What if a digital twin of an industrial port were capable of detecting in real time that a crane needs maintenance? This solution, presented by Orange at VivaTech in collaboration with the startup Ensemble (formerly Ensemble Analytics), showcases the power of agent-based artificial intelligence developed by the operator. In this case, it allows a user to communicate with the platform in natural language to dispatch a technician. Ensemble, a startup supported by CMA CGM’s accelerator program called ZEBOX, adds value through “Athéna,” an intelligent workforce management and scheduling platform specifically designed for ports, maritime terminals, and maritime logistics.
The primary goal is to provide operational staff with practical tools that offer a better understanding of the context and enable them to act more effectively.
“The Orange tool uses our information and our database to find the right person and schedule that person,” explains Emilio Binst, Ensemble’s head of growth. As proof of the agility of the partnership model, this technological integration took only “very little time—two weeks, or even less than two weeks, to establish this connection,” emphasizes Emilio Binst.
Understanding the business: a major strategic challenge for Orange
This technical breakthrough is the result of a strategic open innovation partnership between Orange and ZEBOX. For Orange, the goal is clear: to anchor its network (5G, IoT) and software infrastructures in the realities of business operations. As Sébastien Dudreuilh, Director of Smart Industries at Orange Business, explains, “A somewhat generalist company like Orange needs to pursue partnerships that strengthen our understanding of our customers’ business challenges.”
Above all, the goal is to provide frontline staff with practical tools that offer a better understanding of their specific contexts and enable them to take more effective action:
“We engage with our clients’ operations teams in the sense that we don’t just talk to the IT department, but primarily to those who manage operations on the ground,” adds Frédéric Vicendo, Director of Private Radio Networks Partnerships at Orange Business, who spearheaded this partnership. With the integration of agent-based AI, the ultimate goal is to “orchestrate a number of operations on the ground while taking resource availability into account,” explains Sébastien Dudreuilh.
ZEBOX, an accelerator dedicated to open innovation
It is within this business context that ZEBOX comes into play: the accelerator acts as a one-stop shop that, drawing on CMA CGM’s industry expertise, identifies manufacturers’ “pain points” and matches them with cutting-edge global technologies, given that ZEBOX has a presence across the globe. “Our mission is to foster co-innovation—that is, innovation developed in collaboration with an innovative company,” explains Frédéric Guilleux, director of the accelerator. The organization applies a very strict screening process: “We will only include in our network companies that have been vetted by CMA CGM’s innovation teams,” in order to ensure concrete implementation.
In a complex international and maritime context, the physical challenges of logistics are immense and require cross-disciplinary expertise. Take, for example, the challenge of communications on ships at dock: “The sheer mass of metal in a container creates a sort of Faraday cage inside the ship itself.” In his view, a partner like Orange can thus apply its expertise to overcome these physical obstacles using “5G bubbles,” thereby improving port security.
A Virtuous Ecosystem Without Cannibalization
The combination of telecom infrastructure, the accelerator, and startups creates a win-win model for all stakeholders. As for Orange, which has other startup support programs, “there’s no risk of cannibalization; on the contrary, I think there’s genuine synergy between the startups we’re already working with and the clients in our portfolio,” says Frédéric Vicendo. In other words, an innovation designed for maritime transport “could very well benefit a client in the energy sector,” opening up new markets for the operator.
For startups, joining ZEBOX and collaborating with Orange offers exceptional opportunities, as Emilio Binst explains: “Orange can serve as an additional sales channel.” In his view, the startup Ensemble brings to the operator, in return, “very in-depth knowledge of the port sector” that it previously lacked. Ultimately, as Frédéric Guilleux summarizes, this alliance helps an emerging technology “gain recognition and be adopted,” while accelerating the digital transformation of the economy.
This text has been translated by an artificial intelligence.
