Bel Group and Dassault Systèmes push sustainable innovation in food industry

Bel Group and Dassault Systèmes have forged a long-term partnership aimed at accelerating the transition of the food industry toward a more sustainable model. The collaboration is set to reshape the future of food by boosting the industry’s digital transformation and expanding innovative breakthroughs. Furthermore, the digitalisation of the end-to-end value chain, enhanced by artificial intelligence, promises transformative, sustainable disruptions and aims to empower employees. 

Leveraging Bel Group’s expertise in producing well-known brands such as The Laughing Cow, Babybel, and GoGoSqueez, and combining it with Dassault Systèmes’ advanced scientific and technological capabilities, the deal is expected to pioneer next-generation industry solution experiences for the food and beverage sector. Also, the alliance marks a significant step towards a more sustainable and technologically advanced food industry.

“Food transition towards a more sustainable model needs disruptive players and actions in the decade to come. Through this unique and long-term partnership, we want to pioneer new solutions and accelerate our transformation,” Cécile Béliot, CEO of Bel Group, said in a media statement. “The joint capabilities of our two groups, sharing the same vision, will empower our teams to shift towards ‘augmented R&D’ through AI, and to reshape our manufacturing and product management processes for the future of food.”

“Cécile Béliot and I share the same vision: the future of health depends on the future of nutrition,” said Bernard Charlès, executive chairman of Dassault Systèmes. “Our partnership with Bel Group will be a game-changer in the critical food industry. Together, we can further its mission to offer healthier, inventive food choices that are produced more sustainably. Thanks to modelling, simulation, data science and generative AI, we can imagine and create novel connections and significant economy levers between health, prevention, and affordable and sustainable nutrition.”

Charlès added, “Our scientific and technological approach enables industry to address the biggest challenges facing consumers, patients and citizens today. We’ve shown how virtual worlds open up new horizons in therapeutic development. Now, we can apply this approach to Bel Group’s business and drive true disruption that makes it the food tech company of reference.”

The challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 10 billion people in 2050 has propelled the need for innovative food technologies and disruptive ways of efficiently developing and manufacturing healthy and sustainable food in a highly regulated industry.

Bel Group will deploy Dassault Systèmes’ ‘Perfect Production’ industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its manufacturing operations at 11 plants worldwide. Key elements of this transformation are manufacturing operations management (MOM), food and materials sciences, AI and product lifecycle management (PLM).

With MOM, Bel Group will continue to empower its employees through digital transformation, to make its manufacturing more efficient and responsive to market demands while optimising inventory levels and consumption of raw materials. Bel Group will be able to produce more sustainably, with consistent quality, in any location.

With AI, Bel Group can continuously adapt to consumer needs with sustainable development and breakthrough innovation, by analysing millions of data points and using machine learning for augmented products and packs, while providing Dassault Systèmes with comprehensive insights into the food industry. This will reduce time-to-market, optimise formulation, reduce industrial trials, accelerate product development, and increase product performance.

With PLM, one collaborative environment will connect people, processes and data, providing everyone involved with access to the right information, at the right time. This will facilitate transversal collaboration and decision-making – from a product’s ideation to its release on the market – and simplify business activities.