CFAO TECHNOLOGY & ENERGY
2 | Africa Outlook issue 91
TECHNOLOGY
ENABLING AFRICAN INDUSTRY “We contribute to the future of Africa through supporting our customers.” Alexis Madrange, CEO of CFAO Technology & Energy, discusses the company’s efforts towards developing African industry infrastructure
CFAO Technology & Energy is headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, offering highly effective and innovative services for companies and organisations in the public and private sectors, across the continent. “We contribute to the future of Africa through supporting our customers,” Madrange explains. “This includes the design, development, implementation and management of new solutions, adapted to the economic, social and cultural specificities of the countries that make up the continent. “We focus on three key departments: ICT, Lift, and Energy, with a goal to help our customers implement their energy transition and digital transformation.”
Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Lewis Bush
F
or almost 170 years, CFAO Group has been serving Africa across the mobility, healthcare, consumer goods, infrastructure, and energy sectors. And with these years of experience, its local expertise, and large distribution network comprising of 158 subsidiaries, the group is the largest in its sphere on the African continent. “Today, we have near 21,000 employees working across all sectors,” begins Alexis Madrange, CEO of the company’s technology and energy division. CFAO Group established CFAO Technologies 18 years ago to support African organisations with digital transformations. Facing new growth opportunities and the acceleration of changes that the continent was experiencing, CFAO Technologies expanded its scope in 2018 to become CFAO Technology & Energy.
Alexis Madrange, CEO
The division combines its information and communication technologies (ICT) business, the CFAO Group’s elevator business (that has been present within the group for over 60 years), and a newly formed energy business that draws on the experience of the group’s parent company Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC), and its long experience in data centres energy exigent environment.
CORE SERVICES Within its ICT services, the expertise of the CFAO Technology & Energy team allows the division to design innovative solutions for IT infrastructure, networks and communications, user environments, applications, and more. An example of this includes handling installation and maintenance projects for data centres, computer systems and printers. The company’s ICT services are underpinned by a meticulous approach, close working relationships Africa Outlook issue 91 | 3
CFAO TECHNOLOGY & ENERGY with its customers, a service-oriented culture, and its commitment to service-level agreements (SLAs). “CFAO Technology & Energy is a key player in the African elevator market as well, and has partnered for over 60 years with OTIS, a global company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment,” Madrange adds. “We install OTIS systems in 19 West African countries and provide vertical transport servicing solutions for elevators made by OTIS and other companies. We draw on the complementarity of our ICT and energy activities to offer energy-selfsufficient devices and connect them to our supervision centre.” The company’s energy service
solutions range from energy audits to solar power generation. CFAO Technology & Energy works with its customers to enhance their energy self-sufficiency and reduce their negative ecological footprint. The subsidiary also offers turnkey solutions including maintenance and financing to provide a comprehensive customer service across its energy solutions.
INTERNATIONAL ADVANTAGE Senegal is a strategic location when it comes to international connectivity. Its capital of Dakar is approximately 6,000 kilometres from many major continental cities, such as New York, London, Paris, Rio, and Cape Town, providing the Senegalese city the advantage of direct connection to multiple hubs of trade and industry.
Africa Outlook: How did you come to work in the technology sphere? Alexis Madrange, CEO: “Science and technology have always been part of my journey. “After graduating in Energy and Environment at the “Ecole Centrale de Nantes”, I discovered the African market by working for two years in Côte d’Ivoire within the mining and construction equipment industry. “Attracted by innovation, I joined a leading French multinational technology consulting and engineering company where I learned a lot on business development in the most advanced technologies. In 2005, mixing my experience in African industry with my business development expertise, I set up a contact centre in Senegal specialising in business-to-business (B2B) marketing campaigns. After four happy years in Senegal, the 2008 financial crisis led to us closing the company and I realised that talented people were one of the most important assets a company could have.
