Peter De Brabandere (Bizzmine): “Complex rules increase the need for smart software”

26/09/2024-

4 minutes reading time

Regulations of all kinds are increasingly leaving their mark on logistics operations. Their complexity makes it more difficult to comply with them correctly. “Our software makes it easy to be sure that one is and remains ‘compliant’. The more complex the rules, the more our software adds value,” says Peter De Brabandere, founder and CEO of Bizzmine, since September Innovation partner of Log!Ville.

Can you briefly introduce Bizzmine and outline what it does?

Bizzmine was founded in Kortrijk in 1995 under the name Vivaldi Software. It focuses on the digital management of quality, safety, health and environment (QHSE, Quality, Health, Safety and Environment) to help companies within the pharmaceutical industry, food industry, chemicals, construction, government and above all transport and logistics to comply with sector-specific regulations. The software also allows compliance with non-sector-specific rules, such as ISO standards.

Originally we were active on the Belgian market, but in recent years we became increasingly present internationally. Thanks to a financial injection from the private equity Fortino Capital, that internationalization accelerated significantly and we made acquisitions in the UK (Sercle Software) and in the Netherlands (Inception). Thus, within two years, Bizzmine grew both organically and externally from 20 to 90 employees and expanded its presence to the Netherlands, UK, Lithuania and Singapore. We also opened a commercial headquarters in the US. Today we support more than 1,000 customers in 45 countries.

Why is software needed to comply with rules?

Companies have to increasingly deal with rules, laws, standards and regulations to comply with. They are also increasingly complex: it’s getting harder to comply with them. Our software makes it easier for those companies to become and stay ‘compliant’. The more complex the rules, the more our software adds value.

You can see our software more broadly than in a compliancy context. Bizzmine also helps companies to identify risks, to better follow up on possible complaints and to register and handle incidents … and learn from them.

Is your software aimed at the big companies or do you also target the smaller ones?

Mostly it’s about slightly larger companies, but the smaller ones also have to deal with those regulations and their compliance. This is the case in construction, for example, but also in other sectors such as transportation and logistics, especially when working for regulated companies.

In pharma, for example, everything must be reported very meticulously and chart all deviations. A transportation company – large or small – that wants to work for a pharmaceutical or ‘life science’ company must therefore comply with Good Distribution Practices (GDPs), for example. These are guidelines that ensure that medicines are transported in a safe, clean and verifiable manner, from the manufacturer to the end user. The GDPs, by the way, can also be relevant in other industries, such as the food or chemical industries.

Which Bizzmine software specifically targets the logistics sector?

Today it is mainly Bizzmine QHSE, for digitizing processes for occupational safety and prevention. It aims to minimize incidents, damages and complaints, but also to improve operational efficiency.

The software consists of 14 different modules, which collaboratively form a whole. These modules include document control, incident management, internal audits, out of specification/out of tolerance management, a data logger, etc. Based on this data, the consequences of an incident can be analyzed and an action plan should be created. This is especially important to be GDP-compliant in pharma or food. Another such module is training management, which allows one to track and monitor training.

Do you have any other developments in the pipeline?

Next month we are integrating Artificial Intelligence into the software. Not to replace humans but to support them. I will give two examples.

A first is to extract data from descriptive documents. Like a kind of AI search engine, finding or using – in Dutch, English, Polish or any other language – data and information within their own documents, and if necessary, ask further questions. The data used by the AI all comes from internal documents and databases. It is therefore a very reliable solution, because no external data is used.

A second example is securing knowledge. Suppose everyone in a warehouse has gone through training. If something in the operation of the warehouse changes or new procedures are introduced, everyone needs to know what has changed and what the new procedures are. With our AI solution, you can be sure that everyone has read/seen and understood them: it knows the documents and generates its own multiple choice with questions and answers. The time savings are enormous.

Starting next year, we will also support AEO companies with Bizzmine QHSE, thanks to the knowledge we gained at Bizzmine Inception. As an Authorized Economic Operator, a company is required to have its processes demonstrably well ‘under control’. It must also act proactively and report certain incidents to customs.

Why did Bizzmine become a Log!Ville Innovation Partner?

QHSE software can be particularly relevant in logistics, warehousing and transportation, but not enough is known about that yet. We want to highlight that better, in addition to increasing brand awareness, of course.

In certain cases, being “compliant” is a legal obligation, but QHSE management can also be a USP (Unique Selling Proposition, ed.) for a company. It also offers the opportunity to grow as a company in a more structured way and be sure that all rules are respected in the process. Some companies find that standards and rules put a brake on growth because they lack sufficient knowledge and experience. Software can make them much more workable and manageable. We want to clarify that in Log!Ville as well.

This means that through our booth at Log!Ville, we want to gain more visibility among logistics companies, but also show our commitment to the sector. We do not enter the logistics market opportunistically. Bizzmine has a long-term focus on the sector.