Conperio.com – The way “dark matter” exists but hides from telescopes, “dark data” is data from a factory floor that exists but generally goes unseen by managers and executives. And like it’s cousin term “big data,” some see big profit potential in collecting dark data, throwing analytics at it, and using it to make companies more efficient and effective.
Among those is technology service company Conperio Technology Solutions, which has its Midwest regional headquarters in St. Louis. The company specializes both in engineering and information technology services, and partners with General Electric and Microsoft to work on their respective manufacturing and IT technologies. Conperio clients include pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly and Co. and Pfizer, as well as IHOP Restaurants, MillerCoors, Hershey’s and Nestle Purina.
Wendy McCormick, Conperio vice president of business development, said the company aims to make $40 million in revenue from what she dubs Conperio’s “blended solution,” a service that helps companies integrate their technologies so that information about manufacturing and processes, such as from sensors and machine logs, can be captured in real time. That information can then be processed and presented to chief information officers and other managers for making business decisions, identifying inefficiencies and catching problems as they happen.
Without a software solution to capture that data, McCormick said it can take weeks for factory managers to run reports for executives. Charges for Conperio’s technology solutions can run from several hundred thousand dollars to more than $3 million depending on the length and complexity of the job.
If Conperio hits its revenue goal for its “blended solution” segment, it would be an increase of more than 53 percent from the $26 million made last year from that segment of the company, a 26-year-old business based in Indiana. The company has about 20 employees in St. Louis and is currently hiring four more. By the end of the year, Conperio is looking to add 25 more people to its ranks to handle the growth potential it sees in its dark data solution.
Conperio has also released an off-the-shelf software product that hit the market last week. Called “PropulsionMRP,” it also helps capture data from the manufacturing process, tracking the development of a product from the initial quote through the manufacturing process and shipping.
McCormick said the product is too new to project its value for the company just yet. A sales team of six people are working to sell Propulsion, and the company has identified 200,000 to 300,000 companies that could be potential customers.
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