Munich, April 2024
Sodex Innovations an Austrian company, presented their solution: the SDX-Compact. This versatile device can be effortlessly installed on any construction machine within minutes. It captures real-time 3D site data, creating a digital twin of your construction site. Their innovation won first place in the 6th Smart Building/Smart Construction Innovation World Cup held in Munich.
We had an insightful chat with the Sodex Innovations team. Let’s delve deeper into their journey towards achieving success.
- HOW DID IT ALL START?
Our company, Sodex Innovations GmbH, is based in Vorarlberg in Western Austria and is proud to currently have 15 dedicated employees. Originally, we – the 3 founders – started with the vision of an autonomous excavator in a school project and realized after graduation that despite the prototypes working, a go-to-market was not possible. After a comprehensive market analysis, we discovered that the next big potential was not the autonomy of the machine, but the automation of data acquisition. Because the progress of digitization and the topic of BIM are simply two huge focal points that every company, whether small or large, has to deal with, especially in civil engineering. And with this knowledge, we then founded our company in September 2021 and since then have successfully launched 2 products in this area of automated data acquisition, or what we call automated surveying.
- WHAT ARE THE KEY MILESTONES YOU HAVE REACHED SO FAR?
So the most important milestones are definitely our 2 product launches, starting with the SDX-4DVision in March 2022, where we partially limited our potential ourselves. However, we implemented the feedback that came from our customers at that time very quickly and are still proud to have launched our SDX-Compact on the market a year later, in March 2023. As a result, we have gained many new customers throughout the DACH region and have now also received expressions of interest and inquiries from all over the world. But what is particularly great is that there are around 100 machines on which our systems have already been used and quite a few sensational projects that we have been able to accompany here, from small road construction sites to huge industrial halls. In addition, we are of course particularly proud that Deutsche Bahn has also extensively tested our product as part of a start-up program and that we are now preparing for further projects and pilots. It simply shows that not only the construction companies want our product, but that the clients are also very interested.
- WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED?
I think the most important learning for us was definitely that we want to work on the market together with our customers and not just develop for ourselves. Customer feedback is a very important asset for us and we regularly talk to the users of our systems, gather feedback and try to implement it quickly. It’s particularly important not to be afraid of harsh words, but that’s how you get ahead – by accepting and implementing honest feedback.
That is certainly the most important learning on our journey. What I would also like to add, however, is that the team is particularly important and it is precisely because of our team that we are here today and have come so far. Because all our team members are committed to helping our customers have a better working day.
- WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
We are excited about the coming year, there are a number of major projects we are currently working on to further develop our product and expand internationally. What we can definitely mention is that we will be expanding our product portfolio again next year and that many customers who do not yet feel addressed by our products will be able to save a lot of time and money in the future with the upcoming solution. However, I don’t want to be too demanding here just yet, but keeping an eye on us at the end of the first quarter of 2024 is certainly a good tip!
5. DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY IN THE SMART BUILDING / SMART CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION WORLD CUP® AND BEING THE TOP INNOVATOR?
Participating in the Smart Construction Innovation World Cup was a unique experience for us, leaving a deep impression. The award we received stands as our most significant recognition to date and can be considered the “Oscars” in the construction industry. This success is the result of hard work, visionary ideas, and a continuous pursuit of innovation in our products. This award compellingly confirms what we emphasize daily: the necessity of on-site solutions/ hardware on the machine that go beyond pure software solutions. The mix of hardware and software results in the combination that really saves time. We are proud to have our efforts recognised on this international stage and see it as an incentive to continue on our path.
6. YOUR THREE TIPS FOR UP-COMING STARTUPS
The 3 magic tips are:
- describe your idea from the perspective of your customers, because they see the value that the other persons should also see.
- prepare a pitch deck that is not simply standard but is linked to emotions, because only with emotions do people understand what the problems are and why your solution is important
- present authentically and with 100% of your energy
THANK YOU FOR THE INTERESTING INSIGHTS AND WE SHALL KEEP WATCHING YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS AND THE STRIDES YOU WILL TAKE AHEAD!
Visit Sodex Innovations and learn how how they do Real-Time Mobile Mapping with the construction machine.
Submit your solution and join us at the 7th Smart Building / Smart Construction Innovation World Cup®. Start-ups, scale-ups, and innovative SMEs from across the globe are invited to submit their solutions for free, offering you the perfect opportunity to seize the moment and revolutionize BIM World MUNICH 2024!
