[Quebec] Interviews with Vitrine 4.0 at Hannover Messe

Vitrine 4.0 certification is issued by the BNQ and recognizes a significant degree of progress in the context of a digital turnaround project. This prestigious certification demonstrates the compliance of a business project with stringent requirements under a program validated by technical experts and contractors.

Adfast – Cindy Dandurand – Director of Operations

Adfast is a company specialized in assembly, sealing and insulation solutions. It cares about the environment and its customers’ health, for that reason its products are made with the least toxicity and lowest VOC levels possible.

How did the transformation start?

Adfast started to convert their traditional business to digital in 2006, thanks to a customer that wanted a very specialized product that needed 48 hours to be produced. Adfast decided to change their manufacturing process to a digital one to make the business more effective and productive. After this experience, Adfast had such a good experience by doing this transition that the company decided to digitalize the three other factories they have.

APN – Antoine Proteau – Data Science Manager

APN is a manufacturing company that builds complex parts and products. The company standardizes its products according to the customers’ needs or wants. APN targets mainly industries related to aerospace, defense, life sciences, and the commercial sector.

How did the transformation start?

APN starts the transition from traditional industry to digital little by little since 7 to 8 years ago. The team was asking questions to themselves: how technology can help the team?  how employees can perform better their jobs with the resources the company has already? Once APN finds solutions to its problems by integrating more technology to the company, APN decided to invest more in this idea of digitalizing the business.

Sanimax – Eric Lepine – Director General of Automation and Control

Sanimax is an environmental solution provider in the agri-food industry. The company provides ingredients for agriculture, animal nutrition, and leather. Sanimax is customer-centric, it is more based on long-term customers than one-time sales. The company offers a different type of products such as proteins, fats, oils, pet food ingredients, and hides. Also, it offers services such as organics collections, animal deadstock collection, hides, and skins collection, grease trap cleaning, line jetting, etc.

How did the transformation start?

One of the first tasks for Eric Lepine working at Sanimax was to create a modernization plan for Sanimax factories. In June 2017, the company had the opportunity to work with the MEI. Mr. Lepine presented his modernization plan to the MEI team, and since then Sanimax started with its digital transformation.