The “Test Before Invest” service offered by the Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub is designed to support companies in making the right technological choices.
Jean-Michel Gaudron
Selecting the right digital tools is not always straightforward. Which technology is the most suitable for a given company? What happens if, after investing in a solution, it is found that it is not fully adapted to the activities, or incompatible with existing tools? Questions like these can slow down or even block a company’s digital transformation.
This is why the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), a partner of the Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub (L-DIH), offers the "Test before invest" service, enabling companies to try out digital technologies and tools for a limited time—before making any long-term commitment.
Proof of concept, pre-engineering, evaluations, short-term pilot projects… A wide range of scenarios can be simulated to demonstrate added value and uncover the true potential—if any— new products, methods or technologies and to make the most of the data available in the company.
“This approach allows companies to take their first steps toward digital transformation without immediately committing for the long term,” explains Mickael Desloges, Senior Advisor – Assessments & Roadmaps at Luxinnovation.
Access to a diverse range of digital tools and services increases the flexibility and adaptability of the digitalisation process. "In addition, the partnership approach with a Research and Technology Center such as LIST, not only ensures that the tools and technologies made available for testing are up-to-date and adapted to ever-changing needs, but also that the company develops the necessary skills to implement and maintain them," says Laurence Johannsen, head of the "Test before invest" offer at LIST.
The “Test Before Invest” service is open to any industrial company based in Luxembourg that manufactures, processes, and/or assembles products locally. Eligible companies must have fewer than 3,000 employees worldwide, including those of their parent group.
Amer-Sil, a company producing battery components, was among the first to benefit from the service. “One of the initial needs we identified was to move towards connectivity and Industry 4.0,” says the production manager.
For him, two aspects stood out as particularly critical: the technology itself (how it would work and how it could be integrated into existing processes and tools) and change management (how to get teams and the broader company aligned around this goal).
“Data collection is potentially one of the biggest challenges, as it requires both operational and IT expertise. We had planned to use artificial intelligence tools from the outset, but this testing experience revealed the key areas we need to focus on first—starting with data collection, processing, and analysis—before introducing AI and machine learning tools, and eventually moving towards digital twins.”
