Including emissions from the production of construction materials estimated at around 3.6 GtCO2 (concrete, steel, aluminum, glass, bricks, etc.), buildings represented around 37% of global emissions in 2021, estimates a report from the United Nations.
The construction sector therefore has a lot to do to reduce its carbon footprint and approach zero emissions. Data collected by industrial equipment, including vehicles, could contribute to this environmental ambition.
Under-exploited data but useful for management
It is on this observation that the Hiboo company raised 9.3 million euros. Founded in 2017, the technological player promises to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of mobile industrial equipment fleets.
Technological partner of operators in construction, industry and equipment rental, Hiboo indicates that it processes data from more than 63,000 connected devices distributed in more than 100 countries. The added value of its solutions: a gain of up to 20% in terms of productivity and decarbonization of machinery.
The promise caught the attention of investors. Ventures Emerald and Nabtesco, ISAI Build Venture, Future Industry Venture, Ring Capital and Citizen Capital participated in the company’s fundraising.
In order to “reduce the carbon footprint of large construction sites by 20%, most of which use diesel machinery”, Hiboo has designed a SaaS software solution. This aims to exploit unused data from construction equipment.
The use of this heritage would thus allow operators to better manage their fleets by accessing indicators of equipment use and operation, as well as measuring their actual CO2 emissions.
37% of machines operate slowly
The publisher specifies that the average share of idling machinery is estimated at 37% by the French federation of buildings and public works in France. He adds that for certain machines, the ratio can climb up to 70%.
“It’s so much energy going up in smoke.” The approach to reducing this waste therefore consists of collecting machine data on its own platform, or integrating it with the main installed management software (SAP, Salesforce, BLG, etc.).
“Until now, this data generated by each machine and vehicle, whatever the brand, was not systematically used, due to lack of understanding and awareness among equipment managers,” analyzes Hiboo.
Thanks to its fundraising, the publisher plans to enrich its products, in particular “in order to make data more accessible and more intelligent.” In particular, this will involve making the data activatable or operational, for example by automatically generating alerts or reporting.
Industrialists caught between energy costs and obligations
Hiboo, which has around forty employees, also plans to recruit in sales and tech functions. The company also wishes to extend its coverage internationally to “meet the needs of its clients, whose activity is often transnational.”
“The next step for the construction industry will be to leverage machine data for faster response, clearer insights and improved overall management,” comments Mehran Zaker, investment manager at Emerald, now a shareholder. from Hiboo.
Better use of data is also critical in a context of rising energy prices and tightening regulatory obligations. And Hiboo cites the entry into force of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) on January 1, 2024.
The regulations require “companies to harmonize and improve the quality of their extra-financial reports, particularly with regard to ESG criteria.”