THe new brand GridBit – what has changed and what has been achieved
Exactly one year ago ADD Bulgaria took а bold step – to separate its product development unit as a new brand, called GridBit. Why? Because in a fast-developing world, achieving ambitious goals requires a lot of hard work, creativity, and brave actions.
The main mission of the new brand GridBit is to create the next generation of IoT products that meet the continuously changing requirements for smart city and smart grid.
Growing the team
The first change we undertook was to find a new Technical Director who has proven himself over time and in the field in which ADD Bulgaria operates. Thus, from April 2023 Vladimir Valchovski took the position of Technical Director. With his vast experience in technological innovation, he perfectly fits into the company’s strategy, setting even higher goals.
Proof of the high professionalism and technical skills of Vladi is not only the rapid change of team culture and working methods, but also the implementation of a completely new strategic concept of the product development. Vladi expanded the team with new members – young and promising individuals, who contribute with fresh and innovative ideas daily.
more flexibility and benefits for our customers
The two main solutions of ADD Bulgaria are SLMS – for street lighting management, and EIM – for electrical infrastructure management. Both are turn-key systems, consisting of:
- Hardware modules (controllers, communication equipment, electricity meter modules, clocks, sensors, thermal camera);
- Embedded software for the modules (firmware);
- Central Software platform – the heart of the systems. It performs data collection, analysis, and visualization, command sending, report generation and execution of automated processes.
Hardware update
The new modular devices
One of the first tasks the new team started with was hardware optimization of the devices. We shifted from one-device for all to modular architecture in order to simplify the system’s implementation in different infrastructures.
Thus, we effectively created a universal product for data collection and management in real time. It can be configured to any technical requirement, economic need and customer type (utility company, industrial enterprise, municipality, retailers, trade centers, residential communities, etc. )
Vladimir Valchovski, technical director
In addition to the redesign of the devices, we also modernized the software platform. In the next section, we talk more about this.
Software architecture update
The GritBit SLMS lighting management system and the GritBit EIM electrical infrastructure management system are designed to provide detailed real-time information about the status of the monitored equipment at each object.
Some of the key changes are:
- The software platform is designed to work as Software as a Service (SaaS).
- The web – based interface provides users with the possibility to access the system without installation of additional software.
- Cloud technology and the MQTTS protocol ensure secure communication and continuous system operation.
- With the interface upgrade, the GridBit platform becomes an ideal tool for monitoring and managing lighting, electrical , metering and other types of infrastructures.
The upgraded system provides new opportunities for:
- Measurement, monitoring and control – different monitored and meausured parameters of various types infrastructure (voltage, current, temperature, gas level, air quality, electricity quality, smoke detection, resource consumption, etc.)
- Detection and notification of technical problems, unauthorized access and/or manipulation attempts – automated process based on individual settings for each object saves time, effort and financial resources.
- Integration of new and/or third-party solutions – based on the use of standard protocols
- Increasing the security and quality of the infrastructure – by adding the necessary functionalities.
The software provides a new and intuitive map visualization of all monitored objects. It presents detailed information about the communication and technical states of each asset (panel, substation, switchboard, meters and equipment). In this way, users are empowered to identify and even prevent quickly and easily potential or real problems. Based on the resulting data, companies can proactively plan how best to manage, expand and/or upgrade their assets.
GritBit offers intelligent tools that help in extracting value from hidden data that helps to optimize business processes and improve efficiency. This contributes to creating more sustainable and reliable services that meet the growing needs and community expectations.
Stefan malinowski, vp of business development
GridBit is not just a new brand, but the natural evolution of ADD Bulgaria’s years of experience and history.
We consider as success not only the considerable number of successful projects already realized, but also the personal satisfaction of our customers and partners, including that of the people from ADD Bulgaria’s team.
Our mission is to continue to be among the innovators in the field of energy digitalization and smart cities. But what we value the most are the strong relationships that we have built with our customers and partners over the years.
