Interview with Olivier Dobelle, managing partner of SAUTEC Company.
This interview has been translated from French.
You co-manage SAUTEC with your partner Hrvoje Meden. Has setting up your own business always been a goal in your career?
I’ve always been attracted to entrepreneurship. I’ve worked for big groups in the steel and automotive industries. But in a big group, it’s difficult to take on global responsibility. You depend on other people for many decisions. I then had an outstanding experience in an SME, a company human scale, in the equipment sector, as industrial director. I loved working with a manager who inspired me a lot. I also joined the “Réseau Entreprendre” (a business network), which enabled me to meet and talk to many business leaders. It was truly inspiring.
How did the SAUTEC adventure begin?
In 2007, my partner Hrvoje Meden and I took over a company that later became Sautec in 2016. From the outset, we defined the company’s strategy: to offer flexible handling equipment that could be adapted to a wide range of sectors. More commonly known as “sauterelle” in french, these are conveyor belts with wheels. They transport bulk from a low point to a high point. We are the designer and manufacturer, but we subcontract industrial production to partners based in Croatia.
What’s your trademark, your originality, compared with the competition?
We are a small team of 7 employees. Manufacturing is outsourced. We have partner production centres. We can say that 20 to 30 people work on manufacturing our machines. I took my inspiration from start-ups. Conventional companies are often not very flexible. They sometimes find it hard to adapt to changes in production volume. We wanted to break out of this old pattern, with highly digital working methods. We no longer use brochures or trade fairs, for example. Our website is all we need to showcase our expertise. And, above all, we’re concentrating on what brings value to our customers. For us, the real added value lies in listening to our customers, and in the solution we provide through the customisation of our machines. We have a range of products, of course, but we adapt them to the specific needs of each customer. There’s nothing like that in the world of industrial equipment.
How do we contact you?
We get a lot of requests online to buy or hire belt conveyors. On our website, we show examples of what our machines can do and the problems we can solve for our customers. We then go on site to understand their specific needs. Often, we don’t have any specifications. We make the customer’s needs our own. We go into the intimacy of their business to understand it and what’s at stake. There are occasional needs where we have to bend over backwards to respond quickly. That’s a challenge. But we know that in logistics, you must be able to react quickly, because these are areas where the pressure is high. When you need to empty silos, lorries and ships, you can’t wait. The performance context is very strong, and you have to find a solution sometimes in a hurry. We have a fleet of machines in stock. We do the job whatever happens.
Is SAUTEC well known?
We are a young company, but now, we are recognized by the profession. Due to customer satisfaction, companies like AGL, Maersk, Kiloutou Business, Tereos or Vinci are calling us. We are referenced, and we take part in international bulk handling tenders. It’s obviously a source of pride to have such recognition and trust from such important players in our industry.
Are you an international company?
The international dimension of our company is mainly in Africa. There is considerable potential for our machines in this market. There are important logistical challenges involved in loading and unloading products. Products flows are increasing rapidly with the activity and population growth. Our machines are simple, robust, easy to operate and very affordable in terms of cost, so they are very well suited to this market. We have local employees and we manufacture 30% of our machines locally. I think it’s important to create local jobs there. There are young people there who are well trained and it’s important to work with them. Our customers include AGL, Cargill and Maersk. We are present in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, and we have a development project in Nigeria. Our other international market is Europe, with Belgium, Switzerland and Romania, which is a major wheat producer. Going international takes time and energy, but it’s exciting.
Where does SAUTEC stand today and what are your ambitions?
Our business is doing well. Our sales increase by 20-30% every year. Today, we have sales of around €2 million, and we’re aiming for €3 million. We have 30 machines in stock, representing an investment of €500,000. Hire accounts for 30% of our business and sell 70%. Our ambition is to improve our production centres, fully satisfy our customers and ensure the well-being of our employees. We also want our external partners to find personal and professional fulfilment in working with us. The next page in the company’s adventure will be to pass it on one day to someone who will make it grow as he or she wishes. But that time has not yet come.
Interview and comments by Plume Pouilloux
