Original outsourcing: R&D and industrialisation
Surprisingly, it is now possible to outsource a development mandate or the realisation of an original idea that, in some cases, falls outside a company's normal area of activity. Indeed, the young company FiveCo offers to sell its expertise in research and development. It has already gained public recognition by participating in the development of the interactive guide RoboX, which delighted children and adults alike at the Neuchâtel Robotics (Expo.02) site.
Officially founded in September 2002 and located in the Ecublens Science Park, just a stone's throw from EPFL, this SME has the distinctive feature of bringing together a concentration of new technologies associated with microtechnology. It has developed a Bluetooth-controlled power socket, a standalone mini file server that can also serve as an MP3 player, a miniaturised Ethernet server, a low-power radio-controlled mini vehicle, software for analysing and reading vehicle licence plate numbers from police radar images… and many other solutions currently under development.
FiveCo has therefore specialised in the miniaturisation of embedded solutions and the combination of technologies — microprocessors in the service of microtechnology, applied to prototype development and even industrialisation management. It is indeed rare for a company to accept outsourced development mandates, yet this is commonplace in IT management!
However, for a company wishing to outsource the development of a product to be built using an unfamiliar technology, or when the industrialisation process has not yet been defined, it makes perfect sense to call on an external firm like FiveCo. It offers discretion, a non-compete clause, and above all the expertise of its young engineers in interconnecting new technologies, miniaturisation, and cutting-edge research.
This startup enjoys excellent neighbourly relations with the EPFL campus and its research laboratories. FiveCo also draws on the support of Genilem and sponsors, notably EPFL professors.
