In the area of innovation, we are used to decision-makers preparing an idea and then implementing it in the company. At Rovibec, a Nicolet company specializing in agricultural automation, the opposite is the case. In January 2024, the SME will launch a new product that was developed with the participation of dozens of employees.
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“We are a third generation company and I am the next generation of the family. It was my grandfather Victor who created it in 1976,” explains Alexandra Rousseau over the phone.
Innovate, yes, but innovate with people, their suggestions and their collaboration. In a sense, this is the mission that Rovibec gives itself – in two respects.
The first is circumstantial evidence. “In 2020 we wanted to stop having any kind of seasonality in our production. We asked ourselves what could be produced on the same production line that would not be agricultural. We formed small teams of two, duos of six or seven, and I mixed people from all departments. »
For about three months, the small teams met once a week with the aim of advancing their product idea. Afterwards, “like in high school, they gave oral presentations at the microbrewery next to us,” she says.
My grandfather was always a creator and this is the color he left to the company. We have always been a bunch of creatives. Innovation has been our top priority for 50 years. It’s a culture.
Alexandra Rousseau, family successor to the Rovibec company
The second phase formed new volunteer teams, further developed the most popular initial designs and produced a winner: the Rangerman, an automated robot designed to transport wooden pallets in manufacturing SMEs.
After being presented at industrial exhibitions in Jonquière and then in Terrebonne, it will be marketed early next year.
“It would be wrong to say, ‘This or that employee had this or that idea,’ but this process allowed us to mix ideas and benefit from collective intelligence,” says Alexandra Rousseau.
Well-rehearsed mentality
The second reason why innovation at Rovibec is a collective affair: This SME in Center-du-Québec has a permanent team working in research and development. And out of 70 employees, there are around ten engineers for every salesperson.
“Some have finished school and stayed with us, others have been here for 25 years. But they have one thing in common: they invent agricultural machinery and are farmers themselves. We create things where we fully understand the meaning of the user because we are one. »
Rovibec’s inventory is extensive: mixers, conveyors, control panels, reserves, carts and utilities, robots… Farmers can easily find what they are looking for.
The Rangerman, an automated guided vehicle (AGV), is based on the technology of the Ranger, a flagship product. This is a robot programmed to move around a dairy farm and push feed to the cows, replacing this normally manual task and allowing the cattle to eat enough. Its speed of 100 feet per minute and capacity to handle 2,500 heads make the Quebec company a “world leader” in the field.
PHOTO FROM ROVIBEC FACEBOOK PAGE
A Rovibec Ranger robot at work
During the first five years, the Rangerman’s sales goals are simple: “stay in Canada,” with possible expansion thereafter. A Bécancour dealer has already contacted Rovibec, which now has the next few months to consolidate its launch strategy.