CIPAM’s smart factory platform received the Digital Transformation Award at SEPEM Toulouse 2026. This award recognizes a solution built around a very concrete problem: how can we know, in real time, what is actually happening on the factory floor?
Where is the component? What is the status of the work order? What equipment is available?
On paper, these questions seem simple.
In a factory, however, the answers can be found in several places: an ERP system, an MES, a WMS, an Excel file, a mobile device… or sometimes in an operator’s head.
This is precisely where CIPAM’s work begins.
The smart factory platform automates the collection of information directly on the shop floor and feeds it into the company’s systems. This allows for real-time tracking of material flows and inventory levels, without requiring operators to perform multiple scans or data entries.
This solution has just been honored with the Digital Transformation Award at the SEPEM Toulouse 2026 Awards. The trade show’s panel of experts particularly noted its ability to automate the tracking of workflows and inventory, reduce manual data entry and errors, while integrating with the tools already used by manufacturers.
“You can’t digitize a factory just by adding another piece of software.”
For Anthony Noclercq, CIPAM’s sales director, the main issue is this:
“A factory isn’t digitized by adding yet another piece of software, but by ensuring that the right data is reported at the right time, without requiring any extra effort from the operators.”
This statement sums up the approach presented at SEPEM quite well.
Technology isn’t added just for the sake of it. It is integrated into an existing process.
An RFID gate can automatically identify a pallet as it passes through. A tunnel can monitor a flow of goods. A connected cart can track its movements. A tool cabinet can tell which tools have been taken or returned to their proper places.
The item is identified, the information is time-stamped, and can be linked to the relevant operation: production order, shipment, inspection, or inventory receipt or issuance.
Meanwhile, the operator continues his work.
Data is generated in the field
This is one of the key features of the smart factory platform: to prevent the data from being reconstructed after the fact.
With RFID and other automatic identification technologies, information is captured the moment an action occurs.
The data can then be fed back into the company’s software systems: MES, ERP, or WMS.
This ensures continuity between what happens physically in the factory and what appears in the information systems.
And that’s where traceability really comes into its own: it’s no longer just about being able to trace the history of a transaction, but about having information that is reliable and up-to-date enough to take action.
Very Real Challenges Behind Digitalization
Behind the terms “Industry 4.0” or “digital transformation,” the challenges encountered in the field are often much simpler:
- How many parts do we actually have in stock?
- Where is this equipment located?
- Which batch went through this line?
- Was this pallet properly inspected before shipment?
Does the information in the system still reflect the actual situation on the ground?
When answers require multiple files, successive data entries, or searches across different tools, the problem isn’t necessarily a lack of data.
It is often their collection, reliability, or circulation that raises questions.
Results That Can Be Measured
Beyond the principle itself, CIPAM also draws on industrial use cases that have already been implemented.
In a shipment inspection project at a client in the agri-food sector, automation made it possible to inspect 100% of packages before loading andto reduce the time spent on shipment inspections by up to 98%. Other applications include, for example, preventing FOD on critical tools in the aerospace industry.
These examples illustrate an important point: the value of a traceability solution is not measured by the number of technologies used, but by the actual changes they bring about in operations.
A reward for teamwork
The award received in Toulouse also serves as recognition of the work carried out by the CIPAM teams on these projects.
Vincent Routaboul, CEO of CIPAM, summed it up simply after the award ceremony:
“I’m very proud of the teams for this award, which is the result of an ambitious collective effort! ”
Behind the smart factory platform lies a range of expertise: understanding industrial processes, selecting the right identification technology, designing the architecture, connecting equipment to information systems, developing the necessary interfaces, and supporting teams on the ground.
A practical approach that has been recognized and rewarded
Above all, this award highlights an issue that has long been part of CIPAM’s daily work: making industrial data more reliable, more accessible, and more useful to the teams that work with it.
The smart factory platform builds on this approach by integrating identification and traceability with the processes and tools already in place at the company.
No need to start from scratch.
Rather, it’s a matter of looking at what already exists, identifying the points where data is lost or still requires too much manual intervention, and then developing a solution tailored to the specific situation.
Do you have a workflow that’s hard to keep track of, inventory processes that are still too manual, or field data that isn’t being properly uploaded to your systems?