French boiler manufacturer e.l.m. leblanc has selected Sigfox to connect more than 100,000 boilers in France to enable predictive, remote maintenance and remote management
E.l.m. leblanc, a French boiler manufacturer that is part of Bosch Group, has selected Sigfox to connect more than 100,000 boilers in France to offer smart services such as predictive and remote maintenance as well as remote boiler management.
“E.l.m. leblanc early on recognized the value for our professional customers, channel partners and for end-users of equipping and installing smart boilers. Thanks to the ‘internet of things’ and to Sigfox’s dedicated connectivity available nationwide in France, the technology has caught up with our vision. This partnership brings efficiency benefits to everyone involved, simply and affordably,” said Frédéric Agar, president of e.l.m. leblanc.
The boiler manufacturer had initially planned to connect its boilers via broadband cellular, but put the project on hold due to the high cost for applications that do not require frequent, large data transfers, Sigfox stated. The connected boiler program will go live in September. The deal could be extended to additional countries, including Spain and the U.K., Sigfox told Industy IoT 5G Insights. In total, e.l.m. leblanc has nearly 2 million boilers installed in France.
Adding connected services to boilers
As part of the agreement, Sigfox will connect e.l.m. leblanc’s boilers to its network in France, enabling those to communicate and trigger an alert when a failure occurs, thereby allowing professionals to generate predictive and remote maintenance. Real-time data analytics on usage also will be provided. Using bidirectional connectivity, the connected service also will allow providers of multitenant housing to set up and manage boilers remotely and adapt service levels to individual occupants’ budget requirements. In addition, end users will be able to manage their boiler remotely via a mobile app.
“E.l.m. leblanc, one of the biggest boiler suppliers in France, provides a classic use case for demonstrating both the IoT’s potential to save water users time and money, and enable equipment providers and their service partners to open new business opportunities,” said Stuart Lodge, EVP of global sales and partners at Sigfox. “The new offer also illustrates how Sigfox’s simple connectivity greatly improves the final user’s experience: As soon as the boiler is installed, it is instantly connected to the network without any setup or pairing and without requiring local internet service.”
France is one of six countries in which operator Sigfox’s network has nationwide coverage. The IoT operator is currently deploying nationwide coverage in another 14 countries. Sigfox plans to be present in 30 countries, including countries in Asia and Latin America, by the end of this year. Sigfox presently has more than 7 million subscriptions on its network.
IIoT News Recap: Wi-Fi sensors improved traveler experience at Keflavik Airport; Semtech joins IoT M2M Council to promote LoRaWAN among IoT buyers; Space-Time Insight acquires IIoT company Gofactory; Kwik raises $3 million to expand in the US
Sensor networks: Wi-Fi sensors improved traveler experience at Keflavik Airport
Iceland’s Keflavik Airport is one of Europe’s fastest-growing tourist and transit destinations, having more than doubled its passenger numbers between 2010 and 2015. The airport has deployed Wi-Fi sensors to monitor passenger queues and dwell times to display minute-by-minute live forecasts of waiting times to passengers and real-time monitoring data on security line congestions to airport resource planners. The results: a better traveler experience and optimized operations.
“We use the data to see when levels of service are breached and to find out the reasons. This has helped us to identify the problems we had with our work shifts starting a bit too late. Before installing the solution, we noticed this issue but did not have the valuable information at hand to actually be able to quantify the problem. Now we are able to make more informed decisions in security,” said Guðmundur Karl Gautason, project manager of operation research at Keflavik Airport. The sensor network solution is provided by Denmark-based Blip Systems and was implemented by Lockheed Martin. Keflavik Airport is expecting 6.7 million passengers through its gates in 2016.
LPWAN: Semtech joins IoT M2M Council to promote LoRaWAN among IoT buyers
London-based IoT M2M Council announced that Semtech, a driving force behind the LoRa Alliance, has joined its board of governors.
“The IMC is an excellent platform to connect with companies that are integrating [‘internet of things’] and those that are actually deploying IoT solutions in the field. We believe having a standardized specification for IoT combined with a strong ecosystem is integral for scaling IoT adoption. Introducing LoRa solutions and the LoRaWAN specification to IMC’s members, including Fortune 500 companies planning large-scale deployments, should further expand LoRaWAN adoption,” said Mike Wong, VP of marketing and applications for Semtech’s wireless and sensing product group. Founded in February 2014, the IMC has 18,000 members worldwide from 25 different vertical market segments, and adds almost 300 new members weekly.
M&A: Space-Time Insight acquires IIoT company Gofactory
Space‐Time Insight, a provider of situational intelligence solutions, announced it has acquired industrial “internet of things” company Gofactory to strengthen its position in real-time visual analytics.
“To realize the opportunities inherent in the [IoT], all organizations must rethink traditional approaches to analytics in order to gain the context and insights needed to make quick and confident decisions,” said Rob Schilling, CEO of Space-Time Insight. “To help our customers and partners capitalize on these opportunities, we have been focused on building IoT-ready advanced analytics and visualization solutions for eight years. The acquisition of Gofactory continues our commitment to helping organizations capture, analyze and use data to understand the what, where, when, why and how of every situation.”
Space-Time Insight’s customers include FedEx, Florida Power & Light, NEC and Thames Water.
Today’s startup: Kwik raises $3M to expand in the US
Israel-based smart button startup Kwik has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by Norwest Venture Partners. Launched in 2015, Kwik has secured agreements with Domino’s Pizza, Huggies Diapers (Kimberly Clark) and Eden Springs Water in Israel to which it provides one-tap delivery.
“Kwik is entering this market at the right time,” said Sergio Monsalve, partner at Norwest Venture Partners. “The concept of pushing a branded smart button to re-order a product has already been popularized by the Amazon Dash Button, but now the market is ready for more choice. Kwik’s value proposition is that it takes an open approach to the order and delivery process, which provides consumers with a wider selection of home-delivery options and brands with a turnkey way to implement direct to consumer delivery. We’re excited about their expansion in the U.S., and looking forward to seeing them take it to the next level.”
