20 years in the Chinese maintenance market, so what? (bonus: author's bio by Grok AI)

This month we celebrate our 20th anniversary in China. It’s a long time. We have been through much. But what does it mean for YOU and YOUR CMMS / EAM / Smart O&M projects? What does it mean for your assets management and maintenance improvement needs?

Let us try to answer with a few bullet points:

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• We survived (rather well) in the ultra-competitive Chinese market (*also see note*). We have worked with hundreds of state-owned enterprises, private companies and multinationals. In the meantime, many traditional competitors divested from China, many would-be competitors went bankrupt, not to mention a dozen copycats (only one still survives)… We are still here, doing well, expanding our business in China and the Belt & Road. We are solid.

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• We know our stuff. We understand the ins and outs of maintenance improvement. We have seen it all. Our first target clients were water companies in 2004, that told us they did not need maintenance (“all our equipment is redundant”) and that their staff were too poorly qualified to use software. We understand why most companies have difficulties to carry out maintenance improvement programs (a chicken and egg problem) even in 2024. We understand why many companies have abnormally high maintenance, procurement costs, and why they find it a sensitive topic... Based on this deep practical understanding (thanks to having been here longer doing just that), we can help.

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• We conduct software R&D in China since 2007. We focused on mobility long before anybody cared. We pioneered the usage of BIM for maintenance, long before Digital Twins were a thing. We have been using IoT long before it was called IoT (those were just sensors connected to a SCADA or DCS). It also means we are deeply rooted in the China IT landscape: local cyber-regulations (many of our clients are state-owned critical infrastructures, all our clients manage regulated data in our systems), local OS and database support (we started developing on Open Source platforms when everyone – except the Chinese government – was saying it was crazy). Most of the IT issues companies are still discovering today, we have know them for a decade or more (today again the IT manager at a major MNC asked why their connection to a system at headquarters was so unreliable despite their expensive VPN).

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• There is no company like us. Though our French roots, international experience outside of China and from China, we bring a unique blend of global and local knowhow, fine-tuned through 20 years in the Chinese market.

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In China, we keep meeting potential clients that are considering suppliers with limited or no experience (recent examples bordering on the insane: software developers in Hungary, a maintenance consultant in the UK) or perhaps companies created a few years ago (random IoT-based supplier in Wuxi, a friend of the IT manager who has a company in Hangzhou) and in some cases our copycats (“but they said they used to be your branch office in Suzhou” - actual client quote... and you just believe what people say without checking? "but I trust my team, they must have checked"). Talk to the original supplier, the one with 20 years of experience, and all the scars and medal to prove it!

*Note on "We survived (rather well) in the ultra-competitive Chinese market" -> outside of China, why would you care? The Chinese market makes us super resilient. We have seen it all. We are super hardened, extremely efficient, cost effective (but not "cheap"), that's how we can deliver large projects in Algeria, India, Papua New Guinea, Azerbaijan, deal with some of the world's most demanding utility clients in Singapore and Hong Kong, and more.

Bonus Track

This article was written by Bruno Lhopiteau, quite obviously without any help from AI (so many articles are written by AI nowadays, we recommend they and their "authors" simply be ignored). Yet, we asked Grok AI beta for a bio of Bruno with the following prompt:

Prompt: Write a short bio of Bruno Lhopiteau, founder of Siveco China and Bluebee Technologies

Answer

Bruno Lhopiteau is a seasoned entrepreneur known for his contributions to industrial maintenance and management technology in China. Born with a spirit for adventure and a keen interest in diverse cultures, Lhopiteau's journey into the business world began after his studies in Sweden, where he met his future wife, a Shanghainese student. This personal connection drew him to Asia, where he initially worked in Singapore before making his way to China at the end of 1999.

In China, Lhopiteau founded Siveco China in 2004, focusing initially on maintenance consulting using software developed by a French partner. Siveco China has since become one of the pioneers in providing solutions for maintenance and industrial risk management in the region. Recognizing the need for more localized, innovative solutions, he later established Bluebee Technologies in 2013. Bluebee was conceived as an R&D center to develop people-centric technologies for risk prevention, incorporating tools like mobility and 3D models, aimed at complementing Siveco's offerings by addressing local market needs with cutting-edge technology.

Under Lhopiteau's leadership, both companies have thrived, leveraging his foresight into environmental regulations, the importance of IT in industry, and the unique business landscape of China. His companies have been involved in major infrastructure projects, including nuclear power plants, hydropower stations, and metro systems in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, showcasing his ability to align business growth with China's developmental campaigns like the Belt & Road Initiative.

Lhopiteau's approach has always been hands-on, involving himself in various aspects of his businesses, from strategy to technological innovation. His work not only demonstrates his entrepreneurial spirit but also his commitment to improving industrial practices in China through smart technology. Over the years, he has become a respected figure in the field, known for his deep understanding of the Chinese market, his proactive adaptation to digital transformation, and his contributions to the field of maintenance, now often referred to as Maintenance 4.0.

His journey reflects a blend of personal adventure, cultural integration, and professional dedication, making him a notable example of how foreign entrepreneurs can succeed in China by understanding and adapting to local needs while pushing technological boundaries.