Dune Suite: frequently asked questions
Dune is the flow management platform developed by Synaxe for aggregate quarries, ready-mix concrete plants, asphalt plants and recycling platforms. This page answers the questions most often asked by site managers, QHSE managers, weighbridge operators, logistics managers and administrative teams: modules, weighing, kiosks, regulatory compliance, invoicing, integrations and deployment.
Understanding Dune
What is the Dune Suite?
Dune is a management platform designed as an operational ERP for materials production sites. It organises, automates and traces every inbound and outbound flow on a site, from the truck's arrival to invoicing, with built-in sales management and regulatory compliance. It is developed by Synaxe, a French software publisher founded in 2000 in Paris.
Who is Dune for?
Dune is for operators of aggregate quarries, ready-mix concrete plants, asphalt plants, recycling, transfer and trading platforms, inert waste sites, and multi-activity industrial sites that handle inbound and outbound materials. It is used by site managers, quarry managers, QHSE managers, weighbridge operators, loading operators, logistics managers and administrative teams.
What are the Dune modules?
The suite has six modules: Dune Weighing (weighing software connected to weighbridges), Dune Kiosks (automated site entry and exit), Dune App (app for loading operators), Dune Compliance (waste acceptance documents, EPR, regulatory traceability), Dune Management multi-site (quotes, contracts, stock, prices, invoicing and BI dashboards) and Dune Customer Portal (customer and haulier access to their documents).
What problems does Dune actually solve?
Dune reduces the administrative load of tickets, weighings, delivery notes and reports; removes re-keying and human error; improves material traceability (aggregates, inert waste, backfill); gives a real-time view of movements; meets regulatory obligations (French EPR for construction products, RNDTS, Trackdéchets, waste acceptance documents); smooths the driver journey and cuts waiting times; and centralises all site information.
How many sites use Synaxe solutions?
More than 315 user sites rely on Synaxe solutions, including 60 aggregate quarries, 215 concrete plants and 30 recycling, transfer and trading platforms across Europe. References include Colas and Heidelberg Materials.
Has Dune received public funding?
Yes. The Dune project was funded by the Region and the French State under the France 2030 programme.
Weighing, kiosks and field operations
Does Dune connect to my weighbridges?
Yes. The Dune Weighing module connects directly to weighbridges and on-board weighing systems. Data flows in real time, with no re-keying. Each weighing is automatically matched to the right vehicle, product, customer and flow, then timestamped and traced. The solution works with most weighbridges, sensors and industrial equipment on the market.
What are the benefits for weighbridge operators?
Weighing becomes smooth: no more re-keying or error corrections, operations follow on without friction. Weighing data is reliable from the first entry and immediately available for invoicing and reporting, which sharply reduces disputes.
How do Dune kiosks work?
Dune Kiosks automate the whole driver journey. On arrival, the truck is identified automatically, for example by number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The driver is guided step by step: choice of trip and product, direction to the loading area, return to the exit kiosk, weighing and final validation. Documents are issued on departure, fully compliant, with no systematic human intervention.
Do drivers need training to use the kiosks?
No. Kiosk and app journeys are designed to be understood without training. Most sites see drivers become fully autonomous within a few visits, with clear instructions and less waiting.
Does Dune improve site safety?
Yes. Kiosks and vehicle guidance control traffic on site and reduce risky interactions. Drivers are guided from entry to exit, and teams can focus on higher-value tasks.
What is Dune App for?
Dune App equips loading operators on a phone or tablet. It guides each loading or unloading operation with instructions linked to site data: vehicle, product, area, quantity. The operator identifies the truck, confirms the load and reports an anomaly if needed. Information is sent in real time to weighing and invoicing, with no re-keying.
Does Dune work if my site is not automated?
Yes. Dune adapts to every site: fully manual, partly automated or fully autonomous. The platform works with a weighbridge operator, with driver kiosks, in 100% automated mode or in a hybrid set-up. You can start simple and automate step by step.
Does Dune offer on-board weighing for machines?
Yes. Dune Weighing collects data from on-board weighing systems, and Synaxe also offers on-board weighing solutions for earthmoving equipment, with data flowing directly into Dune.
Regulatory compliance
Which regulatory obligations does Dune cover?
The Dune Compliance module handles the obligations of French quarries, plants and platforms: prior waste acceptance documents (DAP), the extended producer responsibility scheme for building products and materials (REP PMCB), waste tracking forms (BSD), Trackdéchets, the national register of waste, excavated soil and sediment (RNDTS), eco-contributions, and the traceability required for classified installations (ICPE).
