Enocean takes Undagrid’s asset management to new heights

Dutch wireless monitoring specialist Undagrid has been acquired by Enocean, the German global leader in energy harvesting for the IoT. The company headquartered in Utrecht develops AI-driven asset tracking and monitoring solutions for airport terminals, aircraft maintenance and inflight catering (link in Dutch). Combining its technology with Enocean’s energy harvesting products opens the door to novel services and platforms that accelerate the digital transformation in aviation and logistics.

Thanks to advanced AI algorithms, Undagrid’s technology enhances operational efficiency by providing real-time insights into asset usage. Its solutions are already successfully deployed by customers such as Lufthansa, DHL and numerous airports worldwide. With the integration of Enocean’s self-powered sensors and actuators, they can now become even smarter, contributing to more sustainable and efficient airports and processes. Through the acquisition, Undagrid can further scale its technology, enabling it to serve larger clients at a global level.

The story of Undagrid started at the security and fleet management specialist Technocon (now Moving Intelligence). Rolf van de Velde was the company’s CEO and Christiaan Willemsen and Lennart Schröer were part of the management team while Marcus Breekweg worked on innovative IoT solutions at their strategic partner Vodafone Global. Sometime around 2010, the company got a call from S-P-S, a manufacturer of unmotorized ground support equipment looking for a way to track its carts at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Existing solutions based on telecommunications or wireless technology either were too expensive, consumed too much energy or their range was too limited. Focusing on vehicles with a power source of their own, Technocon was unable to follow up.

Van de Velde, Willemsen, Schroër and Breekweg, however, remained intrigued by the request. They decided to dive in themselves and came up with a dual-band tracker that did the trick. In 2014, they started Undagrid to market their solution. A year later, their efforts were boosted by an investment from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Schiphol through the Mainport Innovation Fund (link in Dutch). Another ten years later, a new chapter is added to the story with the acquisition by Enocean.

Breekweg left in 2022, but the other three founding fathers are still on board. “With Enocean as a strategic partner, we can take our technology to new heights and continue innovating to transform advanced asset management,” comments Undagrid CEO Van de Velde. “Our combined solutions will help airlines, airports, logistics companies and other organizations reduce operational costs, improve customer experiences and contribute to a more sustainable future.”