Positioning data and AI at the heart of operations, a successful gamble for Eramet

Data and AI drive transformation

Eramet, a French mining and metallurgical group operating internationally, is a key player in the extraction and valorization of metals for the energy and ecological transition. With the help of Capgemini Invent, Eramet has embarked on a transformation journey. At the heart of this process is the exploitation of data and artificial intelligence as strategic levers to improve the group’s productivity and commercial performance.

“At Eramet, our digital transformation roadmap is defined in three axes,” says Ludovic Donati, Digital Transformation Director of Eramet.” First: we want to connect geology to the economy. Second: we want to optimize our processes using data and AI.  Finally, we need to ensure the traceability and quality of the products from production to delivery.”

This project relies on a Data Foundry, a multidisciplinary team that processes data generated by the information systems, UAVs, and connected sensors present in large numbers at the group’s industrial sites.

“Thanks to its Data Foundry, Eramet has succeeded in implementing a number of artificial intelligence products that allow us to be more predictive and less reactive in our core business,” explains Jean-Loup Loyer, Chief Data & Analytics Officer of Eramet.

Together, Eramet and Capgemini Invent have created a multidisciplinary team of 50 experts from both groups, the majority of whom are data scientists, with the aim of meeting several objectives:

• Enhancing Eramet’s considerable data deposit
• Developing predictive maintenance for equipment
• Facilitating the forecasting and reduction of production cycle times and the optimization of the logistics chain and processes
• Reducing Eramet’s energy consumption.

Creating a smart industry that puts people at its core

For Eramet, reassessing skills and providing support and training programs are key issues for the transition. With Capgemini Invent’s help, Eramet put the focus on sustainable, cross-functional transformation within the group rather than on transformation catered for each segment of the business, such as business lines, IT departments, and data scientists. An educational dynamic was deployed in order to demystify and get all the teams to adopt data and AI tools.

This collaborative dynamic has played a major role in the creation of a new dynamic corporate culture centered around innovation and digital technology.