When Fabrice Brion and Arnaud Stiévenart founded I-care in Mons in 2004, artificial intelligence did not yet exist as a mainstream concept in the industrial domain. Two decades later, after becoming a unicorn in 2025, the company is valued at 1.16 billion dollars and monitors its clients’ machinery in over 55 countries.
Having been transformed from a final-year project to a global leader in predictive maintenance, I-care has banked on artificial intelligence for a long time. And despite the current developments, Fabrice Brion says, “My relationship with AI remains unchanged. AI enables us to make the best decisions, just like a calculator or Excel in their heyday.” As a pioneer in its field, the company has built a sustainable lead over its competitors while retaining exceptional customer loyalty. “We have never lost any strategic clients.”
I-care’s leading position was built up methodically, with 8 acquisitions in 8 years and over 35 offices in 15 countries. And yet, the staff turnover rate remains below 2% for over 1,000 employees. The company’s position is also built on solid internal foundations. “It is important to define one’s values, uphold them, and above all, to be consistent with them.” Performance, sustainability and respect: 3 words that govern everything from hiring staff to dayto-day decision making. I-care has 350 employee shareholders as well. “It is a way of saying that we are building something together.” Their headquarters remains at Parc Initialis in Mons, a deliberate choice. “The advantage of technology is that one can work from anywhere in the world. And Mons works perfectly well.”
The next phase is on par with the company’s ambitions: opening up the capital to external investors in 2026 and aiming for an initial public offering (IPO) in 2027. The predictive maintenance market is estimated to grow tenfold. “We want to retain our leading market position, which means we must grow tenfold. We must get everything in place from a technological and organisational point of view, whilst preserving our Belgian roots, maintaining a low turnover rate and having a majority of employee shareholders.
What is predictive maintenance?
Predictive maintenance involves monitoring and analysing the condition of industrial equipment with the aim of anticipating failures and planning maintenance well before a breakdown occurs. I-care is able to pull off this Herculean feat through its Wi-care™ sensors and its AI I-see™ platform, which monitor over 500,000 machines worldwide. “Prediction is better than cure”, says Fabrice Brion.
WAB Magazine
