Noyes and Viessmann ink deal to solve the q-commerce refrigeration conundrum

German heating and cooling systems stalwart Viessmann and Munich-based startup Noyes have inked a deal that will see a collaboration aimed at driving the development of the latter’s refrigeration technology in the nano-warehousing space.

Last July I covered a nothing-out-of-the-ordinary $3.8 million funding announcement, one that few other media outlets picked up on. There were a  few mentions here and there, mostly in the German media and an English-speaking outlet reported the news over a month later. But something caught my eye about this offer. Something so good, it was almost unbelievable.

However, as of this morning, my disbelief is vanquished and something tells me that the deal penned between Noyes and Viessmann, is going to have more than quite a few mentions here and there.

Billed as setting the “foundation for a long-term partnership between the two companies,” the win that Noyes has scored in Viessmann could be the catalyst that sends the company from a nascent offer to an industry standard.

But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. A bit about Noyes Technologies first.

Specifically designed to be used in urban markets, Noyes Technologies builds a fully automated robotic warehousing solution. 

Tapping into the trend of ever-faster commerce, primarily fueled by dark stores and dark warehouses, this warehousing space in dense urban environments is not only hard to come by but is often found at a profit eroding cost. This conundrum represents one of the biggest challenges to the logistics industry, one that Noyes Technologies is addressing with a novel approach: shrink the entire process.

With its modular system, Noyes states that they can convert any storefront to a nano-warehouse, compressing 2000 Stock SKUs into a 30sqm space with a ceiling height of approximately 2 metres. Fully automated, there’s no need for aisle space, and the startup reports the entire picking process per item can be completed in five to ten seconds.

Now, think about that last get-it-to-my-door-before-I-press-send item you last ordered. Was it cold? Was it cold standards compliant? Was it frozen? No, mine wasn’t either. And for the trainspotters, my favourite is salted caramel.

Enter Viessmann’s 100+ years of experience in keeping things and people cool (and warm), and see how and where this collaboration becomes quite interesting?

“Until now, there has been no solution on the market to store different products with varying temperature requirements in a confined space and in an energy-efficient, flexible way,” explained Noyes co-founder and CEO Marco Prüglmeier. “By partnering with Viessmann, we are now developing a revolutionary system with measurable added value for customers. We are proud to have a market leader like Viessmann at our side to jointly shape the storage system industry of the future.”

The Noyes/Viessmann nano-warehouse refrigeration unit collaboration is set to be fully functional by years’ end, and one that I personally, will be keeping a close eye on.