Gulf Construction Online - Smart home tech on show

The Big 5

Mignot ... home automation is time and money saver.

Smart home tech on show

FLOVEA

01 November 2018

At The Big 5 show in Dubai, French sanitary and heating plumbing specialist Flovea will be putting the spotlight on its latest innovation Flowbox Interactive, which features smart home technology.

Flowbox is a hydraulic integrator, which enables easy management of a plumbing network remotely through a dedicated interface. The box enhances the comfort and safety of the residents by offering them a full control over their hydraulic network. Real-time reading of their consumption and creation of eco-responsible scenarios provide value for money and enable them to reduce their energy bill.

According to Flovea chairman Thierry Mignot, the home automation device is also a time and money saver as it provides a hassle-free installation and a direct and real-time reading of a household’s consumption from a mobile app. It also prevents any leakage in the hydraulic distribution system and can sense water contamination on each specific equipment.

“For the first time, Flowbox Interactive makes hydraulic distribution connectivity possible in a housing complex,” he says.

Mignot elaborates: “Flovea, which has specialised in prefabricated plumbing, has invested substantially in designing new solutions by conducting basic research and applied engineering.

“The company, therefore, decided to develop hydraulic network connectivity with its customers, thus diversifying its activities with smart home components. Com-bining home automation and plumbing, Flowbox Interactive is a device connected to the hydraulic network of a housing complex. Allowing easy management and real-time monitoring of the network through a dedicated app, it identifies any risk of leakage and water contamination.

“With artificial intelligence, the device provides support to the user in reducing consumption by anticipating its needs and adapting to consumption habits. In case of leakage detection, Flowbox Interactive forwards the information to the connected interface and can automatically turn off the defective equipment. The app monitors the evolution of the household’s consumption and remotely manages the devices connected to the box. It is, therefore, possible to create eco-responsible scenarios and thus avoid any risk of water waste.”

Mignot says environmental issues have been a key focus area for the company since its inception. “We feel the urge to change consumer behaviour and habits by providing connected and eco-responsible tools that enable the evolution of smart homes.

“The Middle East is a region that faces high humidity and high heat as well as sand particles in the air. With our product, we will contribute to improving the living conditions of the inhabitants while also encouraging an eco-friendly lifestyle,” he says. “Also, the UAE intends to reduce by 10 per cent the consumption of water and annual electricity and increasing consumer awareness by providing them a helpful tool to easily manage their consumption is a great way to reach that goal.”

Commenting on the Flowbox, he says: “This innovative product complements the rest of our production, which aims to facilitate the daily lives of professionals and ensure time and cost savings.

“Flowbox Interactive not only simplifies the work of the professional who installs the device on the network, but also helps to provide foresight and comfort to individuals in search of a leak, and possible costs savings by detecting potential dam-age to the housing complex ahead of time.”

Flowbox will be promoted alongside a range of Flovea’s latest solutions in sanitary and heating plumbing that are aimed at saving users time and money while encouraging environment-friendliness.

The Big 5 show is the ideal place to promote Flovea’s device to the Middle East, he says, adding that Flowbox Interactive will also be displayed at the Solar Decathlon Middle East competition.

Mignot says the company focuses on providing innovative solutions that range from water distribution equipment to home automation devices.

“Flovea’s water distribution equipment is innovative because it saves time and money on site by being ready to install. For instance, our most successful product is a boiler backboard that has all copper tubes already installed and simply needs to be connected to the hydraulic distribution system. Usually, plumbers on site have to manually install each separate tubes with specific tools which demands particular skills,” he adds.

Speaking of business opportunities for the company in the UAE, Mignot says the country is abuzz with construction and urban development. Also, there is high awareness of the need to protect the environment and save energy, which means all innovations aimed at protecting and saving these resources will be of major interest to the UAE market.

Flovea ensures that it keeps abreast of technology in its core business areas and is developing innovative technologies through partnerships with research centres. Plumbing remains its traditional domain, and while giving due importance to craftsmanship, the company ensures that it provides plumbing services that benefit from scientific and technological advances.

Flovea can be visited at Stand 3F142, Hall 3, at The Big 5.