How does Dune handle waste acceptance documents (DAP)?
Waste producers fill in their DAP online and send it in one click to every party, including the haulier and the treatment centre. From a single link, customers, hauliers and producers complete, e-sign and track their DAPs in real time. No more emails, Excel files or scans.
Is Dune compatible with the REP PMCB scheme?
Yes. Dune categorises flows according to EPR requirements, structures the data expected by your producer responsibility organisations and simplifies mandatory reporting. Declarations rely on the site's actual flows, timestamped and archived.
How does Dune handle Trackdéchets and the RNDTS?
Dune centralises the data needed for declarations: tracking forms are generated automatically, e-signed and archived in a single space. Preparing the registers becomes simpler, and the platform anticipates the planned convergence of Trackdéchets and the RNDTS announced by the French State.
Does Dune trace inert soil and aggregates?
Yes. Dune tracks inbound and outbound materials precisely: origin, type, quantities, categories and destinations. This traceability makes mandatory registers easier to keep and secures inspections and audits.
What does it change for site managers during inspections?
Compliance becomes a continuous process fed by daily operations, not an end-of-month task. Results observed on site: significant time saved on regulatory reporting, lower risk of non-compliance and fines, reliable environmental data and calmer inspections.
Sales management and invoicing
Does Dune handle invoicing?
Yes. The Dune Management module covers sales management end to end: quotes, price offers, contracts, product prices, stock and invoicing, with a customer and job-site database. If you keep an ERP or accounting software, Dune integrates with it by export or API and makes the data sent to it reliable.
Can Dune manage several sites?
Yes. Dune was designed for multi-site groups: central control, harmonised data, consolidated reporting and access rights by site or activity. Built-in BI dashboards give management a consolidated view of performance, available even on a phone.
How does Dune handle complex concrete and asphalt pricing?
Dune supports pricing formulas specific to each trade (grading, bitumen content, discounts), credit notes, returned concrete and fluctuating raw material costs. Delivery notes, invoices, quotes and price offers are integrated, and deliveries can be planned across one or several plants.
Does Dune digitise delivery notes?
Yes. Delivery notes are paperless and centralised in Dune. For ready-mix concrete, the driver app tracks delivery status, driving breaks and additional information (water added, returned concrete, comments). Loads are tracked in real time from the site to the customer.
What does the Dune customer portal offer?
The customer portal gives customers, hauliers and partners a secure space. They access their delivery notes, invoices, regulatory documents and visit history on their own. The portal is fed automatically by weighing, kiosks and field operations, which sharply reduces incoming emails and calls.
How can I estimate the return on investment of Dune?
Synaxe provides an ROI calculator on the Dune Management module page. The main levers are fewer re-keying and invoicing errors, fewer disputes, administrative time saved and faster loading rates.
Integration, deployment and support
Does Dune integrate with my CRM or ERP?
Yes. Dune connects to your CRM and ERP by export or API. Weighing, delivery and invoicing data is sent to your existing tools with no re-keying.
Does Synaxe also work on production line automation?
Yes. Alongside Dune, Synaxe automation engineers build supervision, management and automation tools for your production lines, including on existing environments such as Zenon or Straton. On plants, Synaxe can act as integration project management assistant (AMOA).
How is Dune installed?
Deployment follows three steps: flow analysis and migration of existing data, platform configuration for your activities, then on-site installation and team training. Depending on site complexity, it usually takes four to eight weeks.
What training is provided for my teams?
Synaxe trains operators, weighbridge operators and administrative teams on site or remotely. A dedicated contact and a support team stay with your teams after go-live.
Is an internet connection required?
Dune runs online to keep data synchronised between the field, the weighbridge and the office. Continuity mechanisms keep operations running during occasional outages.
Is there a customer case study?
Yes. The Carrières du Châtillonnais case study, available on the customer portal page, details how Dune was implemented on a production site. Our team can also present cases close to yours in a meeting.
How can I get a Dune demo?
Request a demo through the form on synaxe.com or call +33 1 55 49 07 80. A team member will get back to you within 48 hours to arrange a presentation tailored to your site.
Contact the team to talk about your project
Our team is at your disposal to discuss your needs and find the right solution for your business. Together, we will turn your challenges into opportunities.