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From Sierre, Eversys delivers coffee machines all over the world. The key to success: The machines record dozens of data points per cup.
The Valais-based company Eversys has signed a contract with one of the largest international coffee house chains and will deliver coffee machines to the USA from 2024.
The high-tech devices are developed and produced at the headquarters in Sierre (VS).
Success thanks to foresight
In 2017, eight years after it was founded, the young company achieved a coup: the Irish catering company Frank and Honest ordered 600 coffee machines from Switzerland in one fell swoop.
The Irish were looking for coffee machines for their coffee house chain that could automate billing. “At the time, we were the only company that offered a machine that could be used to build such a system,” explains Jonathan Besse, who heads the development department at Eversys.
The potential of data recognized early
This was possible because the people of Valais consistently pursued the idea of the “Internet of Things” right from the start. Every coffee machine is connected to the Internet and can therefore provide information about all sorts of things – such as the number and type of coffee that has just been brewed or whether there are enough beans left.
Legend: The Eversys professional coffee machine: Sensors constantly provide technical data. Eversys
The operators of coffee house chains or motorway service stations rely on such data for their operation and maintenance.
Quality thanks to insight from data
But Eversys went further. “We were the first to look at technical data in addition to sales data,” says Jonathan Besse.
Sensors in the machine measure different values such as temperature or pressure and thus provide a look inside. Every time a machine makes coffee, it sends between 20 and 40 measurements over the Internet.
Special software observes and analyzes the measurements. If it registers deviations, it sounds the alarm and, if necessary, calls for a service technician – in good time, before the coffee machine is completely out of service.
Data helps with development
And Eversys collects data long before a machine goes into operation anywhere in the world. Data also forms the basis for artificial intelligence.
Legend: During production in the factory, all modules are thoroughly tested and measurements are taken: pumps, brewing chambers, mills or the ventilation system. If the customer experiences problems later, this information will help with troubleshooting. `ZVG
AI from the Alps
In 2019, Eversys began collaborating with the AI research institute Idiap in Martinach (VS).
It all started with a dream: Wouldn’t it be nice if AI software could improve the quality of the coffee? But they quickly learned that these demands were far too high, says Jonathan Besse.
AI is not a magical tool that simply spits out a solution. The reality is different: just really understanding your own data took half the time. But they learned a lot in the process, says Jonathan Besse.
Data now plays a central role for the entire company: from development to production to quality control and marketing, everyone depends on data. It is therefore crucial that data specialists work on site in Sierre.
This is possible because AI research has been carried out and people trained at an international level at the Idiap Research Institute in Valais since 1991. Eversys is just one of dozens of companies in the Rhone Valley that benefit from this know-how.