What LACROIX Sofrel does

LACROIX Sofrel (operating commercially as LACROIX Environment) designs and manufactures IoT telemanagement and SCADA solutions used by public utilities and municipalities to remotely monitor and control critical infrastructure assets across four verticals: water networks, HVAC and district heating, smart grids (electricity and gas), and public lighting. The product portfolio spans field devices — SOFREL data loggers and local stations, RTUs (FW-5, S4W, SAE M-5, SAE FW-5, SAE FW-50), connected HVAC regulators (S4TH, B4TH), LoRaWAN IoT sensors, and smart-lighting cabinet and luminaire controllers — together with centralization / supervision platforms and interoperable communication gateways. In 2023 the company extended its stack with LX CONNECT, a SaaS offering hosted on a sovereign cloud targeted at water-network security, indicating a transition toward recurring-revenue software alongside its equipment business.

The company monetizes through a hybrid model: upfront sales of hardware and instrumentation, recurring revenue from software / SaaS subscriptions, and lifecycle services (feasibility studies, training, hot-line support, commissioning assistance, after-sales service). Distribution combines a direct field-sales force of 50+ technico-commercial engineers, 150+ commercial partners, and dedicated international subsidiaries, enabling coverage of 35+ countries from the Saint-Herblain (Nantes) headquarters. Customer concentration sits primarily in government and regulated-utility buyers, including municipal water operators, district heating operators, electricity and gas utilities, and city authorities (e.g., City of Douai for smart lighting).

LACROIX Environment functions as a business activity of the diversified LACROIX Group, with Ronald Vrancken serving as Executive Managing Director of the Environment activity. The firm traces its heritage to 1970 (50+ years in water solutions), entered smart lighting in 1981 and HVAC in the 1990s, and now positions itself as a long-tenured, vertically-specialized provider transitioning from pure equipment supplier toward integrated service provider for connected critical infrastructure.

Name

LACROIX Sofrel

Legal name

LACROIX Environment

Website

https://lacroix-environment.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LACROIX Sofrel (LACROIX Environment) designs IoT telemanagement and SCADA products — data loggers, RTUs, sensors, and SaaS platforms — for remote monitoring of water, HVAC, smart-grid, and public-lighting infrastructure, serving utilities and municipalities across 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial IoT Telemetry and SCADA

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Monitoring, Sensors & Instrumentation (SCADA-integrated analyzers, probes, samplers) (EUANAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation (DCS/PLC/SCADA, SIS, Metering) (EUAEAFAC)

Keywords

• Industrial IoT telemetry
• SCADA systems
• Remote terminal units
• Smart water networks
• Smart grid automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Vern-sur-seiche

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. IoT Equipment and Hardware Sales: Sale of electronic equipment and IoT solutions including data loggers, RTUs, sensors, controllers, and communication gateways for water, HVAC, smart grids, and smart lighting applications.
2. Software and Supervision Platforms: Centralization and supervision software platforms including SCADA systems for network management and monitoring.
3. Professional Services: Technical support services including studies and project planning, training, hot-line support, commissioning assistance, and after-sales service.
4. SaaS Cloud Solutions: Cloud-based SaaS solutions such as LX CONNECT for water network security on sovereign cloud infrastructure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

LACROIX Sofrel (operating as LACROIX Environment) designs, manufactures, and supplies industrial IoT telemetry and SCADA solutions under the SOFREL brand for remote management of critical infrastructure. Its offerings include data loggers, RTUs, IoT sensors, connected HVAC regulators, SCADA centralization platforms, smart lighting controllers, and the LX CONNECT sovereign-cloud SaaS for water network cybersecurity, serving water utilities, district heating operators, electricity/gas utilities, and municipalities across more than 35 countries.

Product overview

LACROIX Environment (activité Environment du Groupe LACROIX) est un fournisseur de solutions IoT industrielles connectées et sécurisées, opérant sous la marque SOFREL. Le portefeuille produits se compose de quatre grandes gammes，针对不同基础设施领域： 1. **Réseaux d'Eau** — Postes locaux et data loggers, capteurs & instrumentation, plateformes de centralisation & supervision, et passerelles de communication/interopérabilité pour le cycle complet de l'eau (production, distribution, collecte/traitement, surveillance). 2. **HVAC (Chauffage, Ventilation, Climatisation)** — Régulateurs connectés SOFREL S4TH et B4TH, capteurs IoT LoRaWAN®, plateformes de supervision, et solutions d'interopérabilité pour les réseaux de chaleur et la régulation HVAC. 3. **Smart Grids (Réseaux électriques)** — Gamme complète de RTUs (Remote Terminal Units) incluant FW-5, S4W, SAE M-5, SAE FW-50, concentrateurs de données, et systèmes SCADA pour la télégestion, l'automatisation et l'hypervision des réseaux électriques et de gaz. 4. **Smart Lighting (Éclairage intelligent)** — Contrôleurs d'armoires et de points lumineux, détecteurs/capteurs, coffrets de raccordement, plateforme logicielle de supervision, et drivers/modules de pilotage local pour la gestion connectée de l'éclairage public depuis 1981. LACROIX opère également LX CONNECT SaaS, une solution cloud souveraine pour la cybersécurité des réseaux d'eau. L'ensemble des offres inclut des services de support (études & planification, formations, hot-line, assistance à la mise en service, SAV) et l'espace technique WEBLINE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOFREL S4TH: Connected telecontroller for HVAC applications
• SOFREL B4TH
• WEBLINE
• LX CONNECT

Products and services

• SOFREL Data Loggers and Local Stations Field telemetry equipment for collecting and transmitting data from hydraulic installations including drinking water production, distribution networks, and wastewater/stormwater collection, targeted at water utilities and municipalities.
• SOFREL Sensors and Instrumentation

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy and operating cost reduction through intelligent infrastructure management
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lacroixenvironment
• Xx.com/lacroix_group
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LACROIX Sofrel