As main products, the SME offers nebulisation solutions for the fresh products sections of food stores. Fresh products are mainly fruits and vegetables, sea food, meat and cheese. Compliant with the current international standards and certifications, nebulisation is a technological innovation that fragments water via a piezoelectric system to create an extremely fine mist. This allows supermarkets to make sure products are preserved under the right temperature and humidity conditions.
The company was created in 1998 in southern France with its first nebulisation solutions patented in 1994. The SME became the world leader in customised solutions aiming at better promoting and managing fresh products sections in supermarkets whilst reducing food waste.
The company has a strong innovative component based on a design office and an R&D center that are conducting tailor-made studies for the cold chain of each client. The SME registered 27 patents and 9 designs with its solutions.
The SME is constantly innovating in the design and installation of tailor-made solutions for the smart management and promotion of fresh products' sections in supermarkets. It therefore offers cooling plates, fresh herb modules and refrigerated palox.
The SME has currently more than 4500 active clients which are mainly food supermarkets and hypermarkets. These clients are served by 100 employees with 40 dedicated experts. The SME expanded internationally over time since it has two subsidiaries: one in North America and another in the Pacific region. It is also present in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Russia, Chile, Canada and Benelux. In the EU countries, the company already has direct clients. Nevertheless, serving them from France does limit the expansion of these clients and the acquisition of new ones. The maintenance services are also limited when the company does not have a subsidiary.
In this context, the company is interested to find a partner responsible for both the distribution and the maintenance of the products for the existing clients but also for new ones. The company would give priority to the EU markets where it is already selling, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Benelux. The company would be interested in a partner which is already considered as furniture or service providers for fresh product sections in supermarkets. The objective is to sign a distribution services agreement with all partners.
Advantages & innovations
Advantages:
- No user intervention, the company manages all remotely
- Adjustment of machine settings
- Activity report (maintenance history, traceability of samples taken and regulations (water T°, window T°, hygiene)
- Scalable system towards complementary services related to Artificial Intelligence (inventory management, shelf merchandising)
- Develop the attractiveness and profitability of the fresh
products section
- The main and most reknown specialist on the market.
Innovations:
- Preserve the quality of food products sensitive to desiccation and aging
- Preserve the organoleptic qualities
- Avoid repacking products at the end of the day
- Optimize shelf management
- Optimize water consumption and reduce food waste
Stage of development
Already on the market
Partner sought
The partner sought would be ideally in charge of managing a client's portfolio and acquiring new clients for the company's products. Its distribution network should be comprised of hyper- and supermarkets (retailers) in a specific region/country. The partner should be ideally identified as provider by the main retail chains and work on fresh food sections.
The partner is expected to have a consistent team including technical experts in order to perform the installation and the maintenance of the sold equipments.
The partner should also have a sales team that would be trained on the products in order to acquire new clients.