Hilti Expands “Smart” Product Offering with Acquisition of Assets of Concrete Technology Startup
Hilti, a global leader providing innovative tools, technology, software and services to the commercial construction industry has acquired substantially all of the assets of Concrete Sensors, a provider of connected (i.e., “smart”) devices, software and services that help enable improved decision making and accelerated construction schedules through better understanding of the concrete curing process. This agreement extends Hilti’s digital (IoT) portfolio into new and important applications and strengthens the brand’s leadership as a provider of productivity solutions in the construction industry.
One of the most critical and time-consuming phases in the construction process is waiting on the poured concrete to develop strength, also known as the curing phase. Traditionally, monitoring this phase required the use of cumbersome laboratory equipment and involved considerable time delays. However, in recent years, new technology has emerged to help optimize this process. In 2015, Brendan Dowdall and Ryan Twomey founded Concrete Sensors to tackle this problem. The Boston-based company offers general contractors, concrete contractors and engineers a solution to help accurately measure and predict the performance of concrete. A wireless sensor embedded into concrete works with the easy-to-use software to provide real-time data on the concrete as it cures and dries. The Concrete Sensors mobile app can quickly share the status of the concrete’s estimated strength, temperature and relative humidity. Additionally, with a state-of-the-art in-house lab the exact concrete mix can be more accurately tested to better predict outcomes, therefore potentially saving days, possibly even weeks on the project.