Practice – GIMAT Liquid Monitoring

AI-Based Harvest and Quality Forecasting: GIMAT Liquid Monitoring Seeks Partners from Agriculture and Food Retail

For a joint AgTech pilot project, GIMAT Liquid Monitoring is looking for agricultural producers, grower cooperatives, and food retail companies to co-develop a digital quality and supply chain for fresh fruit.

The perfect taste experience of fresh fruit determines success at the point of sale. To digitally bridge the gap between agricultural production and retail logistics, GIMAT GmbH Liquid Monitoring is launching a forward-looking development partnership to build an AI-based harvest and quality forecasting system.

For this hands-on pilot phase, the company is seeking close collaboration with innovative partners from the food retail sector as well as progressive farms and producer cooperatives. While growers act as active data providers directly in the field, retail partners validate logistics and goods-inbound processes in real-world operations. Both sides benefit from an exclusive technological and knowledge advantage within a data-driven supply chain.

The Challenge in Food Retail: Waste Due to Reactive Quality Control

Bisher erfolgt die Qualitätsprüfung im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel meist reaktiv beim Wareneingang im Zentrallager. Currently, quality control in food retail is largely reactive, typically performed at goods receipt in central distribution centers. Late insights into the actual ripeness level lead to logistical inefficiencies, unpredictable quality deviations, and avoidable spoilage (food waste). GIMAT breaks with this paradigm through a predictive, data-driven “farm-to-fork” approach.

The Blind Spot: Continuous Ripening Along the Supply Chain

The sensitive balance between sweetness (Brix value) and acidity continuously changes during transport from the field to the supermarket shelf due to natural ripening processes. A single-point inspection is therefore insufficient. The pilot project establishes measurable control points along the entire chain—from determining optimal harvest maturity, to goods receipt at the distribution center, and finally to consumption ripeness at the retail shelf. Development partners contribute their operational data to train the AI with real-world logistics and ripening scenarios.

The Foundation: Non-Destructive, Real-Time Quality Measurement at Every Stage

Using mobile, non-destructive infrared and digital measurement technology from ATAGO—such as the innovative ATAGO HIKARi infrared refractometers or the digital PAL-BX|ACID series—growers can capture key quality parameters directly on the plant, completely contactless. The system measures the critical interaction between Brix value and acidity holistically. Since measurements with these handheld refractometers are completed within seconds, the same method can be applied easily and rapidly at all downstream stages of the supply chain. All devices are fully digital and equipped with integrated NFC (Near Field Communication): measurement data can be transferred directly from the ATAGO device to a smartphone app and then uploaded to the cloud—fully digitized and without manual effort.

The Vision: A Shared Cloud for Maximum Planning Reliability

On the software side, GIMAT leverages a proven network and a long-standing technology partner that has already delivered successful large-scale projects in other industries. Field data is seamlessly uploaded to a smart cloud platform. This is where the key value for supply chain transparency is created: both growers and retail partners have equal access to the same real-time ripening curves. This end-to-end digital transparency significantly improves planning reliability for both sides:

For agricultural producers & cooperatives: Continuous proof of product quality, reduced claims through objective data, and positioning as digitally advanced premium suppliers with reliable delivery commitments.
For food retailers: Buyers and logistics teams can precisely manage shipments just-in-time before spoilage occurs. This drastically reduces write-offs, improves shelf freshness, and ensures consistent fruit quality for consumers.

A Strong Technology Alliance as the Foundation

This innovation project successfully connects field data to the cloud through a combination of expertise: GIMAT GmbH is the only authorized and certified ATAGO service center in Germany as well as across Central and Northern Europe. The company is not merely a distributor—it possesses deep process and technical expertise in the high-precision optical and digital measurement systems of ATAGO (Japan), a global market leader. This engineering know-how forms the foundation for developing advanced data interfaces.

Together with the proven software and cloud architecture expertise of its long-standing development partner, data streams are consolidated into an AI-based prediction model that combines field measurements with climate data.

Call for Development Partners: Shape the Future of AgTech Supply Chains

To develop this connected, AI-driven supply chain in a practical and demand-oriented way from the ground up, GIMAT is now seeking true development partnerships with forward-thinking retail companies and ambitious producers. Selected partners will contribute their real-world application expertise, actively shaping the digital supply chain of the future while securing exclusive market advantages.

