Almost two decades after being born as a joint venture between a Cantabrian entrepreneur and a research group from the University of Cantabria, Celestia TST is the piece dedicated to IoT within the international group Celestia, with a presence in six countries and experience in the aerospace, defence and satellite sectors. In this interview with Atlas Tecnológico, Alberto Puras, business development manager, explains an approach that combines proprietary hardware with data management and analytics through software, algorithms and AI. In contrast to the generalist devices that have spread across the market due to economies of scale, the company advocates specific solutions for each application.
This proposal is organised into three business units.
In level measurement, Celestia TST devices control the filling of the waste containers to optimise collection routes, with fewer kilometres, fuel and emissions. The same technology is applied to the distribution of bulk materials, from liquids such as diesel or lubricating oil to solids such as animal feed.
In smart metering, where Puras positions the company as a benchmark, the product Smart Utility Water collects readings from up to 200 meters per unit with the TSherpa equipment and transmits them via NB-IoT to a platform for analysis. There are already more than 40,000 TSherpa devices deployed, mainly in Madrid.
In industry, Nebula Energy monitors the energy consumption of factories to detect inefficiencies and control billing, while Nebula Cold Chain manages the cold chain in the food industry and ensures the traceability required by regulations.
The thread that connects the three lines is the integration of what the customer already has. “We are characterised by integrating into the systems that the customer already has, providing incremental solutions,” summarises Puras, with the aim of transforming technological complexity into return through greater efficiency in operations. This model is seen in collaborations such as that with MOBA, for which Celestia TST developed the FLS2 filling sensor and then licensed the manufacture of the FLS3: “It’s a win-win relationship,” he explains. In water, the work with manufacturers such as Hidroconta and operators like Orange has resulted in a design “capable of beating our competitors in super demanding tenders,” and in food safety, the traceability project of Mercavalencia alongside MESbook stands out.
The roadmap involves growing the three units and expanding into Europe. With Wireless M-Bus, the company aims to bring to the continent a proposal that combines hardware, connectivity, and software, while also expanding the functionalities of planning and route optimisation and energy monitoring in industry.