SUEZ accelerates its digital transformation

SUEZ accelerates its digital transformation with the acquisition of OPTIMATICS, leader of water network optimization. This acquisition reinforces SUEZ service offering with the best digital solutions on the market, bringing both innovation and value creation to the design, construction, and management of water infrastructure. Following the acquisition of a minority stake alongside Emerald Technology Ventures in 2017, SUEZ acquires the entire share capital of OPTIMATICS via SUEZ Ventures, the Group’s venture capital fund. OPTIMATICS, founded in Australia and based in the United States, has developed OPTIMIZER^TM, a unique software that allows network managers to identify the best way to allocate the economic resources in order to meet their performance targets. Developed from genetic algorithm research at the University of Adelaide in Australia, OPTIMIZER^TM combines the performance of metaheuristic methods with those of hydraulic modeling tools in order to calculate thousands of scenarios in only a few hours, forming a true breakthrough with traditional methods. With this new multi-criteria approach, OPTIMIZER^TM helps the water and wastewater network managers to take the most efficient technical and economic decisions, but also to produce significant gains going from 10 to 30%.

AN EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

In a world of water scarcity, infrastructure maintenance is a greater challenge than ever before. Developed countries are now facing the need to renew almost all of their water networks while emerging countries are expanding or creating the water infrastructure to meet the needs of populations. The historic infrastructure’s investment deficit often appears as an obstacle to economic and social development for assets worth 3,000 billion of dollars¹. Each component of infrastructure has to provide a certain level of technical and economic performance, which is notably dependent on how facilities are designed, maintained and renewed. With the OPTIMIZER^TM solution, SUEZ offers to its clients a unique solution to optimize total investment volume and infrastructure performance (consumption, compliance, performance). The wide variety of use cases of OPTIMIZER^TM technology within OPTIMATICS’ customers and contracts operated by SUEZ can reach up to 30% of the investment amount. With over 50 current clients, OPTIMIZER^TM has met with resounding success since first being marketed in 2014. Almost 75 million residents now benefit from this service in Australia (South Australia Water), the United States (New York City DEP, Washington Suburban, Los Angeles, Denver Water, Minneapolis, Louisville MSD and more), the United Kingdom (United Utilities) and France as part of a partnership concluded with SUEZ in 2017.

SUEZ ACCELERATES THE DIGITALISATION OF ITS OFFERING

This acquisition illustrates the major digital transformation of SUEZ, its activities, and its service offering. The acquisition of OPTIMATICS is a key step forwards that accelerates the digitalization of the Group’s solutions and the services it offers to its customers. With OPTIMIZER^TM, SUEZ is expanding its AQUADVANCED® range of digital solutions dedicated to the performance of water services. It helps decision-makers to fulfill their aims of developing their local areas while ensuring resilient services in a well-controlled financial environment. The acquisition of OPTIMATICS is a key step for SUEZ, a water sector leader in smart and digital services. Against the global infrastructure challenge, we offer our customers the most advanced digital solutions with tangible financial and operating benefits, thanks to a unique data analysis. This acquisition illustrates the acceleration of SUEZ’s digital transformation to better serve our clients.