A Hexachip alert, available stock at Keepen in Saint-Malo, and manufacturing at Cabl’inov in Vendée: inVirtus Technologies chose to build 4,000 existing components into its production, on economic terms equivalent to its usual supply channels.
In Nantes, inVirtus Technologies designs and manufactures IoT solutions for geolocation and asset tracking: connected trackers, sensors, Bluetooth Low Energy readers and a cloud platform.
Its solutions let manufacturers know where their equipment is (containers, tools, machinery or packaging) and monitor its condition.
Its products include the ivTrack Evo, a tracker in which a Nordic Semiconductor nRF52 chip plays a central role: it acts both as the microcontroller and as the Bluetooth Low Energy radio.
For inVirtus, this part is not just one interchangeable component among many.
Switching to another chip would have major consequences: redesigning the circuit board, porting the firmware, new radio testing and repeating part of the certification process.
It would take several months of work.
In the short term, having the right part is therefore essential.
The supply environment also remains demanding for inVirtus. In 2026, the company has faced partial deliveries on other Nordic parts and steep price increases on PCBs.
But for the nRF52, there was no shortage.
inVirtus could buy the part from its usual distributors.
A different option came up.
inVirtus had added the part to its watchlist on Hexachip.
On 10 April 2026, it was alerted to an opportunity: several thousand nRF52 chips were available at Keepen, another manufacturer in western France, based in Saint-Malo.
The timing matched a production run inVirtus was about to prepare.
The stock met the first essential criteria: the right part, a suitable quantity and immediate availability.
One decisive question remained for the buyer: does it make sense to build components from another manufacturer’s surplus into its production, rather than going through its usual supply channel?
Keepen develops low-power IoT solutions for security and access control.
During the Covid period, in 2021, the company built up larger component stocks. Some of those components ended up unused, tying up cash.
Among them were the Nordic components inVirtus was looking for.
The reels were kept in their original sealed packaging, in a controlled environment.
Keepen, which had previously worked with traditional brokers, discovered Hexachip through one of its authorised distributors. It then listed several of its surplus parts on the platform, including photos of the labels and packaging.
So the stock already existed.
What it needed was a manufacturer with the right need, for the right part, at the right time.
The price offered was comparable to what its usual distributors charge for new components.
So the decision was not driven by an exceptional discount or by a shortage.
It was driven by a different trade-off: on equivalent economic terms, why not use components that have already been manufactured and are available at another manufacturer?
“The exact part we needed, a quantity suited to our production, and a price in line with new stock: we had nothing to lose and a positive environmental impact to gain.”
Guillaume Pelletier, Embedded Systems Manager, inVirtus Technologies
For the buyer, the decision still carries commitments: the components must match the product exactly, meet manufacturing requirements and be integrated under the expected conditions.
That is why the EMS plays an important role.
The components never pass through inVirtus’s premises in Nantes.
They are shipped directly from Saint-Malo to Cabl’inov, inVirtus’s electronics manufacturing partner based in Cheffois, Vendée.
Cabl’inov handles the purchase and receipt of the components before they go into production.
“Having the transaction go through our EMS, Cabl’inov, reassured us, since they handled the purchase and receipt.”
Guillaume Pelletier, inVirtus Technologies
Integration went smoothly, with no particular issues reported.
And the operation did not stop at the first batch.
In total, 4,000 Nordic ICs from Keepen’s stock were bought for inVirtus and shipped in four deliveries, supplying four production batches of 1,000 devices.
Stock available in Saint-Malo thus found its use in production carried out in Vendée for a company based in Nantes.
For these Nordic chips supplied to inVirtus, the share of avoided impact attributed to the buyer is estimated at:
| Indicator | Estimated impact attributed to the buyer |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas emissions avoided | 202.52 kg CO₂e |
| Water saved | 39.97 m³, or nearly 40,000 litres |
| Mineral resources preserved | 70 g |
Estimates based on Hexachip’s probabilistic calculation methodology. These values represent 90% of the total avoided impact estimated for this operation, attributed to the buyer; the remaining 10% is attributed to the seller.
For Keepen, the operation delivers a twofold result: recovering cash from components with no identified use, and knowing they are actually being reused by another manufacturer.
The geographical proximity also gives the operation a special dimension.
“It was very satisfying to know that it would be put to use locally.”
Guillaume Reinhardt, CTO, Keepen
The experience with inVirtus is part of a wider collaboration between Keepen and Hexachip.
The company has also sold other components to an IoT startup based in Rennes.
“I’m delighted to sell my surplus stock on Hexachip. Already 7 successful transactions in just a few months!”
Guillaume Reinhardt, Keepen
These seven transactions cover all of Keepen’s operations through Hexachip.
For Guillaume Reinhardt, his main advice to manufacturers holding unused components themselves is simple:
“I’d advise everyone not to wait too long before selling.”
And the experience is also starting to change his view as a buyer:
“Thanks to these successful operations, I’m reconsidering whether we too should buy surplus from our peers. I’m less reluctant.”
Above all, inVirtus’s experience shows that circular sourcing is not necessarily meant to replace established distributors.
It can be a complementary source when several conditions are met: the right part, sufficient traceability, a quantity consistent with the need, suitable economic terms and a process that secures the integration of the components into production.
In this operation, inVirtus did not buy surplus simply because it was available.
The company already had a traditional supply option.
It chose to use an existing resource because it matched its industrial need.
“One manufacturer’s surplus can be another’s supply. It doesn’t replace our usual channels, but it’s a real lever for competitiveness and the circular economy, especially when the EMS is in the loop to secure the operation.”
Guillaume Pelletier, Embedded Systems Manager, inVirtus Technologies
Read the story from Hexachip’s side (in French): In western France, Keepen’s surplus becomes inVirtus Technologies’ resources.
