When passion and precision come together, success stories like this emerge: two founders with a smart idea wanted to make heating systems more intelligent. With VIRO at their side, it became a market-ready and safe product.
From prototype to product approval
The start-up company heatbyte develops digital solutions that allow installers and private customers to monitor and optimize their heating systems. The heart of the product: a small device that collects data from the installation, analyzes it, and thus helps to use energy more efficiently. Continuous monitoring can achieve energy savings of up to 20 percent. Technically, the product was convincing early on, but before it could enter the European market, it had to meet strict requirements for CE marking, risk assessment, and material compliance. “We are software developers, not CE experts. We knew we needed support to bring our product to market safely and in compliance with regulations,” recalls Hendrik Pahl, Managing Director of heatbyte.
“My father used to work at VIRO. He is now retired, but that’s how the contact started,” says Pahl. The engineering team at VIRO took care of the entire risk assessment and the check on material compliance. Based on the manufacturer’s detailed bill of materials, all components were analyzed, assessed, and documented. “The central challenge was meeting the applicable directives to be allowed to affix a CE marking to the product. All required documents, such as the risk assessment, the user manual, data sheet, and much more, were prepared, jointly developed, or requested,” explains Christian Prinz, Group Leader Mechanical Engineering at VIRO in Osnabrück. Another highlight: VIRO produced the first prototype of the housing via 3D printing. This allowed the heatbyte box to be tested in practice for the first time, an important milestone for the young company.”
What started as a classic engineering project grew into a true partnership. Communication was simple, open, and based on trust – on equal footing and informal. “With VIRO, that was just incredibly pleasant. They clearly say what they need, guide you along the way, and really help you move forward. We never felt like just a client – it was real teamwork,” says Hendrik Pahl. Both parties have now been working closely together for about a year. And successfully: thanks to VIRO, the product now meets all legal requirements and can be deployed on the European market.
With the successful market launch, the joint chapter is far from over. Both partners are already thinking ahead: the next product generation is on the agenda, including in-house electronics development – perhaps even with the quality label “Tested Safety” (GS mark). What remains is a strong example of how partnership, technical expertise, and trust make innovation possible.
Are you interested or have questions? Feel free to contact us:
Christian Prinz
Group Leader Mechanical Engineering
c.prinz@viro-group.com
+49 (0)5424 2214491
