Bluon, Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Bluon, Inc., an innovative software company focused on increasing productivity for HVAC contractors and their service technicians announced a strategic partnership with ServiceTitan, a software platform built to power the trades. The new partnership places Bluon in ServiceTitan’s Technology Partner Program and sets the stage for various levels of integration between the two platforms. home-grown A.I. support platform HVAC contractors have unique challenges due to the extreme complexity surrounding technical information required to service equipment and an ever-worsening shortage of skilled labor. Skilled HVAC technicians are increasingly hard to find and are faced with daily technical problems that require specific information and support. Bluon has created the first platform of its kind to provide HVAC technicians and related contractor staff the technical information and support they need with its one-of-a-kind database and home-grown A.I. support platform.   brand-agnostic database Bluon has built the first viable and scalable solution with its proprietary A.I. support Bluon’s proprietary, brand-agnostic database is unique in the HVAC industry. Covering over 200 brands and nearly 500,000 model number families, Bluon’s database provides manuals, schematics, original parts (BOM), part specs, and compatible replacement parts for over 20 million specific model numbers. Access to reliable technical support is a major problem for HVAC contractors and their technicians. Bluon has built the first viable and scalable solution with its proprietary A.I. support. instant answers to technical challenges Bluon’s A.I. is unlike any other due to its unique Large Language Model which has been built leveraging over 100,000 transcribed, live tech support calls previously fielded by Bluon’s best-in-class service techs. The result is practical answers for techs in the field – not sterile textbook answers. It’s as if a fellow service tech were directly answering the question. Bluon’s A.I. will allow ServiceTitan contractors to assist their technicians in the field with instant answers to technical challenges and/or diagnosing problems.  integrated data access "Partnering with ServiceTitan allows us to make a quantum leap with our mission to make HVAC contractors more productive by giving technicians the data and support they need when they need it," said Bluon CEO and Founder, Peter Capuciati. He adds, "We can create integrated access to our data and support within ServiceTitan, making its use more practical for contractors on ServiceTitan." potential benefits ServiceTitan customers have expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential benefits ServiceTitan customers have expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential benefits. "The integration of Bluon with ServiceTitan is going to drive immense value to our business," said Nels Carlson, Operations Manager of Goettl Air Conditioning, adding "The integration of the platforms will enhance efficiency and productivity across the board." greater efficiencies "This partnership will be amazing for our company," said Juan Flores, Supervisor of Lee’s Air, adding "Our team finds tremendous value in both ServiceTitan and Bluon, as they help our business in different ways, joining forces with these two powerful platforms will no doubt lead to greater efficiencies within our business." productivity increases ServiceTitan customers who also subscribe to Bluon for Business will be able to readily document their productivity increases, and, more notably, increases in revenue per technician. This will initially be facilitated through a parallel subscription to Bluon for Business, with the ultimate goal of integrating access directly within the ServiceTitan platform.

Bluon, Inc., an innovative software company focused on bringing productivity gains to HVAC contractors and their service technicians introduced MasterMechanic, a breakthrough AI tool for HVAC technicians that allows them to instantly diagnose and solve problems in the field, using only natural language. The beta product is available publicly to the entire industry for a limited time at bluon.ai.  MasterMechanic MasterMechanic is the first generative AI tool created to assist HVAC technicians. It represents the next stage of tools for service technicians and the beginning of a fundamental shift in how they will handle challenges in the field. MasterMechanic is an assistive application, designed to give HVAC technicians step-by-step answers to specific, complex problems in language that is easy to follow and very specific to the issue at hand.  Brand-agnostic and comprehensive HVAC data Bluon’s HVAC data includes nearly 50,000 problem-solution scenarios experienced in the real world MasterMechanic is similar to ChatGPT, but instead of being trained on generic internet content, it’s trained on Bluon’s brand-agnostic and comprehensive body of HVAC data. Bluon’s HVAC data includes nearly 50,000 problem-solution scenarios experienced in the real world and the knowledge of some of the top mechanics in the trade. As a result, the system understands a huge breadth of HVAC issues, in virtually every system type from residential to complex commercial units. It knows how technicians describe problems, and how to provide immediate, practical guidance. AI solutions Bluon’s data is unrivaled, making it uniquely suited to develop AI solutions, particularly in the complex and nuanced world of HVAC equipment. “You can think of MasterMechanic as the collection of Bluon's vast HVAC knowledge,” said Peter Capuciati, Chairman and CEO of Bluon, adding "It’s like a superintelligence for the industry. This early beta version has been very impressive and even shocking at times. We have an ambitious roadmap for it and are excited to continue expanding its capabilities." Machine learning approach “We've been impressed with the progress in the machine learning community; it's helped us maximize the possibilities of Bluon's immense set of HVAC data. Under the hood, MasterMechanic uses a combination of machine learning approaches including reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), retrieval augmented generation (RAG) in high dimensional vector space, and large language models (LLMs),” said Adam Curry, SVP, Bluon. Bluon sets the standard for data in the HVAC industry. The launch of MasterMechanic demonstrates Bluon’s innovation and leadership in the HVAC space, and its emphasis on making all facets of the industry more efficient. 