Contact for Project and Partnership Inquiries

Interested retail companies (innovation teams/purchasing departments) and producer cooperatives are invited to contact Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Volker Koschay directly at: volker.koschay@gimat.de

When the Brewery Sleeps, the Wastewater Plant Starves: How Two Smart Sensors Solve the “Weekend Dilemma”

Wastewater treatment plant operators can reduce operating costs and reliably meet discharge limits thanks to SENTRY bio-sensors.

A strict effluent limit, two large breweries “off duty,” and a biological system on hunger strike: when local industries shut down production over the weekend, many wastewater treatment plants are pushed into a critical imbalance. Using a current customer case, GIMAT Liquid Monitoring demonstrates how a biological two-sensor system reduces the consumption of costly auxiliary chemicals like ethanol, protects budgets, and safeguards receiving waters.

The Invisible Drama on Friday Evening

Wastewater treatment plants never sleep. But their most important engine—the billions of microorganisms in the activated sludge tank—operates in sync with local industry. During the week, everything runs smoothly at the affected plant: two large breweries discharge their production wastewater. For the bacteria, this is a feast. They consume the dissolved carbon and use that energy to biologically remove environmentally harmful phosphorus from the water (enhanced biological phosphorus removal, EBPR).

But right on schedule—weekends and public holidays—the shock follows: brewery production stops, and the corresponding wastewater inflow suddenly ceases. At the treatment plant, a biological famine sets in. Without their usual carbon source, the microbiology slows down or stops. Natural phosphorus removal collapses.

The consequences are severe: total phosphorus (P\_tot) levels at the plant effluent rise uncontrollably. Even rapidly intensified chemical precipitation using iron salts has often failed in the past to consistently meet strict regulatory discharge limits. The plant regularly found itself in a critical compliance situation.

Ethanol: The Expensive Lifeline

The process engineering solution for starving bacteria seems simple: supply an external carbon source—high-purity ethanol. It acts like a liquid energy booster and immediately brings the biological process back on track.

But ethanol has a downside: it is extremely expensive.

Until now, manual dosing has been a risky guessing game:

Dose too late, and phosphorus levels spike into the critical range—risking permit violations and regulatory intervention.
Dose too long (for example, if the breweries resume discharge earlier than expected), and the plant wastes thousands of euros on unnecessary chemical consumption.

Even fixed timer-based dosing fails completely in this situation. The plant urgently needed “eyes” to monitor the bacteria’s metabolic state in real time.

Der digitale Blick auf das Wohlbefinden der Bakterien

This is exactly where GIMAT’s solution comes in. Instead of dosing based on assumptions, the team installed a SENTRY dual-sensor system. The principle is innovative: a microscopically thin biofilm of the plant’s native microorganisms grows directly on the sensors. As these microbes metabolize available carbon, they generate tiny electrical currents. The system measures, minute by minute, the actual “heartbeat” and substrate availability of the biology.

To solve the weekend dilemma, the sensors are deployed as a strategic pair:

Sensor 1 in the influent (after primary clarification): acts as a digital sentinel, immediately detecting when the carbon-rich brewery load disappears over the weekend or returns on Monday.

Sensor 2 in the anaerobic zone (EBPR stage): directly measures the activity of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs). It reports in real time: “Warning—carbon limitation, phosphorus removal at risk,” or “Sufficient substrate—stop dosing.”

Precision Control: Full Throttle and Full Stop at the Right Moment

In practice, the result is a textbook example of modern, data-driven wastewater management. Ethanol dosing is no longer based on schedules, but on actual biological demand:

Reliable compliance: when the SENTRY system detects carbon limitation, ethanol dosing starts automatically and precisely. Biological phosphorus removal continues without interruption, and effluent values remain safely below regulatory limits.
Automatic cutoff: as soon as the breweries resume operation and natural carbon returns, the influent sensor responds instantly. The ethanol pump stops immediately—preventing any waste of expensive chemicals.

Conclusion: An Investment That Pays for Itself

This success story shows that sustainable water protection and cost-efficient plant operation are not mutually exclusive. With GIMAT’s SENTRY system, operators no longer react to past conditions but control the process proactively. Thanks to the substantial savings in ethanol consumption, the reagent-free and low-maintenance system pays for itself in a very short time—ensuring peace of mind in the control room, even over the weekend.

