The Lithuanian manufacturer of meters Axioma Metering won the tender for installation of 100 thousand new generation water meters Qalcosonic W1 in Apulia Region, Italy. Axioma Metering participated in the tender organised by the largest Italian water supply company Acquedotto Pugliese together with its partner and outstripped such global leading manufacturers of metering devices as Sagemcom (2 billion euro turnover) and Arad Group (250 million euro turnover, market capitalisation – 1.44 billion euro).
The project volume for installation of 100 thousand meters amounts to 6.5 million euro. It is currently the largest project involving smart meters in Italy and the largest project in this field in Europe providing for the use of IoT technologies.
“In the past several years, the Internet of Things has been one of the trendy phrases of the technology industries. We can only be proud that we are among the first in the world to be offering the cutting-edge technologies used in energy accounting. This victory gained in Italy is comparable to the statement that Qalcosonic W1 meter is currently technically the most advanced and competitive meter in the global market,” said Ignas Vosylius, CEO at Axioma Metering.
According to him, the company’s technical requirements towards the metering devices were very high. The functional criteria comprised as much as 80% of the total scope, which demonstrates that Acquedotto Pugliese was looking for the most advanced technology instead of the lowest price.
The main objective of Acquedotto Pugliese is to reduce water losses in the Apulia Region. The company is determined to resolve several issues: how to efficiently use the available water resources, measure water consumption more accurately and efficiently manage the water supply networks.
“I believe that this tender will become the building ground in the Italian market. Acquedotto Pugliese is the utility services company managing the largest technological base in Italy, which sets the technological standards for the entire market. The fact that this company tested and chosen out meters will not go unnoticed by other market participants oriented towards the technological novelties,” stated Vosylius.
He is hoping for a future cooperation with Acquedotto Pugliese. One hundred thousand meters are only the first stage of the project. It is expected that the company will install 1 million new generation metering devices in this region. “The launch of the project involves our meters, therefore, we will have a prominent advantage in the future tenders for the subsequent development of this project,” he added.
In September 2019, Axioma Metering landed the project for supply of smart water meters operating in the IoT network of a similar volume, which is being currently successfully implemented in Oman.
Qalcosonic W1 meter is one of the most universal energy meters on the market. The company is planning to present another version of the meter with the alternative NB IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) technology in February. Axioma Metering will become the first manufacturer of meters offering both LoRa WAN and NB IoT connection options.