INFOSEC In an ultraconnected world, where the slightest loss of data, the slightest production stoppage, the slightest interruption of connection, results in heavy financial loss, INFOSEC UPS SYSTEM, one of the leading European manufacturers of control and protection systems energy, has been offering complete solutions for domestic and professional environments for more than 30 years. The INFOSEC UPS SYSTEM brand is now represented in more than 100 countries around the world through its 3 distribution networks specializing in electricity, IT and mass distribution. Its Research and Development division as well as its head office, based in France, are constantly attentive to market trends in order to design and provide its customers with products benefiting from the best technologies in terms of electrical protection. Also present throughout the African continent since its origin, INFOSEC UPS SYSTEM has created a strong link with its partners, through the recognized quality of its products and solutions, its innovation and the quality of its services in all sectors: Home / Small Office, Business Networks, Industry, Data Centers and Facilities, and Access Provider Networks. INFOSEC UPS SYSTEM has also been able to develop, in close collaboration with the CFAO teams, a protection solution with the E4 Evo II + HD inverter, an optimal protection solution, dedicated to the specific features of Otis Regen Drive asencers.
“I decided to stay and work in Africa, first in Chad and then in Ghana, where I later set up a new division for CFAO group - CFAO Equipment. And from there I moved into the position I have today. I feel incredibly lucky to have been leading CFAO Technology & Energy for the past three years.” www.infosec-ups.com
4 | Africa Outlook issue 91
Partner of CFAO for more than 15 years
Specialist of electrical protection in Africa for more than 30 years Protection of critical and strategic applications The E7 One RT range is one
The E4 LCD Pro range offers
of the best performing, most
an excellent level of electrical
reliable and efficient in its
safety and essential functions
class with a power factor of 1.
for the protection of your sensitive
strategic
loads.
The E4 Pro One are Online
The M5T range is the new
Mod5T is the most reliable and
Double Conversion Tower
three-phase
solution
suitable UPS for the most critical
UPS with Power Factor 1.
designed to protect the
and demanding equipment. Its
They provide premium
most strategic powerful loads. It offers all the
modular design makes them
protection in the most demanding environments.
functionalities
necessary
highly
receptive,
flexible,
economical and easy to maintain.
to guarantee maximum security,
including
sensitive
environments.
E4 Evolution II TT HD Lift’s protection
in
II
Ensure the safety of all users Ensure electrical protection for equipment Ensure the evacuation of buildings Ensure the evacuation of people with reduced mobility
+ 33 (0)6 63 78 22 49
c.langlais@infosec.fr Sales Director Africa
©2021 Infosec Communication, all rights reserved. Infosec UPS System is a trademark or registered trademark of Infosec Communication. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective owners. Photos are not binding. Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. 05 21 CHL A 08.
Flyer CFAO.indd 1
04/06/2021 16:07:53
CFAO TECHNOLOGY & ENERGY Consequently, this also makes Dakar part of a very competitive and growing technology market. “If Kenya is the Eastern Gate to Africa, Senegal is one to Western Africa,” Madrange elaborates. “Being based in Dakar has given my team the possibility to work closely with start-ups; the African digital players who are transforming the economy by leveraging transaction platforms such as financial services, drones, next mobility, and access to energy. “In this space we are challenged every day to build the right added value infrastructures and services for competitive prices, and with the strong support of our partners, we have the local skilled tech teams to achieve that goal. CFAO Technology & Energy invests a substantial amount of time each year into training and upskilling its technical teams.” According to Madrange, Africa’s digital and energy transition is a primary reason as to why the company changed its division headquarters from Sevres, France, to Dakar. The players, decision-makers
and entrepreneurs within the space are rooted in Africa, and this local presence provides CFAO Technology & Energy, as well as the wider technology industry, with an innovative environment in which to develop new pan-African value chains. CFAO Technology & Energy’s current strategic position in Africa is a part of the company’s aim to collaborate with its clients and create solutions while also being able to offer unified and dedicated support across its continental services.
DIGITALISATION AND DATA CENTRES CFAO Technology & Energy commits itself to contributing to the energy transition within Africa by proposing very simple and effective renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial companies. Last year, CFAO Technology & Energy equipped three companies in Senegal, and one in Cameroon, with 700 kilowatts-peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) plants, as Madrange elaborates. “We can either rent or sell the plants,
BEHIND CFAO For CFAO Technology & Energy, company success comes down to its people and software. The company requires talented employees to dream up and prototype the new business models, as well as teach the skills necessary to select and integrate the software into platforms that will run them. “As our industry is very innovative and highly competitive, our teams are keen on support and skills development,” Madrange says. “Our middle managers make a real difference for both our staff and customers, and our resource planners are continuously engaged in the development of our resource capabilities and optimising the allocation of resources. “And of course, our customer service delivery managers are key in the management of our field technicians, who ensure the high quality of delivery in our services.” For CFAO Technology & Energy, the expertise, experience and management of its various teams are what drives the company to its panAfrican success.
