Samp: To infinity and beyond!

What exactly is your technology?

Our solution is called Shared Reality. What it does is provide all teams working in and around an industrial site with a ‘smart 3D’ overview that reflects the concrete reality of the site, i.e. that reconciles all the technical documentation – which, unfortunately, is never up to date –with the reality on the ground captured by a 3D scan. Artificial intelligence automatically detects all the site’s equipment – pumps, valves, pipes, etc. – from the 3D scans and links them to plans, diagrams and inventories. This means the user can immediately check that everything remains consistent, identify any discrepancies and make any necessary corrections. Shared Reality therefore enables all those involved on site to prepare their work tasks with total peace of mind. If we had to sum up our value proposition in one sentence, it would be “no more unpleasant surprises on site”! 

A year ago, you were already present alongside ENGIE at the Viva Technology trade fair. What’s gone on since then?

Business has really taken off, with a number of new customers in various sectors, including energy, water, waste, chemicals, agro-industry and pharmaceuticals. We’ve also developed two new innovations within our product that we’ll be presenting at Viva Tech.

What’s new?

The first is a corporate cockpit. We realise that there is a very HR-focused dimension to what we do, which is why we call our tool Shared Reality. Initially, it was really dedicated to people doing maintenance and other work. Yet it’s increasingly being used by our customers at every level of their organisation, from new arrivals who are being trained to subcontractors and even top management. For the first time, with Shared Reality , they have a cross-functional solution that allows all teams to use the same tools, the same procedures and the same data. People often say that we’re bringing “white-collar” and “blue-collar” workers together. 

That’s an aspect we want to emphasise. The top management teams at ENGIE and at our other ‘large group’ customers were very keen to have an overview of all their facilities, whether they be hydroelectric dams, nuclear power stations or gas storage facilities, and to be able to consult their management indicators in a single tool, then zoom in to the details, right down to the smallest bolt.  Today, via the “corporate cockpit”, we offer this digital continuity, from the infinitely large to the infinitely small, from top management down to the hyper-specific dimensions of equipment sites. And we’re the only ones in the world to do that. 

And the second innovation?

It’s currently in beta version with a few customers, but we'll be releasing it more widely at Viva Technology. It’s a new module, codenamed Generated Reality. Using 3D scanning, we’re now able not only to demonstrate the discrepancies between what’s shown on documents and what exists in reality, but also to start generating a number of deliverables, missing documents, plans and even 3D models for engineers, which will enable them to remodel parts or sets of systems on the site. With this module, engineering teams, whether in-house or external, will be able to concentrate on their core business: thinking about the best ways to upgrade and modernise their site, rather than spending months documenting what already exists.

On this site, we talk about innovation. If you had to pick just one for posterity, which would it be? 

I love it when an incredible technology is unexpected, but is so simple to use that it’s like it’s always existed. That’s what Google achieved with Street View, which everyone can use in just a couple of clicks, and that’s what we’re doing at Samp with our solution, which users can get to grips with in just a few minutes. A very fine and inspiring example is the Polaroid, which is a combination of optics, electronics and chemistry that anyone can use without any instructions whatsoever. And it’s a tool that captures reality, everything we love about Samp…

And after Viva Technology, what are your next challenges? You mentioned new markets…

Our first customers are in the UK, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Things are also speeding up in Italy and the Netherlands. In fact, our aim is to roll out to all the key accounts in Western Europe. The market is huge. Our solution is extremely popular, and people see its very tangible value. We need to meet this demand. The challenge of decarbonising and modernising industry is fundamental, and every day counts!