Full Automation at Any Cost? Why “Hybrid” Is Often the More Economical Choice

In coolant management, there are three paths to automation: partial, full, or hybrid automation. All have their justification, but in the end, economic efficiency is what matters.

For small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, we at GIMAT have defined a smart middle ground with the DOSIMETRIX (registered as a utility model with the German Patent and Trademark Office, DPMA): hybrid automation.

What does it entail?

Automatic core: Mixing and dosing are 100% automatic (eMix1500). This guarantees maximum precision and stabilizes the process on a long-term basis.
Real-time transparency: The fill level is continuously monitored “live” and without contact. The system operates completely maintenance-free in this regard.
Human-in-the-loop: The human operator remains the crucial corrective element. Why? Because any inline sensor technology—no matter how precise—requires regular attention when dealing with demanding media (such as esters or glycol) or the “natural” pH drift. We do not promise a “one-size-fits-all, all-inclusive carefree package” that ignores physical necessities. Targeted digital manual measurement is often more reliable here than highly complex sensor technology that still requires manual cleaning and calibration.
Closed-loop digitalization: All data flows into the FLUIDAS cloud. The system automatically reports requirements, controls the replenishment process itself, and documents everything in a legally compliant manner. This creates a closed control and information loop (see graphic).One detail that makes our ‘closed loop’ particularly efficient: If you use ATAGO refractometers, you can transfer the measured values directly to the app and the FLUIDAS cloud using the integrated NFC function. No manual logging, no transmission errors. For all other measured variables, the system remains flexible and allows manual entry—ensuring the data foundation for the eMix1500 is always complete.

Conclusion:

If an expert has to be on-site anyway for the maintenance of the measuring systems, our hybrid approach is often the smarter path: It massively relieves personnel of mixing and dosing tasks, while leveraging human expertise for the final checks.

This saves high investment costs and creates genuine transparency—without raising false expectations of maintenance-free full automation.

How do you handle this in practice? Do you consistently rely on “full auto,” or is the human factor still the most important supervisory authority in your operations?

Did you know that the Water Resources Act affects your cooling lubricant system?

Many companies use cooling lubricant emulsions (KSS) – but not all of them know that these substances must be classified according to water hazard classes (WGK) and that handling them is subject to strict requirements under German water legislation.

The general requirements of the Water Resources Act (WHG) are specified in the AwSV (Ordinance on Installations for Handling Substances Hazardous to Water).
Even individual tanks with a volume of less than 220 l can be AwSV-relevant – but the actual topic only really becomes relevant with automation.

Automation is not a risk – if it is done right:

Manual filling processes are usually observed directly – employees recognize overfilling immediately.

Automated systems, on the other hand, run unattended – and this is precisely why the AwSV requires technical safeguards such as overfill protection, leakage detection and retention devices for such systems.

This is no reason to worry – but a reason to rely on well thought-out systems.

The good news:

There are solutions that not only fulfill these requirements, but also implement them in a practical and reliable manner – first and foremost Brisco Systems GmbH:
With the eMix1500 in combination with the eLevel100, a system is available that:

via a fixed cable connection,
an integrated level sensor,
and an automatic emergency stop system

and thus technically rules out overfilling.

Are you planning to fill your cooling lubricant tanks automatically?

We have been dealing with the requirements of the Water Resources Act and the AwSV for many years. As a system integrator and official sales partner of Brisco Systems in Germany, GIMAT Liquid Monitoring advises companies on the planning and design of AwSV-compliant systems.

Feel free to contact us – you are in the best hands with us.

With cooling lubricants, droplet size determines the emulsion quality

Small droplets and homogeneous oil distribution are crucial for the service life of your cooling lubricant emulsions – and therefore your operating costs. We have intensively studied the available systems for the automatic mixing and dosing of cooling lubricant emulsions. We compared various providers and technologies – with a clear result:

The eMix1500 from the Swiss company Brisco Systems GmbH convinced us the most in terms of mixing quality, droplet size distribution, ease of use and integration capability. That is why we have included the eMix1500 in our sales program and are now offering it as a central component of our (hybrid) automation solutions in cooling lubricant fluid management.

