Duracell Challenge

Ready to super-charge Duracell’s maintenance operations and pitch your solution live at Love Tomorrow on July 24, 2025?

Apply before Monday 14 July 2025!

This is our one-and-only Corporate Partnering Challenge of the year. Scale-up Flanders brings agile start- and scale-ups together with industry giants to accelerate innovation and strengthen Belgium’s tech ecosystem.

For this edition, Duracell is hunting for real-time tracking and on-the-spot coaching of maintenance tasks. The teams behind the 10 best fitting proposals will be invited to pitch live on stage @Love Tomorrow, on July 24.

After the pitch, Duracell will work with the winners to assess whether an on-site proof of concept can be set up at its Belgian flagship plant - a rare chance to validate your technology on a high-speed production line.

Don’t miss the 14 July deadline. Apply now and power that next-level efficiency!

The challenge

Duracell’s high-speed battery production lines rely on swift, flawless maintenance. Today, technicians log tasks after completion, giving only a binary “OK / Not OK” verdict—no objective timing, no granular insight, and little room for instant coaching.

The company needs a cost-effective way to measure both execution quality and duration in real time - even in areas with limited or no camera visibility - and to provide technicians with immediate feedback, enabling them to maximize planned downtime.

What is Duracell looking for

• Sensor fusion & AI: Wearables (e.g. IMUs, smart rings, haptic bands) and/or compact edge-AI cameras using pose estimation.
• Instant feedback loop: On-device or edge analytics that display a live score versus the standard operating procedure (< 2 s latency).
• Data backbone: Privacy-by-design dashboard that logs events for training, compliance and continuous improvement.

Must-haves

• Works where cameras have limited or no line-of-sight (inside enclosures, behind equipment).
• GDPR-compliant data handling (anonymised video / skeletal data only).
• Scalable to multiple lines and—long-term—to other Duracell plants.

Nice to have

• Self-calibration for new tasks or line re-configurations.
• Integration with digital work-instructions or e-learning modules.
• Modular architecture that allows phased roll-out (one task → full line).
• Ideal Applicants
• Start-ups / scale-ups in industrial wearables, vision AI, or OT data platforms.
• Teams with proven pilots in manufacturing, pharma, FMCG, or discrete assembly.
• Companies ready to co-develop a six-month PoC on-site in Belgium and ramp quickly if KPIs are met.

What Success Looks Like

• ≥ 20 % reduction in unplanned line stops caused by maintenance errors.
• 30 % faster time-to-proficiency for new technicians.
• Comprehensive compliance reporting that shortens audits and supports continuous improvement.

Interested?

Contact Frederik Tibau, Program Manager, Scaleup Flanders

• Email: frederik.tibau@agoria.be

• Phone: +32 497 25 56 01

Or

Catherine Van Eeckhaute, Expert digital innovation & growth, Scaleup Flanders

• Email: catherine.vaneeckhaute@agoria.be

• Phone: +32 475 24 35 22