FP wins major IoT order from energy sector

Berlin, 27.05.2019 – Under the agreed contract, Francotyp-Postalia (FP), expert in the secure mailing business and secure digital communication processes, is supplying IoT gateways to the GETEC Group, a well-known service provider in the energy sector. The defined order volume until 2021 is around 3,500 IoT gateways.

Gateways for heating systems

GETEC delivers so-called contracting services in support of companies including real estate and property management businesses, providing them with customised energy supply solutions. The energy service provider utilises modern, efficient heating systems for power generation; the heat is then distributed to the building administrators and real estate owners. They benefit, because GETEC handles not only the construction and operation, but also the maintenance and monitoring of the systems.

For the efficient control of small and medium-sized heating systems, such as those found in apartment buildings and shopping centres, the energy service provider uses IoT gateways from FP. Around 1,500 FP gateways have already been installed in heating systems on the premises of customers. According to the now agreed contract, 3,500 IoT gateways will follow and be continuously exchanged over the coming three years.

“We are delighted by this demonstration of trust from GETEC. This gives us the opportunity to more than triple the number of active IoT gateways we have with GETEC over the next three years,” says Rüdiger Andreas Günther, CEO of FP.

IoT gateways monitor systems

The use of IoT gateways within the framework of energy supplies by GETEC offers multiple advantages. Thanks to the networking of the gateways, error messages are transmitted to GETEC within seconds. This ensures that potential sources of errors are identified and reported before they result in the end customer being affected by failures. An uninterrupted supply is thus ensured at all times. The optimal performance of the systems can also be consistently monitored.

“Service providers and end customers benefit from our IoT gateways. The entire energy supply process becomes fast, transparent and secure. We are thus pioneers on the road to the intelligent boiler room of the future,” says Uwe Hübler, CEO of FP InovoLabs GmbH. With the aid of IoT gateways, it is also possible for example to automatically switch operating modes for the heating systems, or to use the interfaces for hundreds of temperature sensors.

“The IoT gateways allow us not only to work extremely cost-efficiently, but also to contribute to the energy management of our customers. GETEC aims to efficiently structure the procurement, delivery and marketing of energy,” says Michael Lowak, Real Estate Segment CEO of the GETEC Group. The Group has a total workforce of over 1,400 employees, and achieved revenues of over 600 million euros in the past year. GETEC is thus one of the largest independent energy service companies in the German-speaking market.

Secure data transfer guaranteed

FP’s IoT gateways support several security levels of software and hardware. The edge devices read out the data of the machines and plants and transmit it directly to the user. This enables the customer to control the gateways securely from a distance, depending on the requirements – also independently of central software systems if necessary. Individual functions can also be programmed on the gateways, for example to implement control algorithms quickly and directly at the system.