Socorex wins the CSEM Digital Journey Award 2023
CSEM has bestowed the Digital Journey 2023 upon Socorex. This SME based in Ecublens VD, is a world leader in development and manufacture of high-end precision dosing instruments for liquid handling in laboratories and animal health injections Thanks to the award they now benefit from technological support and digital expertise through CSEM valued at CHF 100,000 for the development of a new solution with a strong environmental impact.
On Monday 4 December 2023, EPFL Microcity in Neuchâtel set the stage for a fierce competition during the 8th edition of the CSEM Digital Journey Award. With only a few tenths of a point separating the finalists, the jury decided to offer an additional reward to the finalist who delivered the best pitch during the ceremony. The tension was palpable as each finalist unveiled the strengths of their innovative projects. Ultimately, Hunkeler AG, a pioneer in book production, took home the Best Pitch award and an additional 5,000 CHF.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the other finalists novaziun AG, FEMTOprint SA and VARIOPRINT AG, for their innovative project proposals, and wish them all the best for their digital future.
The audience voted for the best pitch
The grand winner, Socorex claimed the first prize worth 100,000 CHF with its hight confidential project. The company specializes in the development of high-quality automatic glass and metal piston syringes designed for high-precision animal injections, catering to various needs in fish farming, poultry, pigs, sheep, and other livestock.
The Socorex product catalog includes needles, cannulas, conversion sets, accessories, and spare parts. Socorex's unique facility in Ecublens, Switzerland, has all the necessary infrastructure for machining, assembly, testing, certification, and quality control of the syringes produced and sold.
Socorex, winner of the Digital Journey Award 2023
Why did SOCOREX win the jury's favor?
The integration of CSEM Digital Technologies promises to elevate Socorex's capabilities, fostering enhanced precision and efficiency in their future products.
Bahaa Roustom, the jury president, emphasized, "Addressing current challenges in food security and animal health is crucial. This year, our message extends beyond machine producers to product-oriented SMEs. We anticipate that this initiative will not only enhance Socorex's standing but also bolster Switzerland's presence in the rapidly evolving market, opening avenues for expansion into smart labs and benefiting other stakeholders involved in this domain."
Julien Ruchet, Chief Executive Officer of Socorex, presents his idea.
A burning issue in sustainability
The animal health market has grown remarkably in recent years, reaching 34 billion dollars and increasing by over 5% annually worldwide. Veterinary vaccines represent 26% of this global market.
Indeed, animal diseases remain a major problem, as they can result in significant losses for rural communities, leading to a lack of confidence on the part of investors. Thanks to the improved performance of vaccines, farmers have been able to considerably reduce losses due to epidemics, as well as the doses of antibiotics needed to keep their livestock alive. This reduction has improved the quality of the food that ends up on consumers' plates. In Norway, the use of antibiotics fell from 47 tonnes to around 1 tonne after vaccination became a common strategy for combating bacterial diseases in farmed fish.
Although products addressing these issues already exist on the market, they have major drawbacks such as weight, size, and price, without offering customer support tailored to the type of vaccine and the age of the treated animals.
This is why Socorex is convinced that by combining the strengths of its current automatic products with CSEM's micromechanical expertise, they can mitigate these drawbacks and meet market expectations in the foreseeable future.