This Deeptech Start-up Uses Drones and IoT To Help Industries Monitor Assets DeTect Technologies automates the inspection processes for several structures such as pipeline, stack, chimneys and tanks

Blenders Pride Reserve Collection presented Entrepreneur India's 35Under35 2020 list which included some leading names from the field of entrepreneurship and co-founder of DeTect Technologies, Daniel Raj David, made it to the coveted list.

Several industries use heavy equipment and complex processes for their operations. While machineries reduce the workload for humans, manual monitoring of such assets is extremely time taking and dangerous in some cases. Manual monitoring also becomes cost-intensive for some sectors.

However, Chennai-based DeTect Technologies is helping the industries by automating the inspection of processes on several structures such as pipeline, stack, chimneys and tanks. It offers real-time monitoring of pipelines which helps companies detect leakages and prevent accidents. It uses drones for inspection of industrial assets and also provides a platform which assesses data from UAV sources and camera to track the progress.

The Beginning

DeTect Technologies was founded in 2016 by Indian Institute of Technology-Madras alumni Tarun Mishra, Daniel Raj David, Harikrishnan AS, Karthik R, and Professor Krishnan Balasubramanian.

Speaking to Entrepreneur India, 25-year-old David explained that the journey started during their time at IIT when the co-founders began researching for their projects. Mishra along with their professor Balasubramanian had made the material which could generate signals at high temperatures. While Mishra graduated and David was completing the second year of his engineering, Mishra got a lot of exposure about his invention.

They noticed that the pipelines used for industrial work were at high temperature and there was no technology in place to monitor these pipelines. These structures could be checked only during shutdowns when they were at room temperatures.

Thus, they decided to take the invention to the market to offer industry equipment monitoring solutions especially those working in high temperatures. "Our technology allows the industries to monitor these structures without having to wait for shutdowns".

Products

DeTect Technology offers two main products namely GUMPS and NOCTUA which work towards increasing the productivity and efficiency of industries and also reduces scope for human error.

GUMPS: GUMPS (Guided Ultrasonic Monitoring Pipelines System) is an intelligent sensor which monitors pipeline thickness change in real time with the help of machine learning algorithms. This operates at high temperatures of up to 300 degree Celsius and thereby helps in increasing the efficiency of the inspection process.

NOCTUA: NOCTUA is an industrial drone used for asset inspections. It conducts automated visual and thermal inspection of industrial infrastructures reducing maintenance and inspection efforts including scaffolding, etc. According to the company, the drone can be programmed to meet the specific requirements of assets such as columns, vessels, reactors, etc., as they differ in size and shapes.

Growth

According to David, the start-up works extensively with several industries such as oil and gas, mining, windmill, construction, fertilizers, renewables, chemicals and power. "These are the industries that we operate in but oil and gas has recorded the fastest adoption because for them the risk is higher," David explained.

Some of the major clients of DeTect Technologies are Reliance Industries, BPCL, Tata Steel, ITC, Indian Oil, HMEL, Aditya Birla Group, HPCL, Royal Dutch Shell PLC (Shell) and Thermal Powertech, among others.

In November 2018, the start-up raised $3.3 million in Series A funding round from SAIF Partners, Bharat Innovation Fund, Axilor Ventures, BlueHill Capital and a few angels from the Keiretsu Forum. Currently, Detect Technologies has presence in around 22 cities in India.

While David declined to disclose data on their revenue, he claimed that the start-up recorded 10 times growth last year. He also believes that the start-up will attain break-even this year.

Journey From 2019 To 2020

David explained that in 2019, the start-up completed both GUMPS and Noctua for commercial use and also launched a new product named T-Pulse. Apart from this, the company also expanded across borders as it entered the US market.

With this in mind, he added that the company will continue to focus on its international expansion. "In 2020, the main plan is to place Detect Technologies as a sort of industrial means not just in India but in areas like the US, Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia," David added.