Axiom Cloud, a San Jose, Calif.-based company that focuses on refrigeration management, recently closed $5 million in funding.
This funding is intended to accelerate the deployment of the company’s artificial intelligence-powered Early Leak Detection module, which detects refrigerant leaks without requiring any new onsite hardware or sensors.
“Axiom Cloud’s technology and services are vital as facilities move to comply with EPA regulations outlined in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act,” Axiom Cloud co-founder and CEO Amrit Robbins told The Packer.
The AIM act has been called the single most effective climate action taken in the U.S., Robbins said, in part because it aims to cut Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, production and consumption by 85% over the next 15 years.
Axiom Cloud says it is recognized by the EPA as one of 10 compliant ALD system providers and as one of only three of those companies offering indirect leak detection that doesn’t require the installation and maintenance of sensors on refrigeration equipment.
Early Leak Detection integrates into existing refrigeration control systems and minimizes disruption while offering early leak detection and insights into system performance and energy efficiency, according to the company.
Axiom says existing customers include Grocery Outlet, Sprouts Farmers Market, HelloFresh, Whole Foods Market and other nationally-recognized brands.
In a recent case study, Sprouts Farmers Market said back-to-back refrigerant leaks each were resolved within a day. Sprouts used Axiom’s anomaly notification to open an urgent work order, and a technician repaired a leaky compressor fitting at the site a few hours later.
As a result, Sprouts avoided a storewide refrigeration failure by addressing a leak that was otherwise undetected. The store also saved 300 pounds of refrigerant, 550,000 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent abd $9,600 in refrigerant costs alone by resolving the leak early, the study showed.
Axiom Cloud says its approach combines real-world refrigeration experience with expertise in cloud analytics, thermophysical modeling, AI and automation. Currently, its subscription-based services can be deployed to 100-plus sites per week.
“In low-margin businesses like grocery and cold storage, refrigeration is basically the whole ballgame for energy, maintenance, uptime and sustainability, and there’s a lot of opportunity for improvement,” Robbins said.
