Energising Food Production in Emerging Nations.

Power |

Power networks, facilities, supply chains

We build software that connects bakeries, mills, cold storage, and processing facilities into networks that forecast demand, optimise power allocation, and sustain margins—bringing stability to brutal energy constraints.

60%Rely on Diesel Backup
15hAverage Daily Load-Shedding
$2B+Annual Diesel Expenditure

What the platform does for food manufacturers

Predicts production energy

Learns bakery, mill, and processing patterns. Forecasts energy needs hours ahead—oven preheat, fermentation time, cold chain demands—enabling schedule optimisation.

Maximises margins

Allocates grid power, diesel, and renewables across facilities. Shifts production timing to match cheap power windows. Eliminates wasteful peak diesel hours.

Coordinates networks

Connects multiple bakeries, mills, cold storage. Enables demand shifting across sites, collective power contracts, and shared renewable capacity planning.

The Problem: Food Manufacturers Can't Compete on Energy

Food manufacturers in emerging nations face brutal energy realities. Grid supply is unreliable—10 to 15 hours of daily power cuts are standard. Diesel backup is expensive (3-5x grid cost) and poorly coordinated. Production scheduling ignores energy constraints. Demand forecasting doesn't exist. And worst of all: bakeries, mills, and cold storage facilities can't coordinate energy procurement or sharing because there's no visibility into what competitors or partners need.

Underscore's platform solves this at the software layer. We don't sell generators. We build intelligence that turns fragmented production data into coordinated energy action. The system learns bakery firing patterns, mill motor cycles, and cold chain demand. It predicts energy requirements hours ahead. It optimises allocation across grid, diesel, and renewable sources. It enables networks of facilities to coordinate demand shifting and collective power contracts. It doesn't eliminate constraints—it absorbs them, adapts to them, and finds workable solutions that sustain margins.

The Five Brutal Problems We Solve

  • 1Unreliable grid: Daily power cuts destroy production schedules. Bakeries can't preheat ovens. Mills can't run. Cold storage fails. Without grid visibility, manufacturers default to expensive diesel.
  • 2Diesel margins collapse: Running generators costs 3-5x grid electricity. Running them continuously destroys profit. Smart allocation requires forecasting demand and scheduling production around grid windows.
  • 3No production forecasting: Scheduling is reactive. Bakeries don't know energy needs 4 hours ahead. Mills don't predict peak demand. Cold chains spike without warning. Energy becomes a surprise cost.
  • 4Production timing is chaotic: Start when diesel costs peak to meet delivery windows? Accept failed orders? Lose product to spoilage? Manufacturers choose between margin and production.
  • 5No network coordination: Five bakeries in a region. All running diesel during grid cuts. All trying to start at the same time. All bidding against each other for expensive power. None can afford to buy collectively.

Our platform is software that works within operational reality. It's designed for the constraints that actually destroy food manufacturer margins.

Designed for African Industrial Reality

Our targets reflect the actual constraints: intermittent grid power, expensive diesel, fragmented operations, and the need for immediate adaptation.

25%+

Diesel Cost Reduction

Optimising grid/diesel allocation and enabling demand shifting reduces fuel expenditure significantly.

85%+

Demand Prediction Accuracy

Historical patterns enable the platform to forecast energy needs hours or days ahead with high accuracy.

4h

Adaptation Time

When grid schedules change or demand spikes unexpectedly, the platform recalculates and adapts within hours.

Ready to act?

Whether you're managing energy costs or investing in emerging markets, there's a path for you.

Food Manufacturers

Managing energy costs crushing your margins? Grid cuts destroying your schedule? Let's talk about how energy coordination can transform your operations.

Book a consultation

Investors & Partners

Seeing the opportunity in industrial energy coordination for emerging markets? Want to explore partnership or investment opportunities with us?

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Join us in building this

We're seeking exceptional engineers, data scientists, and systems thinkers to build the energy coordination platform for food manufacturers.

Explore open roles