• GROHE benefits from access to cloud technology and the network of relayr, an IoT expert that has recently announced an agreement to be acquired by its long-time strategic partner Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB), part of the Munich Re group, one of the world's top providers of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions.
• Thanks to this partnership, the intelligent water security system GROHE Sense can be connected more flexibly and faster with other IT ecosystems and networking platforms, especially those that are run by insurance companies.
• The partnership will allow faster to move from water damage cost reduction to prevention based on aggregated data.

Düsseldorf, Germany, 5 October 2018. GROHE, the world's leading provider of sanitary fittings, and relayr, an Internet of Things (IoT) expert are forming a partnership together to jointly reduce the risk of water damage. The partnership enables GROHE to access the technology and network of relayr, which will help to connect the intelligent water security system GROHE Sense more flexibly and faster with other IT ecosystems and networking platforms, especially those that are run by insurance companies. GROHE's Smart Home solution monitors humidity, detects water leaks, immediately gives warnings and shuts off the water supply automatically. In more than half of the households (54%) in Europe, water damage has occurred at least once.

relayr Offers World-class and Custom-fit IoT Solutions

relayr provides first-class IoT solutions and makes them available to customers on an individual base. The company also combines its technology know-how with high-performance financial and insurance services. The open technology architecture allows for other companies to be integrated easily into GROHE's existing infrastructure. Insurance companies, for example, can offer their customers the reliable GROHE Sense water sensor and the smart GROHE Sense Guard control unit, both of which they can use via their own technology platform. As a market leader, relayr has already proved in many highly scalable projects that they can integrate millions of devices while operating consistently. The acquisition by HSB of relayr is scheduled to close later this month, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions.

Ideal Partner for GROHE

“With Munich Re and relayr, we have found the ideal partners for our GROHE Sense water security system,” says Michael Rauterkus, CEO of GROHE. “Thanks to their access to insurers via their strategic partnership with the Munich Re group, relayr is able to adopt GROHE’s new go-to-market approach and to drive our new business model: to make the GROHE Sense system more widely available via insurance companies and other multipliers and to move faster from reducing water damage costs to prevention based on data. With this cooperation GROHE becomes a strong partner of the connected world.” “We are very pleased to establish a powerful alliance against water damage together with GROHE,” says Josef Brunner, CEO relayr. “That partnership enables us to easily provide our customers and other Smart Home solution providers with GROHE’s excellent water security system. Water damage is a huge problem across the globe and extremely bothersome for anyone affected – now we have a chance to tackle it effectively and efficiently.”

GROHE Sense and GROHE Sense Guard Protect Your Home

In Europe, repair costs due to water damage incidents amount to an average of € 2,297, although 93% of the damage incidents could have been prevented by appropriate protection systems. This is exactly where the smart water security system GROHE Sense and GROHE Sense Guard comes into play. The GROHE Sense system consists of the water sensor GROHE Sense and the control unit GROHE Sense Guard. The reliable water sensor measures room temperature and humidity, detects water retention and sends alerts when readings are abnormally high or low. The smart control unit GROHE Sense Guard measures the system temperature to indicate the risk of frost, detects leaks and shuts off the water supply automatically in the event of an alert. Together, GROHE Sense and GROHE Sense Guard protect homes from unpleasant surprises caused by water pipes.