Envie 2E49
Envie 2E 49 is a professional integration company based in TrĂ©lazĂ©, in the Maine-et-Loire region. It belongs to the national Envie network, which is composed of independent units linked by a federation based in Paris. Since its inception in 1984, Envieâs core mission has remained unchanged: creating jobs through professional integration by focusing on reuse and waste collection, in order to support individuals who are far from the job market in their sustainable return to professional life.
The networkâs historical activity is the renovation and collection of household appliances, structured around the eco-organization Ecosystem. Over time, and to anticipate market changes, Envie 2E 49 chose to diversify its services into multi-stream B2B. This strategic approach proved wise last year when the network lost a major historical contract in western France, which accounted for between 50% and 80% of business volume depending on the specific unit. Envie 2E 49, which was among the most advanced units in this diversification, absorbed the impact better than its counterparts.
Today, the company supports over 400 B2B clients and processes around thirty different waste streams through its consolidation center: paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, hazardous waste, liquid or pasty waste, bulky items, and sports and leisure equipment on behalf ofEcologic, and most importantly, bio-waste, which has become its primary activity. Four heavy goods vehicles (including one dedicated to bio-waste), one hook-lift truck with a crane, and five light commercial vehicles serve this portfolio, operated by a team of about thirty staff members.
For a long time, operations relied on two internal tools: an Excel spreadsheet for planning and software developed in VBA on an Access database by a service provider commissioned by the federation.
The Excel spreadsheet structured the routes with columns for each day, activity summary templates, and all recurring tasks. The VBA software managed traceability, originally only for electrical waste. As long as the business remained focused on one main client and about fifty collection points, the system served its purpose.
The gradual expansion of the portfolio changed the equation. Wolfgang Raimbault, then in charge of planning, observed the evolution closely:
"With the multiplication of recurring tasks to trackâweekly, monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly frequenciesâand a rapidly growing number of clients, manually updating an Excel spreadsheet became difficult to reconcile with the level of reliability we wanted to guarantee our clients. The human risk of forgetting a collection point or a recurring task increased as the portfolio grew."
The assessment of the VBA software was similar. Initially designed for use limited to WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), it had been gradually adapted to track new streams. The independent developer who created it had warned the federation: the Access database was not sized to handle such a volume of data. A few technical bugs, initial concerns about the system's robustness, and finally the provider's announcement that they would no longer maintain the product confirmed that a new solution was necessary.
To guide his search, Wolfgang Raimbault defined three essential objectives:
Wolfgang Raimbault discovered UNICO following an online search for waste collection and traceability solutions. Its positioning as an ERP specialized for waste collectors immediately caught his attention:
"The positioning resonated strongly with our activities. Upon reading about it, the tool seemed to address several of our key challenges: handling scheduling, having an onboard tool with GPS to precisely guide drivers, knowing exactly what was collected, and obtaining traceability that is directly integrated into our weighing processes."
After an initial discussion with Jules Grammont, co-founder of Unico, some expected features, such as certified weighing and the incoming-outgoing register, were not yet in the catalog. However, the Unico teams were available to study the necessary developments. This attitude played a role in the final decision.
In parallel, Wolfgang Raimbault participated in a working group led by the Envie federation to collectively evaluate several providers. Eight solutions were reviewed. Two stood out, including UNICO. However, the needs of the various units in the network proved too heterogeneous to reach a common choice. Wolfgang Raimbault therefore contacted UNICO directly, received a positive response regarding the requested developments, and finalized the decision with his management.
Deployment began with the bio-waste scope, which was the most immediate priority. The division was using a third-party tool at the time, and its license renewal was approaching. The schedule allowed for aligning this transition with the launch of Unico.
On the UNICO side, the onboarding process was structured around several steps:
Several developments were carried out at the request of Envie 2E 49. The automated connection with ADEMI Pesage scales now allows any equipped facility to benefit from certified weighing. More recently, a multi-incremental weighing module was designed to meet a specific need: for certain collections, such as bulky items for social landlords, it is impossible to anticipate the exact number of containers that will be filled. The module now allows the weight to be incremented on the same stream line as unloading progresses. After a beta-test phase, the production launch is scheduled for May 4th.
"That is one of Unico's strengths: the ability to challenge themselves and provide features that meet our needs, while benefiting other clients in the process."
Back in the Excel spreadsheet era, Envie 2E 49 managed about 70 clients. Daily planning could take up half a day, sometimes a full day when unexpected issues needed to be resolved. Today, the team manages over 400 clients and completes the task in 2 to 2.5 hours.
"We could not manage our current portfolio with the tools we used back then. The volume of data and the number of daily check-ins required would simply not allow for it, neither technically nor humanly."
With the old system, planning and traceability were two separate tasks. Once the route was planned, someone from the administrative department had to review everything to manually create the codes needed for return weighing. It was a time-consuming step, a potential source of errors, and is now entirely handled by UNICO.
"Using UNICO has allowed us to refocus some of our human resources on what matters most. The supervisor who used to handle planning now spends less time planning and more time managing staff in integration programs. That is where the real value lies for our organization."
The operational tab in Unitec displays real-time mapping of collection points, estimated mileage, travel time, and projected route duration. The parameters set for each collection point allow for the assessment of a route's consistency in terms of both volume and completion time.
The team can thus create mixed routes: a bulk bio-waste collection can include a nearby multi-stream point along the way, or a stop at a waste collection center to pick up sports and leisure equipment. This improves geographic efficiency and truck fill rates.
Drivers no longer have to manage multiple paper slips per client. A simple validation in the Uninav app is all it takes, and Trackdéchets connectivity handles the regulatory tracking. The simplicity of the interface is also a major asset for an integration company: staff in training programs, who stay for an average of 16 months, pick up the tool quickly, even when there are language barriers.
The UNICO client portal allows every Envie 2E 49 client to independently access their collection schedule, their latest weighing data, and filters customizable by date or stream. This provides a direct response to requests that previously took up a lot of time for the administrative department, especially for clients with QHSE functions who require a high level of detailed analysis per collection.
"Previously, producing a client report required someone to perform an export, filter the data, format it, and send it off. It was a time-consuming task that we didn't highlight commercially. Today, the client is autonomous. It gives them visibility and flexibility, and it frees up time on our end."
A new multi-site export feature has been announced and will further simplify the experience for clients who track multiple collection points.
The sales department uses UNICO daily to verify actual client tonnages against calibration estimates, to adjust the frequency or containers offered, and to identify over- or under-dimensioning. Centralizing data in a single database also facilitates billing: using CSV exports, the team has built automated reporting tables with AI support that simplify the administrative department's work.
Beyond the features, Wolfgang Raimbault wishes to highlight the quality of the relationship built with the Unico teams.
"Emma has always been very available to us, right from the start of our collaboration. Beyond the recurring meetings scheduled in our calendar, we could send our questions by email at any time and get a response within 24 to 48 hours. This proximity is a real strength of the UNICO team. For the slightest question, a fix to be made, or a feature to be developed, we receive proper support, and that is extremely valuable on a daily basis."
â
Optimize your operations today: book your personalized demo!
