Smart, safe and portable measurement solutions for rail, auto and steel industries
NEXTSENSE GmbH is a leader in industrial measurement and inspection solutions based in Austria. Most of the company’s customers for its wireless handheld measuring gauges are railway companies and automobile manufacturers in Europe and Asia. Now the plan is to take its innovative technology to the rest of the world. The business journey abroad Thanks to EU funding, the CALIPRI Smart (The easy to use and failsafe handheld optical gauge for 2D-profiles) project has opened two new foreign subsidiaries in Shanghai, China and Atlanta, the United States. The market expansion is going hand-in-hand with an organisational expansion. “The new subsidiaries enable us to be closer to our customers and sales partners,” says project coordinator Marina Mošmondor. “Thanks to this proximity, we’re able to respond to customer needs better and quicker.” Mošmondor laid down the reasons for the evolution. The increased demand through acquisition of new customers and faster response to customers’ needs contributed to the increase in the number of employees and the overall organisational growth of the company. CALIPRI Smart products are wireless handheld devices for the 100 % contact-free measurement of profiles, gaps and design lines. The software allows high-precision measurements. They have a huge potential for disrupting the market for measurement gauges intended for 2D profile evaluation. The key is the embedded software in the all-purpose technology that can be customised for a large number of applications in diverse industries. The most important markets are railway companies, the auto industry and rolling mills (steel). Some of the main applications of CALIPRI Smart products are safety and quality checks, and maintenance of railway vehicles. The product makes the measuring process at least two times faster and more cost-efficient than mechanical gauges. The software can be easily adapted to the individual needs of the customer. High-volume production can offer competitive prices. Global showcase for two products The market expansion was accompanied by product growth. Two new products entered the scene. CALIPRI Hot, the only portable solution for the profile measurements of hot steel, and the CALIPRI C42-single-app, a standalone solution developed with the aim of substituting a mechanical gauge. “CALIPRI Hot enables workers in the rolling mills to obtain the qualitative measurement data directly on the hot steel,” explains Mošmondor. “Since this allows for checks of the product’s dimensional accuracy during the rolling process, the customer is expected to benefit from considerable time and cost savings.” CALIPRI C42-single-app delivers digital profile measurement data of railway wheels quickly and with high precision. Mošmondor believes this should gradually replace the less accurate mechanical gauges. The product plays an important role in safety of transportation of goods and people. It also makes the work of people in railway workshops, car manufacturing plants and rolling mills easier and faster. Potential Impact The use of CALIPRI Smart products removes the need for dangerous measuring procedures and decreases the number of accidents. It’s also very difficult to manipulate data. The high reliability of the measured data results in better public safety, especially in the railway industry, where dangerous damage to wheels, brakes and rails can occur. Shortly after the project ended, NEXTSENSE was acquired by Hexagon, a leading global provider of information technology solutions. “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 rail and automobile customers,” Mošmondor concludes.
Keywords
CALIPRI Smart, mechanical gauge, railway industry, auto industry, CALIPRI Hot, CALIPRI C42-single-app