6 | Africa Outlook issue 91
DEVEA SAS DEVEA, undisputed leader in the distribution of computer hardware in Africa, direct partner of the world’s largest manufacturers (XEROX - HPE - HP - ACER - EATON - ASUS - EPSON - LEXMARK - CANON - KASPERSKY), to name but a few. DEVEA supplies the African market with more than 300,000 references, spread over more than a hundred brands, to offer the best of IT to its employees throughout the continent. DEVEA wants to be an unstoppable solution at the service of an Africa that evolves, a strength that is reflected through the skills that compose it, a young, dynamic, multicultural team, of different nationalities, aligned especially to satisfy its network composed of more than 3700 resellers, a position of leader in the distribution of IT products in Africa perfectly assumed.
www.devea.com
and these companies who make use of the PV plants make substantial savings and huge CO2 emission reductions,” he says. Moreover, as we monitor the consumption, we help our customers contribute to a decarbonated growth. Step by step, everyone will contribute to a sustainable growth with Africa, for Africa!” Prior to this, in 2019, CFAO collaborated with Toyota Tsusho Groups on an initiative alongside Mobility54; mobility-dedicated corporate venture capital (CVC) in Africa. Mobility54 is currently investing in partnerships with innovative technology companies to revolutionise the mobility industry of the continent. Its mission is to contribute to solving Africa’s social and industrial challenges. “It is a win-win synergy where the Group is providing its pan-African network and ground expertise to our partners,” Madrange explains. “On the CFAO side, we provide the added value of offering African start-ups
TECHNOLOGY
DISTRIBUTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
19-27 rue des huleux 93240 Stains Ile de France - France
DIGITALISATION AND DATA CENTRES CFAO Technology & Energy partners with leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the best distributors in the region. Over the years, the company has built a unique partner ecosystem in the areas of advanced technologies, such as software, hardware, cloud and consulting. CFAO Technology & Energy’s customers look for dependable innovation and the reliable delivery of services and solutions. These partnerships are a very strong assurance for the company’s customers.
Bénin Burkina-Faso Cameroun Cap-Vert Centrafrique Comores Congo Rd Congo Côte d’lvoire Djibouti Gabon Guinée Guinée-Bissau Guinée Équatoriale Mali Madagascar Mauritanie Niger Sénégal Tchad Togo
+33 1 49 21 96 50 contact@devea.com www.devea.com
solutions in the face of scale-up difficulties. “An example of this is cybersecurity; a substantial necessity to these startups, and one of our primary areas of expertise. We have already started to run security audits, PenTests, GDPR regulations, and cloud orchestration for them. For each software problem or issue, we can find our clients fitting solutions from our large portfolio of partnerships.” CFAO Technology & Energy acts as an enabler for such start-up businesses in Africa. The company’s role is to help address its pan-African customers, and another way of doing so is building data centres. “Our teams have a unique experience in engineering, procurement, project management, construction, testing and commissioning, operations and maintenance of tier three, threeplus and four data centres,” Madrange informs us. “We have been doing this for major telco operators, banks and
governments for the past ten years. These data centres are essential assets for the development of the digital ecosystem in Africa.” Moving ahead into the decade, CFAO Technology & Energy’s top priority is to invest in its own digitalisation and energy transition in order to guide the way for such a developing digital ecosystem within the continent. Alongside this, the company is in the process of defining its decarbonisation path to lead a progressive future as industry’s preferred service partner for infrastructure development and management across Africa, for Africa.
CFAO TECHNOLOGY & ENERGY Tel: 00 (221) 33 869 89 00 marketing.techno@cfao.com www.cfaogroup.com
Africa Outlook issue 91 | 7
CFAO TECHNOLOGY & ENERGY N° 103 Sotrac Mermoz – BP 4218 – Dakar - Sénégal Tel: 00 (221) 33 869 89 00 marketing.techno@cfao.com www.cfaogroup.com
PRODUCED BY AFRICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE