The CEO of Imhoit, Julio Alfredo Botto, traveled through Europe four years ago to find the best location to set up a research and development (R&D) center focused on the Internet of Things (IoT). The Catalan capital ended up being the chosen one. "Barcelona has the best of different worlds," explains Botto. The presence of funds, startups, and research centers were the factors that convinced him to establish himself in DFactory Barcelona, a new economy and industry 4.0 center promoted by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB).
Imhoit is part of Cloudspace Technology, a group of companies dedicated to IoT based in Argentina that sought to expand and cross the pond. With a presence in the United States, Peru, and Chile, DFactory became the gateway to Europe. "We have been here since DFactory opened," says Botto. Without forgetting the attractions that convinced him to locate in Barcelona, the executive acknowledges that he did not properly assess the tax system, which has partly slowed down the progress of his establishment in the country.
The R&D center that the multinational has located in DFactory functions as the technological counterpart of Cloudspace Technology, to whom it provides innovation and knowledge. In this way, Imhoit is responsible for the development of innovative and disruptive projects, relying on the group to access its software, data, consulting, and cloud solutions.
Some of the projects that Imhoit is developing in Barcelona are practical applications such as, for example, how to prevent scooter batteries from burning, a concern present in homes but also among public transport operators, which has led to their prohibition. To prevent this, the company proposes using sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to detect when the device is overheating and to be able to deactivate it before it catches fire.
The Argentine company also focuses on other issues such as the security of data managed by IoT solutions, often for the proper functioning of infrastructures that cannot fail for a second, such as a nuclear power plant or a mine. The experience that Cloudspace Technology has accumulated over the years in the field of IoT serves its R&D center to propose new use cases to face the new challenges faced by an industry in full transformation. Other sectors they work with are agribusiness, marine and fluvial, transport and logistics, medicine, oil and gas, and smart cities.
Start invoicing and hiring for 2024
Created almost two years ago, in January 2022, Imhoit has a staff of four employees. For next year, it plans to grow and reach between 10 and 15 employees. "We have never been many. We believe that you don't have to know everything, but rather know how to collaborate and be very specialized in a vertical," defends Botto.
Both last year and this year the R&D center had no income and expects to start registering it from next year. According to its forecasts, turnover will be half a million euros in 2024. Imhoit has a scientific subsidiary in Ukraine, with a staff of more than 50 workers. In 2024, it plans to reach Saudi Arabia.