Sanitary ware, sinks and the blue gold: Droople, where every drop counts

The Swiss Newspapers, 24 heures and Tribune de Genève, have recently featured an interview with Droople’s founder Ramzi Bouzerda, commenting on the rapid growth of the company.

newspaper heading 24heures tribue de geneva

By Nicolas Pinguely, Tamedia Business Reporter, as featured in the 24Heures and Tribune de Genève

Launched in 2018, a Swiss-based start-up has developed smart sensors, which, coupled with cloud computing, allow to monitor water consumption and quality remotely in buildings.

Here in Puidoux (Vaud, Switzerland), engineers behind the scenes are designing systems and sensors to save the blue gold. It is essential to make better use of water,” says Ramzi Bouzerda, founder of Droople, who holds a masters degree in computer science from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, “There are meters to calculate water consumption at the building entrance, but it is not possible to know how this water is consumed.” This lack of visibility affects individuals as well as companies, hospitals, or schools. “Washing machines,
sanitary facilities and other filtration systems in companies are affected,” he lists.

man in grey suit in front of water fountain and screen
Equipping Food Industry Giants

Among Droople’s customers are companies that supply water treatment systems to the food industry giants, pharmaceutical groups or even semiconductor manufacturers, including Japanese company Kurita and Pentair, based in the USA.

The world of water fountains that flourish in corporate offices is also in Droople’s sight. “There are more than 3 million of them in Europe,” he says. Droople sensors allow the firms that market them to facilitate the maintenance, by “determining remotely when the filters or CO2 bottles need to be changed”.

The World of Facility Management

To ensure its development, Droople also wants to appeal to the world of cleaning, “from shopping centers to hospitals, airports and schools,” says Ramzi Bouzerda. In this context, the sensors connected to the toilets can determine when it is time to clean them or if a toilet flush is broken. “This streamlines the cleaning process of these shared spaces, and automatically locates leaks,” he says. A partnership with the Zurich-based company Vebego was signed in this regard last spring.

The firm is casting a wide net. “Our sensors and software also allow us to understand when individuals and companies need hot water, and to activate water heaters and heat pumps only at the most opportune moment,” confides the boss. This would save up to 20% of energy in buildings.

Made in Switzerland, Growing Worldwide

The firm manufactures its sensors in Switzerland: “in the Cantons of Valais, Fribourg and Vaud,” says Ramzi Bouzerda. “We have managed to anticipate the global shortage of components and our stock of microprocessors should be sufficient to ensure our production until the end of 2022,” he says.

Droople is growing at a fast pace. The firm sells its sensors, as well as the computer monitoring required to analyze the data, in 11 countries across Asia, America and Europe. Having sold 1,000 units to date, the start-up expects to sell 3,000 by the end of 2022.

The company, which currently employs 13 people, including several engineers from the EPFL, has set ambitious goals. “We are aiming for a turnover of 50 million by 2025,” says the founder. The start-up is in the process of raising funds to finance its expansion, “6 Million Swiss Francs in total, including 3 Million from the Swiss Federal Government Technology Fund”.

In short, Droople has a lot on its plate.

AS FEATURED IN 24 HEURES + TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE

newspaper heading 24Heures
newspaper heading Tribune de Geneve


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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access the app ?

Login at https://app.droople.com with the credentials you received. Welcome to your Water Intelligence Platform!

What gateway should I choose?

All Gateways are using a LoRa network, but we will discuss together the technical specificities of the place you are equipping to adapt our offer between a 4G, Wifi or Ethernet gateway. More on our Support page

How do I install the device ?

You can find help here.

For more, visit the Droople Support page to access the DIY videos and Quick Start Guides based on your product.

How do I configure my device on the platform ?

Each Droople iLink has a unique QR Code. Scanning takes you to configure it to a new or existing "asset". After configuration and use of your tap, you already have access to your metrics. For detailed instructions, you can find videos and tutorials on our Support page: https://droople.readme.io/

Who can I contact when I need help?

Our Support page can be found here https://droople.readme.io.
Our Technical Specifications here.

If you need any other assistance, please contact us here

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