Supply chain scale-up in the spotlight: Nexxiot

Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Nexxiot AG is a pioneer in the development and delivery of digital supply chain management solutions. The company was founded in 2015 by Christoph Wartmann as a spin-off of ETH Zurich, one of the world’s leading technical universities, and can rely on more than ten years of research in the areas of complex systems, big data algorithms and ultra-low-power embedded technology. Wartmann has recently withdrawn from the operative business and joined the company’s Administrative Board, with Helmut Kaspers replacing him as CEO.

Nexxiot has developed a system in which IoT sensors or ‘gateway devices’ called Globehoppers are attached to objects such as goods wagons and tank containers in order to record data and send it to the Nexxiot platform. The data is processed and analysed there and then made available to customers. As a result, it is also possible to register shock events or any damage. Furthermore, customers have access to a wide variety of services ranging from fleet management to freight monitoring.

About 45,000 objects are already equipped with the Nexxiot sensors, and between 4,000 and 5,000 more are being added every month. In May of this year, Nexxiot launched a new generation of sensors (Globehopper 2.0) which have larger solar panels and a bigger battery for supplying power. They are also certified according to ATEX IIC and IIIC, which means that it is possible to operate the sensors in areas where there is a constant risk of an explosion, e.g. when loading and unloading tank containers.

Funding by DiaMedCare

The launch, long-term production and installation of these new devices has been made possible by funding amounting to CHF35 million (€31 million) from a new partner specialized in investment in healthcare and other high-tech sectors, DiaMedCare AG (Basel). This extra funding safeguards the scalability of Nexxiot’s business model in the long term, paving the way for further product innovations in the field of digitized supply chains, according to Helmut Kaspers. It also puts the company in a strong position to pursue its ambitious global expansion plans. In addition to its headquarters in Switzerland, the company has offices in Germany and the USA. Nexxiot received the Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership Award in 2019 for developing and using new digital technologies.