This unique, long-term partnership will shape the future of food by accelerating the industry's digital transformation and scaling up breakthrough innovations.
Digitalization of the end to end value chain will leverage artificial intelligence to bring game-changing, sustainable disruption and empower employees
Bel Group's expertise in manufacturing iconic brands such as The Laughing Cow, Babybel, and GoGoSqueez, combined with Dassault Systemes' scientific and technological approach, will drive next-generation industry solution experiences for food and beverage
Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) and Bel Group, today announced their long-term partnership to accelerate the food industry's transformation towards a more sustainable model. The companies will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of food by digitalizing the end-to-end value chain powered by artificial intelligence, from product idea to manufacturing and market launch.
The challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 10 billion people in 2050 has propelled the need for innovative food technologies and disruptive ways of efficiently developing and manufacturing healthy and sustainable food in a highly regulated industry.
Bel Group will deploy Dassault Systemes' 'Perfect Production' industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its manufacturing operations at 11 plants worldwide.1 Key elements of this transformation are manufacturing operations management (MOM), food and materials sciences, AI and product lifecycle management (PLM).
With MOM, Bel Group will continue to empower its employees through digital transformation, to make its manufacturing more efficient and responsive to market demands while optimizing inventory levels and consumption of raw materials. Bel Group will be able to produce more sustainably, with consistent quality, in any location.
With AI, Bel Group can continuously adapt to consumer needs with sustainable development and breakthrough innovation, by analyzing millions of data points and using machine learning for augmented products and packs, while providing Dassault Systemes with comprehensive insights into the food industry. This will reduce time-to-market, optimize formulation, reduce industrial trials, accelerate product development, and increase product performance.
With PLM, one collaborative environment will connect people, processes and data, providing everyone involved with access to the right information, at the right time. This will facilitate transversal collaboration and decision-making - from a product's ideation to its release on the market - and simplifies business activities.
'Food transition towards a more sustainable model needs disruptive players and actions in the decade to come. Through this unique and long-term partnership, we want to pioneer new solutions and accelerate our transformation. The joint capabilities of our two groups, sharing the same vision, will empower our teams to shift towards 'augmented R&D' through AI, and to reshape our manufacturing and product management processes for the future of food,' said Cecile Beliot, CEO of Bel Group.
'Cecile Beliot and I share the same vision: the future of health depends on the future of nutrition,' said Bernard Charles, Executive Chairman, Dassault Systemes. 'Our partnership with Bel Group will be a game-changer in the critical food industry. Together, we can further its mission to offer healthier, inventive food choices that are produced more sustainably. Thanks to modeling, simulation, data science and generative AI, we can imagine and create novel connections and significant economy levers between health, prevention, and affordable and sustainable nutrition. Our scientific and technological approach enables industry to address the biggest challenges facing consumers, patients and citizens today. We've shown how virtual worlds open up new horizons in therapeutic development. Now, we can apply this approach to Bel Group's business and drive true disruption that makes it the food tech company of reference.'
1The agreement between Bel Group and Dassault Systemes was signed in Q4 2023.
About Bel Group
The Bel Group is a major player in the food industry through portions of dairy, fruit and plant-based products, and one of the world leaders in branded cheeses. Its portfolio of differentiated and internationally recognized brands includes The Laughing Cow, Kiri, Babybel, Boursin, Nurishh, Pom'Potes, and GoGo squeeZ, as well as some 30 local brands. Together, these brands helped the Group generate sales of EUR 3,645 million in 2023.
Some 10,902 employees in 51 subsidiaries around the world contribute to the deployment of the Group's mission to champion healthier and responsible food for all. Bel products are prepared at 30 production sites and distributed in more than 120 countries.
About Dassault Systemes
Dassault Systemes is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers can redefine the creation, production and life-cycle-management processes of their offer and thus have a meaningful impact to make the world more sustainable. The beauty of the Experience Economy is that it is a human-centered economy for the benefit of all - consumers, patients and citizens. Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 350,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit https://www.3ds.com
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