NūMove stands out in the robotics industry by focusing on specific niche markets and value-added solutions backed by the founder’s 30 years of experience.
Founded in 2017, NūMove Robotics & Vision is a young company that actually has expertise and know-how spanning more than three decades. In 1989, at age 30, founder Robert Jodoin, who had become an electrical engineer in robotics three years earlier, launched his own consulting engineering firm.
Specializing in consumer goods in the food processing and pharmaceutical sectors, the organization served a number of prestigious multinational clients over the years including Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, Cascades and tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco, for their robotization of palletizing, depalletizing and case packing operations.
The company gradually grew and became Axium Automation in the late 1990s, counting approximately 425 employees by 2016. Axium Automation was created to meet the organization's needs for expansion of its activities. As a result, six companies came to make up the Axium Group over a period of 15 years. Among them were Emergik and Enico, specialized in the recruitment of technical personnel and in automation, respectively.
“Automated warehouse projects accounted for about 80% of our mandates and achievements in the mid-2010 period,” says Robert Jodoin. Among the clients served by his team in this field were Coca-Cola, Giant Tiger, Walmart and Sysco Foods.
A Niche and a Mission
We are not so much about convenience systems as we are about value-added systems. That's reflected in our name. Of course, we are robotics experts, but our technology integrates machine vision solutions. As proof of this commitment, we invest heavily in research and innovation.
NūMove Robotics & Vision was born out of a desire to focus more on robotization in the consumer goods sector (health and beauty products, etc.) as well as in the folding carton sector (beer cases, cereal boxes, etc.).
In the words of Robert Jodoin, NūMove's mission is to offer sophisticated, turnkey solutions. “We are not so much about convenience systems as we are about value-added systems. That's reflected in our name. Of course, we are robotics experts, but our technology integrates machine vision solutions. As proof of this commitment, we invest heavily in research and innovation.”
An example: While many existing systems handle products blindly, those at NūMove can, among other things, validate them, confirm their orientation, control their quality, etc. “In short, we educate the system to adapt to the different products handled, which greatly improves its efficiency and flexibility.”
In short, we educate the system to adapt to the different products handled, which greatly improves its efficiency and flexibility.
Such added value is worth its weight in gold, as is NūMove's extensive track record where its team often demonstrates additional expertise helping its clients on specific aspects of their production. “We can therefore advise them on the type of wrapping, which film to use, and its pre-stretch capacity to reduce the quantities used, etc. At the end of the day, this results in substantial savings for our clients.” Not to mention that his team builds solid and particularly durable automated solutions. “A machine we installed at Cascades 24 years ago is still in operation!”
Winning Over SMBs
The United States accounts for 45% of the company's activities, while the Canadian provinces account for half. Why so few clients in Québec? “We are fighting a recurring perception that solutions such as ours are only for large corporations and therefore not very accessible to SMBs.”
But this is not the case, according to the president, who is sorry to hear that SMBs prefer to go with newcomers that offer them less expensive products. “They don't have the capital to acquire high-end systems, nor the resources to measure the quality and significant gains. However, the cost of more expensive equipment always pays for itself over time through the benefits it brings to users. Decision-makers therefore need to develop comparative grids that go beyond price. Moreover, our SMB clients at NūMove often tell us that they would never go back.”
Robert Jodoin believes that part of the investment funds intended for SMBs could be used for robotization. “Currently, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and the web are sexy topics, and they represent an easy choice for investors. However, automation and robotization allow SMBs to move to the next level.”
How PME MTL made the difference for NūMove Robotics & Vision
“I found out about PME MTL at a business event organized in 2018 by a financial institution. We established contact with their team, and shortly afterwards we introduced them to our range of services. PME MTL gave us $345,000 in support last fall. The members are dynamic and available. Because they work with local businesses, they are aware of our reality and our challenges. They are a valuable local presence. In addition, on a daily basis, PME MTL supports us by providing practical business information or by offering relevant training webinars.”
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NūMove Robotics & Vision is supported by PME MTL Est-de-l'île.