“Together with our partners, we recognized that in terms of fire safety, the timber industry urgently needs a 24/7 monitoring solution which enables companies to react before a potential fire breaks out. This is in the great interest of the companies as it enables them to provide valuable arguments in terms of insurance coverage and premiums,” Avian co-founder and CEO Thomas Längle tells us in Zurich, the headquarters of the young tech company.
Avian was founded by IT and robotics experts Längle and his partner and CTO, Drew Hanover. Together, they developed a thermal imaging camera system which uses an AI algorithm patented by Avian to reliably detect temperature variations early on.
This solution has great potential: In addition to early fire detection, it can prevent machine damage, optimize maintenance work and also bring some ease into sensitive insurance-related issues.
Quick and easy start thanks to plug and play
All the customer needs to install the thermal imaging cameras is an internet connection. “Once it is placed at a strategic location inside the sawmill or factory and connected to the internet, our solution goes live within a few minutes and starts collecting valuable data right away,” Längle explains.
24/7 monitoring of critical areas of the plant: At Schilliger’s CLT factory in Küssnacht/CH, Avian installed ten cameras, for example, at the finger jointing machine … © Raphael Kerschbaumer
Avian manufactures the cameras, which are equipped with a standard and infrared lens, in Switzerland. However, the IT experts’ greatest know-how lies in the intelligent algorithm behind the cameras. This algorithm processes and analyzes each camera pixel in real time and sends the data to a cloud server hosted in Europe in compliance with all GDPR compliance guidelines. This data analysis is also what distinguishes Avian from conventional thermal imaging solutions: As soon as the AI detects a deviation from the normal state or whenever a threshold value is exceeded, it alerts the responsible decision-makers of the affected company, thereby allowing them to react and to get to the bottom of the problem.
… or the extraction system. The sawmill in Volgelsheim/FR is equipped with 13 cameras. The remaining production sites are said to follow in the future, among them the sawmill in Küssnacht in September © Raphael Kerschbaumer
This does not always have to be a potential source of fire. The AI also detects deviations from the target temperature even when it is still well below the set threshold value and therefore the point where a fire might break out. “Our algorithm detects deviations because it learns about the ‘normal state’ based on data collected in the past. For example, we can detect when a conveyor belt is dragging somewhere because the friction heats it up slightly in that spot. In this specific case, the alarm was triggered at 25 °C, and thus at a temperature well below the threshold. A fire does not necessarily break out immediately if you don’t intervene, but the conveyor belt can get seriously damaged, potentially causing unnecessarily high costs,” Längle says about the advantages of data analysis and adds: “What makes our solution so special is that the algorithm, and therefore the entire system, is constantly learning and becoming more intelligent. Threshold values and deviations from them are therefore becoming increasingly precise and, above all, more individual. For example, we are currently working on a night mode which further differentiates between when a machine is in use and when it stands still.”
Integration into existing systems
Avian’s customers do not have to use exclusively the hardware of the Swiss company, though. “Our AI, which reliably detects smoke and fire, not only runs on the RGB sensor of our thermal imaging cameras. It can also analyze image data from the countless digital security and surveillance cameras, which are already installed in many companies. Our AI receives the data via a server installed in the camera network. This allows us to analyze the images and send out a notification if fire or smoke is detected,” Längle explains and adds: “We are still in the final test phase here, but we can already say with confidence that it works.”
Top Swiss references
“The issue of fire safety is of great importance to everyone in the industry,” Ernest Schilliger, Managing Director of Schilliger Holz, says (right) © Raphael Kerschbaumer
Schilliger Holz has been Avian’s partner from day one and got the ball rolling for the young company a few years ago. “During the early phase of product development, we worked closely with managing director Ernest Schilliger and his team and identified what really matters in early fire detection in a sawmill or a glued timber factory,” Längle tells us.
“Avian has developed a solution to a problem which probably affects everyone in the industry directly. For us, it is a great partnership as it helps us make our operations much safer and improves the monitoring process,” Schilliger comments and adds: “You will never be able to reduce the risk of fires to zero, but you can do everything you can to minimize the danger as much as possible – and Avian makes that possible in a simple and straightforward way.”
“We see huge potential in this solution”: Valentin Niedermann, Head of Technology, IT and Security at Blumer Lehmann, with Avian’s CEO Thomas Längle (from left). In the background, construction of the new CLT and glulam plant is underway © Raphael Kerschbaumer
Blumer Lehmann also has similarly positive things to say. Four Avian cameras have been installed in the sawmill and pellet mill since the beginning of the year. Once the new glued timber factory at the company’s site in Gossau/CH is completed, several more cameras will likely follow. In addition, a pilot project has been underway for several months, as part of which the image data from the more than 40 existing plant and machine cameras are being analyzed. Before Avian intervened, those cameras were used by employees “only” to monitor processes. “In our company, we have a vested interest in making sure that nothing bad happens. Avian gives us a new kind of security: We can send our employees home at the end of their shift with peace of mind, because we know that the critical areas in our company are reliably monitored,” Valentin Niedermann, Head of Technology, IT and Security at Blumer Lehmann, tells us.
Insurance companies ready to negotiate again
Minimizing the risk: One camera is enough to monitor the entire pelleting plant, including the presses and mills, around the clock © Raphael Kerschbaumer
The topic of insurance is more than just a side effect of fire safety. Avian has been in close contact with large Swiss insurance companies since it was founded. “We can proudly say that some insurance companies already accept our solution for fire prevention and risk minimization. Talks in Germany and Austria are also going very well. In addition, we are working on obtaining the VdS seal of approval for our systems,” Längle says. In view of the ongoing negotiations, he does not want to go into detail yet. Schilliger is also seeing the first positive results: “In France, the system was fully approved by our insurance provider and in Switzerland, too, people are much more receptive and open to new negotiations,” Schilliger says confidently.