The eMix1500 works with SmartFusion technology. This ensures a precise mixing ratio, pressure and turbulence. This creates micro-droplets that are optimally distributed in the medium and enable a significantly longer service life. The result: lower concentrate consumption and more stable processes.

Micro-droplets. Mega effect: eMix1500 revolutionizes your coolant fluid management. Interested? Please contact us.

Cooling lubricants: Automatically achieve the perfect coolant emulsion with smartFusion technology

Mixing water and oil to create a stable cooling lubricant emulsion is a critical step in metalworking. Many companies have been using Venturi or proportional mixers for years – but the concentration has to be set manually.

However, modern fluid management demands more:

Automatic setting of the target concentrations
Optimal droplet size
Homogeneous oil distribution
Real-time control and system integration

However, conventional technology cannot be used in mixing devices with automatically regulated cooling lubricant concentration. Brisco Systems, the Swiss developer and manufacturer of smartFusion technology and the eMix1500, has consistently implemented the high requirements for automatic mixing and is thus setting new standards:

Almost perfect emulsion formation with very high dispersion quality
Long-term stability without segregation
Precise concentration control in real time
Integration in hybrid or fully automated
Fluid management solutions

The perfect emulsion is now created automatically.
The eMix1500 is the new reference for intelligent coolant mixing.

GIMAT is an official sales partner of Brisco Systems in Germany and brings this technology directly into your production.

Hybrid automation for cooling lubricants – the new way

We believe that we need to rethink coolant fluid management. We often come across the terms “manual” and “fully automatic” when it comes to measuring, dosing, mixing and documenting cooling lubricants.

What if there was a third way?

A path that not only integrates technology, but also consciously focuses on people in certain areas, with their actions, their experience and their flexibility. A path that will allow digital intelligence in the future without expensive full automation?

We call this approach hybrid automation.

It’s more than a system – it’s a way of thinking. A new way for humans, machines and data to work together. We are convinced that anyone who thinks hybrid automation is thinking about the future.

A specialist article will be published shortly.
A white paper will follow.

We look forward to exchanges, perspectives and co-creators.

Smart Buildings – Are you already using sensors, LoRa, dashboards or AI to monitor water and wastewater systems in buildings?

The demands placed on modern buildings are increasing—not only in terms of energy efficiency, but also in the monitoring of water and wastewater systems.

Technologies such as LoRaWAN, dashboards, and AI-powered analytics now enable precise, automated, and sustainable monitoring—even in existing buildings.

Here at GIMAT Liquid Monitoring, we explore how far these technologies have already advanced in practical application—and where untapped potential still lies.

Cooling Lubricant Fluid Management: Initial Steps Toward Automation for Individual Tanks

Here’s how it works:

Manual measurements of oil concentration using ATAGO digital refractometers.
Manual entry of the respective oil concentrations into the eMix1500 from Brisco Systems GmbH, one of the most advanced automatic mixing and dosing systems for cooling lubricant emulsions.
Contactless level sensors from GIMAT Liquid Monitoring.

This keeps the levels in the individual tanks at the machine tools (almost) constant. And the concentration is always at the optimal level.

As an authorized distributor for ATAGO (Japan) and Brisco (Switzerland), you get everything from GIMAT as a single source!

Digital Fluid Management Explained in 3:18 Minutes – How Simple Cooling Lubricant Monitoring Can Be!

Monitoring and maintaining cooling lubricants (CL) is a core component of modern manufacturing processes. Our partner SDNORD has released a new explanatory video showing how the FLUIDAS software helps companies in the metalworking industry manage their CL processes digitally, securely, and efficiently.

A special highlight: Using the ATAGO refractometers and measurement devices for pH and conductivity, among others, distributed by GIMAT, measured values can be transferred directly and paperlessly into FLUIDAS. This saves time, reduces sources of error, and lowers costs – a real added value for any modern fluid management system.

And the best part: FLUIDAS is easy to set up, intuitive to use, and cost-effective – without any complicated IT projects or lengthy training. This makes getting started with digital CL monitoring completely straightforward.

GIMAT Liquid Monitoring is a sales partner for FLUIDAS.

Watch now and discover how FLUIDAS takes your fluid management to the next level!

FLUIDAS® Explainer Video »

Take a look now and feel free to contact us if you’re interested – there are currently attractive entry opportunities available.