CALIPRI Smart - the easy to use and failsafe handheld optical gauge for 2D-profiles.

Project Information

CALIPRI Smart

Grant agreement ID: 726903

DOI

10.3030/726903

Project closed

EC signature date 8 June 2016

Start date 1 May 2016

End date 30 April 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost

€ 2 867 758,75

EU contribution

€ 2 006 283,00

Coordinated by

NEXTSENSE GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CALIPRI Smart (CALIPRI Smart - the easy to use and failsafe handheld optical gauge for 2D-profiles.)

Reporting period: 2017-05-01 to 2018-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CALIPRI Smart products are wireless handheld devices for the 100% contact free measurement of profiles, gaps and flushes. They have a huge potential of disrupting the market for measurement gauges for 2D profile evaluation. Based on the technology of laser triangulation NEXTSENSE developed a universal optical measurement solution. The key to all markets is the embedded software in the all-purpose technology, which is developed to be customized for a giant number of applications in diverse industries. The USPs (contact free, failsafe) make the measuring procedures at least 2 times faster and more cost-efficient. A high volume production allows to offer competitive prices. This results in customer´s ROIs which can´t be beaten by any other competitor. What is more, one CALIPRI Smart version, called CALIPRI Hot is the only portable solution in its market.

One of the main applications of CALIPRI Smart products are safety and quality checks and maintenance of railway vehicles. Thereby, the versions CALIPRI C42 single-app (SA), also called CALIPRI Prime, and CALIPRI C42 multi-app (MA) play an important role in safety of transportation of goods and people. Furthermore, the simple usage of our products make the everyday work of people in railway workshops, car manufacturing plants and rolling mills much easier and faster.

The main objectives of this project are: to enlarge the market share in already established markets due to the launch of new products, to reinforce the market presence, to achieve closer customer proximity by setting up foreign subsidiaries in the markets where market potential is high, to discover new applications of the CALIPRI Smart technology, to search for potential new customers in order to penetrate new industries and new markets, to grow the company and increase the number of employees.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

While in the first year of the project NEXTSENSE established and build up its first foreign subsidiary, in the second year the company continues with its expansion - this time to the East. In the second half of the project NEXTSENSE opened a new sales and services office in Shanghai, China. The main purpose of the subsidiary is to exploitation the huge potential of the Chinese market and to benefit from the customer proximity and faster response to the customers´needs.

In the second year of the project we continued with the development of the CALIPRI Hot device, the unique portable solution for the measurement of still hot steel profiles as well as with the development of CALIPRI C42 SA and MA versions until the products reach the serial production stage. We also continued with marketing and sales activities and the promotion of the productions on fairs and conferences. Furthermore, in the second year we have started with the development of the add-on device, the so called Calipri Prime Smart Control, for the CALIPRI C42 which purpose is to enable the operator to add additional information on the measurement object (IDs) and to check the measurement result on a section profile level. Another development carried out in the second year is the SPC app - the central database tool for the behavioral analysis and the prediction of maintenance activities.

During the second year we also developed a new product for the automotive industry - CALIPRI C14 - the wireless version of the CALIPRI Smart solution for the measurement of gaps and flush and have strongly focused on the business development of the new industry (aerospace) and the research of the potential measuremnt applications for CALIPRI devices.

What is more, during the period covered by the second report NEXTSENSE hired 17 new employees, thus the current number of employees amounts to 84. We also launched the new webpage which comes in three languages - German, English and Chinese and is adapted to better meet the needs and requirements of our customers as well as to better cover and promote our worldwide presence and the activities of our foreign subsidiaries.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In line with the initial analysis and the comparison with comparative products, CALIPRI Smart has clear USP and offers best value for money to the customers. According to the calculations of the customers ROI, our device pays off within few months.

CALIPRI Smart offers more than economic and technological advantages to the customers. The device is easy and comfortable to use because of optimized design and usability. It eases the work of the users and relieves them from frustrating data management and error correction. In the steel and the railway industry, the use of CALIPRI Smart also abandons dangerous measuring processes and decreases the number of accidents. It is also very difficult to manipulate data; hence dangerous slouchiness would leave traces to the responsible person and can be discovered easily. The high reliability of the measured data results in better public safety especially in the railway industry, where dangerous damages to wheels, breaks and rails can be certainly found.

Shortly after the project end, NEXTSENSE GmbH was acquired by HEXAGON, a leading global provider of information technology solutions. On one side, the merger with a strong partner with a global presence will enable NEXTSENSE to accelerate product innovation and company growth while providing even better support and services to existing customers. On the other side, the acquisition will extend Hexagon´s breadth of capabilities in automotive fit and finish - the analysis of how well the parts of a car fit together, which impacts perceived quality at the point of purchase - as well as in industries such as rail and steel where the company has comperatively small footprint today. Together, the combination of sensors, software and advanced analytics from both portfolios will bring added value to all customers while expanding the global reach of NEXTSENSE solutions to new markets and regions.

Calipri C14