The deployment of IoT asset tracking technology has enabled globally recognised heating specialist Vaillant to save £26,000 and achieve a 5% improvement in logistics trolley utilisation.
The project was undertaken as part of an efficiency drive to help Vaillant manage internal logistics at scale. The company’s Nantes facility produced around 166,000 boilers and heat pumps in 2024 alone, with many shipped to overseas markets. With a production footprint of 48,000 m², the firm encountered huge challenges keeping track of up to 1,600 trolleys and logistics trains moving continuously through fabrication, painting, assembly, and line delivery.
Without real-time visibility, the site depended on manual stock counts, often logged in Excel. During shutdown periods, multiple full inventories were sometimes needed just to establish a baseline. Locating equipment quickly, knowing what was actually in use, and anticipating shortfalls before they disrupted production had become increasingly difficult as output volumes grew.
Following a competitive tender process, Vaillant selected Sensolus, a European IoT tracking specialist, to address the challenge. Rather than committing immediately to a full deployment, the project began with a tightly scoped pilot: around 40 Bluetooth trackers installed on a working subset of trolleys and logistics trains, designed to validate performance in real production conditions before any wider commitment.
“The industrial process may seem straightforward, but it remains complex to manage day to day, explained Adrien Guihery, Digital Transformation Project Manager, Vaillant. “Data allowed us to objectify our flows and move from a very manual approach to decisions based on factual evidence.”
Within a month, the data was already informing operational decisions. Full deployment followed shortly after. Within months, the entire fleet of up to 1,600 assets was live on the Sensolus platform, with no heavy infrastructure investment required. The solution was described by Vaillant as immediately operational and straightforward for site teams to adopt.
Every trolley is now identified, located, and tracked in real time within the facility. Shortage alerts flag areas approaching capacity before disruption occurs, replacing what had previously averaged around three unplanned logistics failures per month. Tracking data also feeds directly into Value Stream Mapping exercises, giving teams an evidence base for flow analysis and operational planning.
The most immediate financial benefit came from asset rationalisation. By identifying trolleys that were rarely or never used, the team was able to redirect dormant equipment to a storage provider rather than purchasing new assets for upcoming projects, delivering a direct saving of approximately £26,000 on a single project. Return on investment across the programme was reached in approximately 1.2 years.
Adrien Guihery said: “We were looking for a solution that was immediately operational, simple to deploy, and economically sustainable. The quality of our exchanges with the Sensolus team also counted, particularly when it came to fine-tuning performance as we scaled.”
With a year of operational data now available, Vaillant is extending use of the platform beyond asset location, structuring preventive and corrective maintenance programmes, identifying assets requiring repair, and scheduling interventions based on data rather than reactive response.
Cyril Jouanlanne, Key Account Manager, Sensolus, concluded: “Industrial companies are looking for solutions that are simple to deploy and produce reliable, actionable data. IoT tracking allows asset usage to be objectified, time losses reduced, and continuous improvement grounded in measurement rather than estimation.”
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