ACCELERATING SMART GAS GRID INNOVATION WITH CUMULOCITY
A technology company saved months of development time to secure investor funding and scaled production-ready applications without building an IoT platform from scratch.
Customer
A technology company providing smart monitoring and control solutions for gas distribution networks, helping utilities reduce methane leakage, enable biomethane injection, and lower operating costs. Their flagship technology remotely optimises gas pressure across networks, replacing manual seasonal adjustments with continuous, automated control.
Challenges
- Rapid proof of concept: As a start-up, the company needed to deliver a credible proof of concept quickly to secure investor funding.
- Limited resources: Most engineering effort had to go into electro-mechanical hardware, leaving minimal bandwidth for software development.
- Commercial scalability: Beyond the PoC, the team needed a path to production-ready applications that investors would trust.
- Security and reliability: Any solution had to meet strict security requirements for critical infrastructure.
Outcomes
- Faster PoC delivery: The company built and demonstrated its proof of concept within weeks, saving months of development time and accelerating time-to-value.
- Investor confidence: Rapid prototyping showed a clear path from PoC to production, helping secure funding and build trust in the solution’s scalability.
- Scalable architecture: The solution evolved from built-in Cumulocity applications to custom widgets and microservices—without losing development momentum or compromising quality.
- Focus on innovation: By leveraging Cumulocity’s managed services, the company concentrated on solving real customer problems rather than maintaining platform infrastructure.
- Environmental impact at scale: The first commercial deployment—across 270 operational sites in a regional network—is on track to reduce methane emissions by 2.9 GWh, equivalent to 35 tons of CO2 per year.
- AI-driven efficiency gains: Trials of the latest intelligent gas grid technology, powered by AI, achieved a 16% reduction in methane emissions and safely lowered system pressures by up to 31%.
- Unexpected benefits: The platform also became part of the company’s recruitment process, with candidates using Cumulocity trials to demonstrate their skills and understanding of IoT.
„Cumulocity enables us to focus our resources on solving our customers’ problems rather than building and maintaining a platform. We can punch above our weight operationally by leveraging Cumulocity’s CloudOps team and infrastructure."
– CTO, Customer
Details
When the company was founded, its mission was to reduce methane leakage in gas distribution networks. The team designed an electric actuator and telemetry solution for hazardous environments but lacked the resources to develop a robust software platform in parallel.
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Building everything from scratch would have delayed critical funding milestones. So, the company researched IoT Application Enablement Platforms and shortlisted two solutions. After a hands-on evaluation, Cumulocity emerged as the clear winner for the following reasons:
- End-to-end coverage for both PoC and production
- Comprehensive documentation and Tech Community, enabling self-start without vendor dependency
- Proven track record and strong security posture, critical for utility customers
- Responsive, professional team—easy to work with from day one
„We enjoy ongoing support from the Cumulocity Customer Success Team who do a great job as the “oil” in the engine of our relationship. We have frequent regular calls with our customer success manager who pulls in other colleagues as and when necessary to address specific issues. This has given us direct access to Cumulocity Product Management and Development teams who are always engaged and helpful, always bringing practical solutions to the table."
– CTO, Customer
Initially, the company leveraged standard Cumulocity applications like Device Management and Cockpit to validate its concept. Over time, the solution evolved into custom-branded web applications, widgets, and microservices. Key additions included a secure device onboarding service and an automated network response microservice for real-time pressure adjustments.
Looking ahead, the company is extending its solution to integrate third-party devices and interoperate with customers’ wider SCADA systems, further enhancing the value of its smart gas grid platform.
Cumulocity continues to be a strategic technology partner, enabling the company to innovate faster, scale securely, and stay focused on customer impact.
„Out of the box, Cumulocity allows us to stand on the shoulders of giants."
– Cloud Product Owner, Customer