Bluon, Inc. and XOi, two innovative software companies focused on bringing productivity gains to HVAC contractors and specifically their service technicians, announce a partnership that will enable technicians to streamline critical workflows, including purchasing parts and materials from local distributors. Integrating Bluon’s support and e-commerce platform into XOi’s digital system of record for the HVAC industry keeps technicians on the job and reduces the time and effort spent to identify, select, purchase and pick up parts — tasks that cost technicians and contractors valuable hours each day. Bluon’s live tracking delivery system Combined with Bluon’s live tracking delivery system and rapidly growing nationwide network of distributors, XOi’s best-in-class data capture powerfully enhances the field service technology ecosystem for Bluon users. “This partnership brings immediate and substantial value to our many shared users,” said Peter Capuciati, Bluon’s CEO, adding “It’s very exciting to be collaborating with the XOi team, which shares our passion to support HVAC service technicians and genuinely make their lives better.”  Bluon’s brand-agnostic network Integration equips service technicians to easily identify, order and receive delivery of any part from BluonThe integration equips service technicians to easily identify, order and receive delivery of any part from Bluon’s brand-agnostic network of more than 2,100 distributors across the United States. The unprecedented ordering and delivery of essential parts from the job site allow techs to focus on the job at hand and make the most of their valuable skills.  “Providing technicians with enhanced solutions for identifying, ordering, and acquiring the parts they need on the job is increasingly important for the field service ecosystem,” said C. Aaron Salow, Founder and CEO of XOi. C. Aaron Salow adds, “We recognize the growing impact of parts solutions in our industry, and we’re committed to ongoing strategic investments with innovative platforms, like Bluon, that ensure we remain the pioneering end-to-end digital tool our customers need.”  Advanced cloud-based solution XOi’s advanced cloud-based solution allows field service technicians to utilize, aggregate and analyze critical job data and maximize customer value through industry-pioneering efficiency, accuracy, and accountability. XOi’s integration with Bluon allows XOi to close the loop by connecting specific job information and related data with specific part identification and acquisition, enabling users to gain a comprehensive and complete data set for each job.

The story of Bluon is the tale of how a chemical company blended a new refrigerant, and then later evolved into a large, brand-agnostic online community that helps technicians do their job. Currently, Bluon is on the verge of monetizing its platform, linking e-commerce into its vast wellspring of technical information to guide HVAC installers.  Tdx 20 refrigerant blend Bluon created and received EPA approval for its Tdx 20 refrigerant blend (R-458A) to replace R-22 and provide 20% greater efficiency. The new blend was well accepted in the market, but technicians were a roadblock, faced with a need to retrofit the new formulation into hundreds of thousands of units in the field. To address the problem, Bluon created a smartphone app providing retrofit instructions for each unit on how to make the transition. Adding features to the app XREF allows the identification of appropriate replacement parts that are compatible with a certain HVAC unit As more technicians started using the app, it took on a life of its own. In response, Bluon added new features and functionality to help technicians every day. Then Bluon acquired the XREF Publishing Company and incorporated the company’s replacement and cross-referenced part information into the platform. XREF allows the identification of appropriate replacement parts that are compatible with a certain HVAC unit. After the acquisition, Bluon incorporated XREF’s massive database of HVAC 300,000 Models including original parts lists directly into the hands of technicians on its installer app. Additionally, Bluon included the cross reference capability into its overall platform to benefit local distributors who will soon be able to use the valuable data when answering order requests coming into Bluon Member technicians on the installer app. BluonLive Recently, Bluon completed its Series B with $37 million in financing, which is enabling them to develop an e-commerce platform (BluonLive), the final link that makes the app even more valuable to HVAC installers. (The refrigerant business still provides $12-15 million in annual revenue.) “We are the only global platform that has gotten self-adopted at scale by technicians,” says Bluon CEO Peter Capuciati. The app currently has 104,000 members, roughly 30% of the 320,000 technicians in the United States, who had previously tended not to use mobile apps. Capuciati says Bluon built the app in a user-friendly, “likable” way, which explains the large audience of “sticky” users. It also provides a high level of technical support for the industry. Launch of the app The app will transform how technicians buy parts and equipment for a job site “We woke up one day and had this large community of HVAC technicians,” adds Capuciati. “So how do you monetize it without adding costs for the technician?” When the e-commerce platform launches in May or June 2022, the app will transform how technicians buy parts and equipment for a job site. