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SPIE announces the winners of Innovation Day 2026

Cergy, 26 March 2026 – The SPIE Group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has announced the winners of the 2026 Innovation Day. Held every two years, this event brings together employees and partners to showcase the most innovative solutions developed across the Group’s various subsidiaries. The 2026 edition, held on 25 March 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany, brought together more than 600 participants and featured more than 100 innovations.

Innovation Day is a key event in SPIE’s innovation strategy. It provides an opportunity to share solutions developed by the teams and to highlight the Group’s innovation priorities, which deliver practical responses to client challenges, particularly in the areas of the energy transition, infrastructure digitalisation and industrial performance.

This momentum is supported by a network of seven strategic committees - Building Technology, City Networks, Digital, Industry, Information & Communication Services, Technical Facility Management, and Wind Energy - as well as the Health and Safety committee. These committees support project development and foster the sharing of best practice across the Group, working closely with the innovation teams in each subsidiary, which play a vital role in identifying, testing and rolling out initiatives in the field.

For this 2026 edition, more than 100 projects were presented by SPIE teams and their partners, with a focus on innovation with a positive environmental impact. The innovations covered a wide range of themes, from artificial intelligence applied to operations, to energy management and the reduction of the carbon footprint of industrial activities. The winners were selected by the strategic committees based on several criteria: the novelty of the projects, their value to the Group and its customers as well as their scaling-up potential

At SPIE, innovation is reflected first and foremost in the ability of its teams to design and implement technical solutions that create value for clients. It is driven by the expertise of employees, knowledge sharing across the Group’s various entities, and a pragmatic approach focused on improving the performance, safety and sustainability of infrastructure.

The winners of Innovation Day 2026 are:

Special Jury Prize: “AI-powered verification of supplier carbon compliance” by Aghiles Djellal (SPIE Belgium)
The Sustainability Agent Checker is an AI assistant built on Microsoft Copilot that automatically screens suppliers for environmental commitment compliance. It scans public sources, checks certifications such as SBTi, EcoVadis and ISO 50001 and classifies each supplier according to their level of compliance with defined criteria. This solution is in line with SPIE’s sustainability strategy to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by making it easier to select partners who are committed to reducing their carbon footprint.

Sustainability Award: “CCU AT SCALE –– industrial carbon capture and utilisation in cement production” by Uwe Remmling, Andreas Kutzscher and Sebastian Albrecht (SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria)

This project enabled the deployment of an industrial-scale carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) facility at a cement plant. The result of a complex engineering project, the facility captures around 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of a particularly emissions-intensive sector.

Information & Communication Services Award: “The AI Hub” by François Guéno, Marie-Camille Thiebaut, Laurent Maille, Fabien Benoliel, Baptiste Michel and Yannick Woetter (SPIE France)
The AI Hub is a secure platform enabling employees and clients to create and use artificial intelligence agents powered by company data. It provides a unified framework for deploying conversational assistants and automating complex processes. In this way, it unlocks the potential of generative AI while ensuring data security and integration with existing business tools.

Tech FM Award: “Using AI for knowledge transfer in Facility Management”, an innovation by two international teams, SPIE Talents 2024 and ID Team 2025
Tech FM GPT preserves and structures the technical knowledge of experienced staff to facilitate its transfer to new recruits. This AI solution helps capitalise on operational know-how and prevent the loss of expertise, for example when employees retire, thereby improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.

Digital Award: “Reporting Buddy” by Robin de Boer and Maarten Verhoeven (SPIE Nederland)
Reporting Buddy is an AI agent designed to automate the analysis and processing of maintenance reports. It extracts key information and automatically links it to the relevant work orders, thereby improving operational efficiency and the quality of the data collected.

Health & Safety Award: “AI-powered QHSSE assistants” by Nassim Bouregba (SPIE France)
These intelligent assistants support QHSSE (Quality, Health, Safety and Environment) teams in the production, analysis and updating of safety and environmental documentation, such as risk assessments and emergency response procedures. They automate time-consuming tasks, reduce inconsistencies between sites and contracts, and strengthen compliance with Group standards while improving the management of operational risks.

Transmission & Distribution Award: “Reelframe Device” by Tobias Wollschläger and Julian Fuß (SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria)
The Reelframe device is a cable-handling system designed to facilitate the installation of electricity transmission lines. The system simplifies reel handling, reducing installation time, operating costs and the need for subcontracting, while improving the overall efficiency of worksites.

Smart City Award: “Addressing power grid congestion with smart solutions” by Folkert Gerritsen, Thomas Mulder and Rogier Paanakker (SPIE Nederland)
This initiative, the product of collaboration between several partners, helps clients address the challenges of grid congestion through the use of digital twins, data analysis tools and AI-driven scenario modelling. It makes it possible to anticipate peaks in consumption, gain a clearer understanding of grid constraints and optimise the use of existing infrastructure.

Wind Energy Award: “Artificial Intelligence for Predictive Safety” by Ernesto Mora and Dilan Giles (SPIE Global Service Energy)

This solution uses artificial intelligence and real-time video analytics to enhance the safety of people and operations. It detects unsafe driving behaviours such as distraction, mobile phone use and failure to wear a seatbelt, helping to prevent accidents. In parallel, a video analytics system installed inside wind turbine nacelles identifies unsafe situations during maintenance operations, verifies compliance with personal protective equipment requirements, and improves safety practices in the field.

Industry Award: “A New Approach to Large-Scale BESS Projects” by Fuqiang Zhuang, Arnaud Stefaniak, Jérôme Viscaino, Pierre Saint-Girons and Jean Aerts (international SPIE One team)
Developed for battery energy storage systems (BESS), this innovation makes it easier to integrate renewable energy into the energy mix. It introduces an approach tailored to large-scale projects in order to meet strict French requirements for ultra-fast frequency and voltage regulation. It is based on a closed-loop Power Plant Controller (PPC), advanced IEC 61850 communication protocols, as well as simulations and real-model laboratory tests prior to commissioning. The solution makes it possible to control more than 80,000 battery cells via 400 inverters from different subsystems, delivering or absorbing 65 MW in under 500 milliseconds. In doing so, it improves grid stability and supports the integration of renewable energy.

Daniel Cadet, Business Processes and Innovation Manager at SPIE Group, said: “This 2026 edition is an opportunity to congratulate the winners and to acknowledge the commitment of all employees who contribute to SPIE's innovation momentum. The award-winning projects demonstrate the Group’s ability to develop practical solutions that create value for its clients and support the major energy, digital and industrial transitions.”

About SPIE
SPIE is the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications. With 55,000 employees, SPIE works alongside its customers to drive the energy, digital and industrial transitions. As a key player in decarbonisation, the Group delivers efficient and innovative solutions across the economy.

SPIE Group achieved in 2025 consolidated revenue of €10.4 billion and consolidated EBITA of €793 million.

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• Winners of Innovation Day 2026
• Innovation Day 2026
• SPIE Innovation Day 2026 EN final