-Provence) or electricity. With the predominance of security issues (30%), transport and smart city follow. Other customers are companies, particularly large accounts, in smart city themes.
4,000 to 5,000 vehicles delivered within a few months
In 2021, the director noted that “ Synox has worked a lot on service that revolves around our technologies, with integrators, installers and supervisors across partnership offerings because Connected Objects are transforming their profession.”
The hub in which the company has made a lot of progress is transportation and connected vehicles, a prerequisite that defines future growth axes.
“We worked on our presentation on managing the company’s vehicle fleets so that we could connect any vehicle, from bikes to trucks to construction machinery, Emmanuel Mouton explains. Since fuel has become very expensive, it is now necessary to control its consumption, which means to know it better in order to analyze it and modify the behaviour, eg not letting the engine run when it is stationary, and driving differently. We also want to offer a maintenance solution for fleet managers: reporting of anomalies and wear data to extend the life of vehicles. »
In 2021, Synox signed partnerships with car manufacturers: “ Stilants (Merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ed.) Or Renault or Daimler, more than 70% of the fleet in France or even in Europe … We are small players compared to big players like TomTom or Coyote, but in a few months we have equipped between 4,000 and 5,000 vehicles. While we associate our offering with the Internet of Things, we also have information about what is being transmitted, which allows for example cold chain monitoring, thus providing commercial value.”
The first subsidiary in Spain by this summer
Finally, 2022 will also be the Year of Accelerated International Development, which was one of the fundraising goals implemented in 2021.
“We have established partner networks in Europe, relying on distributors in Spain, Belgium and Switzerland, but also in Canada, which allows us to establish our feet in North America, and soon we will be in Italy, Announces Emmanuel Mouton. The next step, between now and this summer, will be the establishment of the first five-person subsidiary in Valencia, Spain, to provide local support to our large Spanish clients. You will first take up the transport offer because our partners Renault, Stelantis and Daimler are with us in this country. After that, we will expand on construction, into the smart city … and we also start to look at Africa. »
In 2021, Synox achieved a turnover of 3.8 million euros, an increase of 30%, Emmanuel Mouton notes.
Our economic model is based on the number of items connected per month and we are now at 90,000. This is just the beginning: it takes about twenty sensors per dwelling, for example, or 70,000 on the water meters of the Montpellier Water Authority. And we must have 10,000 vehicles ready in 2022… We are aiming for sales in 2022 of €4.5 million. »
From 25 employees in May 2021, Synox has grown to 40 employees, mainly by appointing sales representatives in major French cities such as Rennes, Lyon, Aix, Nice and Paris. The leader has announced six more recruitments in 2022. The company is working on its project to move into a 1,500 square meter building (capacity of 70 people) it wants to build in the Eurêka 2 park, in Castelnau-le – Les. A building wanted by Emmanuel Mouton Superb and high tech, proof of our expertise, connected and sustainable.” The task is difficult…