ProductsLucimedA new look at luminothA newcomer to Wallonia, Lucimed <strong>des</strong>igns andcommercialises a concept stemming from researchundertaken by universities : a portable system for treatingluminotherapy. It offers the advantage of allowing the lightto naturally reach the areas of the retina which are mostreceptive to treatment, while maintaining the vision andthe freedom of movement of the wearer.LUCIMED SA• DIRECTOR: Emmanuel Delloye• SECOR: paramedical• FOUNDED: 2006• LOCATION: Villers-le-Bouille• NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: not disclosed• ANNUAL TURNOVER 2007: 300 000 euros• COUNTRIES EXPORTED TO: France, Finland,Switzerland, CanadaOut of this the Luminettewas born which resemblesa pair of spectacles and isworn in a similar manner.Conscious that they had to add anergonomic and aesthetic dimensionto the fruits of their research in orderto commercialise this product, whichwasn’t at all in their area of competence,the researchers turned towards othersources of inspiration.Amongst the people who believed inLucimed was Jacques Tilman, Director ofInov <strong>des</strong>ign agency, explains the directorof the company Emmanuel Delloye. Themodeling of the product was entrusted tothis <strong>des</strong>igner. Reason told us to believe inthis project. The mission of the <strong>des</strong>ignstudio was clear : make the Luminetteattractive, effective from a medical pointof view and perfectly adapted to users.What a surprise in the end ! The beautyof the object took precedence over itspure functionality, whilst conservingits healing properties.Such a result could only have beenobtained thanks to the implication of the<strong>des</strong>ign studio from the beginning of theprocess. There were many constraints :ergonomy, portability, respect of medicalparameters… Not forgetting the purelyeconomic aspect. Concerning thecommercialization, Lucimed also choseUrban waste vacuum cleanerSweeping genius!Innovate, innovate, innovate. With its urban vacuumcleaner Glutton ® continues to swallow up entire sectionsof the market. Its current technology has proven itselfaround the world, but this company is not one to reston its laurels. Its latest development: a system that putsout lit cigarette butts, preventing them from catching firewithin the urban waste vacuum cleanerLANGE CHRISTIAN SA• FOUNDED: 1988• LOCATION: Andenne (Namur)• LEADING PRODUCT: the "Glutton", invented in1994, launching the diversification of thecompany into urban street vacuuming.• REVENUE: 2,500,000 EUR (2007) -2008 objective: 5 million EUR.• MARKETS: Belgium (13% of revenue),Rest of World (87%).• WEBSITE: www.glutton.comThis system is one moreadditional application to theoriginal urban waste vacuumcleaner that emerged from theimagination ofGlutton founder and patron ChristianLange some fifteen years ago.The company’s principle characteristic isthat it is as oriented towards innovation asexportation, including globally.The company, which is present in around40 countries, is now targeting newmarkets in America and the mid-East.Christian Lange’s credo remains:“A satisfied customer is the bestambassador for our products.” Since thebeginning, in 1994, he has been utterlyconvinced of the global potential of hisinvention. The facts support him: potentialexists all over, which is why he himselfsweeps around the world throughoutthe year. At his side are 6 salespeople,with 3 more in the process of beingrecruited.Performance and reliability are the twowinning sales arguments. “We makeno concessions in the matter. It’s simple:every distributor in every country mustfollow training at our site. However,sometimes, by special request, we canalso organise the training on-site, at theclient’s location.”30. Dynamisme December 2008
erapyto pass it on to professionals in thisparticular field.And so the communication specialistslooked into creating a differentiating visualidentity for point of sale on the Internet.Made of welded plastic, the main part ofthe Luminette can be completely recycled.To avoid any unnecessary pollution andheavy handling at the end of the productslife-cycle, the battery can be easily removedto be subjected to its own recycling circuit.The company subcontracts, moreover,the production and assembly of theLuminette. Walloon partners or suppliershave often been privileged, so as to favourthe local economy. By alleviating theLuminette of its constraints, <strong>des</strong>ign was ableto make the product more attractive andready to use. ■Extract from the book Wallonia + Design + Enterprise,50 success stories , co-edited by Wallonie Design andLuc PireJoining environment and industryOdometric: a "nose" tofight olfactory pollutionThe environment is acrucial challenge,and this is the areain which Odometricintends to find itsplace in the sun,with a business thatis all about odor.Odors emitted byindustry, odors thatcan affect localpeople and finally,odors that cause theauthorities to reactwith regulations orcontrols.2009, a pivotal yearSustained growth at an unwavering rhythm, afull order list and lots of new projects in hand:this is the best barometer for the company’shealth. The buildings have doubled in size.The number of employees is expected togrow, as well. Cities place order for several–and sometimes dozens of—machines.2009 will be a pivotal year for the company.The prototype for a new machine will betested, with the goal of being launched in2010. Its market? The same: street cleaning–but with a more environmentally-friendlydimension. That’s all we know about it: exceptthat Christian Lange divulges that there’s nomachine like it on the market now. And there,as well, he delegates and gives responsibilityto his employees… ■In this age of "not in my back yard",respecting your environment also meansrespecting your neighbor. Companies needto be able to cohabit successfully in orderto secure the future of their businesses.Odometric understands this perfectly.According to founder Julien Delva,positioning is one of the keys to success forhis company: "we want to be and to remainat the heart of the three decision-makingcenters when it comes to issues of odor.We are there to serve all three parties: localpeople, companies and the authorities. Anyof them can come to us, because we havepositioned ourselves as an objectivepartner."Odometric’s core target market is the"Grande Région", the cooperation areacovering parts of Belgium, France,Germany and Luxemburg, although it willmake its first foray into the south of Francein December. What about its Walloonidentity? "A commercial plus-point, in thesense that our partners expect a specialhuman contact and have a perception ofseriousness and professionalism" - and asJulien Delva has French blood in his veins,he knows what he is talking about.The company’s expertise is based on itsolfactometry laboratory and an "odor jury"of sixty volunteers. These are the tools thatallow Odometric to help companies toanticipate any potential problems relatingto odor nuisance. Its specialist knowledgealso means that it is able to find ways ofODOMETRIC SA• FOUNDED: 2008• LOCATION: Arlon• BUSINESS: Identifying, measuring, modeling andevaluating the impact of sources of odor• 2008 TURNOVER (PROVISIONAL): 110,000 EUR• WORKFORCE: 2• MARKETS: Grande Région, France• WEBSITE: www.odometric.beworking out a solution acceptable to allparties.In addition to its human expertise andchemistry know-how, the company mayvery soon have a technological weapon inits arsenal: Odometric is currently workingon an electronic nose by the name of Fidor.The advantages of this technology are thatit can detect, identify and quantify odors ona continuous basis. This innovative odormeasurement and monitoring systemappears to have a bright future ahead of it.Landfill sites, wastewater treatment plants,composting centers, livestock facilities,biomethanization plants and above allindustry are the natural outlets forOdometric’s business. You only need tothink about the agri-food, chemical, paint,paper, coating, metal or tire industries torealize what kind of growth margins thistechnology has. ■Dynamisme December 2008 .31