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Research and Innovation

MGS Consulting Ouest, building winning technology partnerships

Digital transformation Expert opinion
6 Feb 2017
0 minutes reading

MGS Consulting Ouest, the successful diversification of an ESN

MGS Consulting Ouest is an ESN (Entreprise du Service du Numérique) created in March 2007 by Mr. Gérardin, based in Vannes and operating in Western France (Brittany, Pays de la Loire, etc.). Its skills in Consulting, Support and IT Services (on a contract or fixed-price basis) extend to the following areas: Business Intelligence, Databases (Architecture and Design, Development and Administration), Systems and Networks Administration/Operation, CRM, Application and Website Development, COBOL MainFrame and Unix, AS/400 RPG and Adelia (…)

After a year of reduced activity in 2010, following an expatriation in 2009 and 2010, Mr Gérardin restarted MGS Consulting Ouest at the end of 2010, and decided in 2011 to diversify into the development of Internet & Mobile applications (Android and iOS). This strategy continues with the development of mission management software, including an advanced geolocation system. Mr Gérardin has been able to take advantage of various government grants (CIR, CICE, CI Apprentissage, etc.) as well as subsidies from local authorities (Région Bretagne, Département du Morbihan, etc.).

Investing in your ecosystem, making it easier to find partners

Once the concept had been validated and patented, MGS Consulting Ouest was faced with the problem of developing and industrializing it, which is unfortunately often out of reach for SMEs due to the costs and skills required.

However, Mr Gérardin was able to take advantage of the network he had patiently built up locally, through his investment in the digital ecosystem in Brittany and Western France. Indeed, Mr. Gérardin had forged close ties with local players such as:

  • VIPE, the Vannes Technopole & Development Agency,

  • The Images et Réseaux competitiveness cluster brings together players in the information technology, telecoms and audiovisual sectors in Brittany and Pays de la Loire,

  • The Telecom-Bretagne school,

  • LOUSTIC-Brest (the laboratory for observing the use of information and communication technologies) in Brest,

  • The MEITO association, whose aim is to promote the development of the electronics, IT and telecommunications sector in Western France,

  • BDI – Bretagne Développement Innovation (Regional Agency).

This has enabled it to develop technological partnerships, notably with Images et Réseaux, which launched a call for collaborative projects.

Complementarity and constant dialogue: the key to a successful partnership

The two partner companies identified wereAlyaCom, an innovative company specializing in remote management, web technologies and mobile applications for mobile professional teams, with MGS Consulting Ouest providing its expertise in geolocation, andR&DTECH France, a mechatronics R&D company, which had a head-up vision system, automatically calibrated to the angle of the windshield.

However, according to Gérardin, the success of such partnerships over time is only possible with a mindset based on optimism, confidence and opportunism, in the good sense of the word. You have to agree on a strategy, but be flexible enough to make adjustments. To achieve this, there needs to be ongoing dialogue between management teams, but also between employees at all levels.

In this way, by adding two teams, it is possible to achieve much more than the strict sum of skills and work capacities (1+1=3). With this resolutely partnership-based approach, MGS Consulting Ouest has enjoyed remarkable annual growth of 50% over the past 3 years, and expects sales of €700k in 2013, with a full order book for 2014.