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Posted 8 July 2019 by
Corporate

Bluecrux is opening its first US office

We’re excited to finally share the news that we’re opening our first US office in New Jersey to support companies to digitally transform their value chains. We will be using our software to support the pharmaceutical sector in the US by enabling scientists and lab assistants to market new medicines and treatments more efficiently.

Toward a ‘phygital’ world

“For many years, we’ve distinguished ourselves from others in the market by fully concentrating on the digital transformation of our customers and the fusion of their physical and digital worlds. We like to call this their “phygital” world,” explains Koen Jaspers, partner at Bluecrux. “Digital technologies have the potential to transform companies’ value chains completely, but employees need to be able to keep up, too. At Bluecrux, we focus on both aspects.”

And that is paying off. Created in 2015 by the merger of Bluegrass Consulting and The Crux, Bluecrux has been demonstrating strong growth year after year.

“Today, we have a workforce of 70 in Belgium,”says Jaspers. “By expanding our business into the American market, we aim to grow internationally to a workforce of 120, by 2021.”

Over the past three years, Bluecrux’s turnover has tripled, with an increasingly high proportion being generated abroad. The expected turnover for 2019 is estimated at 14 million euros, a third of which is generated by software products. Opening this first US office in New Jersey will result in a further increase in growth.

Supporting the production of cell therapy

Binocs, our digital platform for resource planning in laboratories and research and development departments, is currently being used or assessed by more than 20 of the 50 biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, including USB, Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Binocs has improved its planned delivery by 50% in several companies, achieving an efficiency increase of 25%. The digital platform is the first—and currently, only—commercial planning system that can support the production of cell therapy. In doing so, the system contributes to the therapy reaching more patients, who will see their quality of life increase more quickly and will see their life expectancy prolonged considerably.

“Many pharmaceutical companies have major departments on the East Coast of the US. So, our new office will become an essential player in such global programs,” says Geert Vanhove, partner at Bluecrux, who will be launching the American office. “Our first two strategic projects are already launched, and we are expecting to start up at least another four this year.”

Digital twins

The initial focus of the American operation is the continued rollout of our cloud products, but there are bigger ambitions.

“Technology offers exceptionally strong potential for optimizing value chains,” says Jaspers. “Thanks to big data and artificial intelligence, organizations worldwide can build a digital twin of their chains, using smart software to apply the most diverse scenarios. One of our technologies in this field, for which we have high hopes, is LightsOutPlanning. Fundamentally, this helps companies work smarter and more efficiently. In the past, companies relied on spreadsheets and slow planning systems, whereas today, the technology is available to optimize value chains based on real-time data and what-if scenarios.”

D2E invests in Bluecrux

Having ambitious growth plans to further develop our solutions, both the consulting activities and the SaaS technologies Binocs and Lightsoutplanning, we were looking for a partner who could help facilitate this growth. Down2Earth Capital is an independent private equity company founded in 2013, focusing on small and medium-sized transactions in Belgium. D2E Capital combines years of successful experience in private equity with top-level industrial expertise.

“In Down2Earth, we found a dynamic and independent partner who understands our business and fully supports our global growth plans,” says Jaspers.

If you would like further information, please contact Koen Jaspers or Geert Vanhove