While it will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, software publisher TRANSVALOR accompanies many industrial customers every year, with innovative technological solutions with many added values, as explained to us during this interview by Stefan Hitz, CEO of the company.
Can you introduce us briefly to TRANSVALOR and tell us more about the services and solutions offered by your company?
TRANSVALOR is a Software editor Specializes in simulating the formation of materials for the manufacturing industry. Our company was created in 1984 on the initiative of the Ecole des MINES in Paris to help its French industrial partners overcome technological obstacles. Its primary task was to distribute to these manufacturers academic computer code resulting from the discoveries of scientists from the MINES school.
To meet the growing demands of these manufacturers, true historical partners, and others, TRANSVALOR gradually evolved into a full-fledged software publisher in the early 2000s. Her expertise is now recognized worldwide.
It currently has a turnover of €11.5 million with a compound annual growth rate of 14% over the past two years. The sectors covered are automobiles, aeronautics and space, heavy industry, and energy. With 90 employees, TRANSVALOR has a worldwide presence from its head office in Sophia Antipolis with locations in Paris, Lyon, Chicago, Dubai and Hyderabad. 60% of turnover is generated in Europe with France occupying a prominent position. FORGE®, the leading manufacturer, is recognized worldwide as the reference simulation solution for hot forming and cold forming.
Who is the material forming process simulation software using, and what needs does it meet?
We provide solutions for industrial companies. Our distinguished interlocutors work in the engineering and quality control departments. Industrial production was at the beginning of the same revolution in the exploration and exploitation of the oil industry 30 years earlier.
Simulation and signal processing have become a benchmark to address key customer challenges.
On the other hand, with lower production costs: for example, to qualify a foundry furnace in production, it is necessary to achieve ten temperatures of up to 2000 degrees, each of which consumes ten tons of metal. Imagine reproducing this process at the scale of all industrial firms: the waste of raw materials and energy is colossal. Numerical simulation allows, in this specific case, to reduce the qualification process to a single pass thus saving nine temperature increases, or 90 tons of material.
On the other hand, with the redefinition of industrial processes to increase sustainability and carbon footprint (new materials, new manufacturing processes). Today’s car body consists of sixty assembled steel parts. New production methods by the high-pressure foundry make it possible to reduce the number of parts to two, by creating lighter composites. However, whoever says lighter says less raw materials and less fuel consumption during use.
What is the added value and what are the benefits for customers who use these software tools?
First of all, saving energy and raw materials by redefining manufacturing methods. but also the production of stronger, more reliable and better quality parts; Sometimes with new features. Finally, the ease of daily life for engineers in the production situation, to optimize assembly lines, manufacturing tools and production time.
Have your customers’ needs changed?
Digitization works in manufacturing companies. This is called Industry 4.0. Thus, one of the main challenges for our clients is the modeling of production chains via the digital twin or digital twin.
Our customers must also meet regulatory and public opinion requirements in their overall carbon footprint through global CO2 emissions measurements.2 Through various stages of development, raw material procurement, engineering, production, quality control (Scope 1, 2, 3).
In general, what challenges do you need to face today?
In particular, there are technical challenges related to the development of machine learning and the rapid computation time of our solutions. Having first-class scientific and technological partnerships allows us to offer our customers more efficient solutions than ever before. To do this, we are actively involved in industrial research and development chairs. We also fund and support materials science engineers who are embarking on a research dissertation.
at the level of the business problemsWe want to develop our commercial footprint all over the world, by spreading our expertise internationally: America, the Middle East and Asia. To do this, we will have to address the challenges of recruiting and retaining talent: incorporating new working realities such as remote working and flexibility, while maintaining our attractiveness in a highly competitive sector with a shortage of qualified candidates.
What will be your news for the coming months?
Next year, we will celebrate 40 years of serving industrial companies. This will be an opportunity to bring together our employees, former employees and key clients, the real driver of our success.
What unites our team is the desire for scientific and technological excellence. This is one of the reasons why nearly 50% of our employees have a PhD. It is also the spirit of service and mutual support both internally and towards our customers; Our oldest partners for nearly 40 years. Inevitably, bonds are created.
Each member of our team is fully committed to serving collective success, driven by a shared vision and desire to share our profession and its challenges. All this gives meaning to our activity.
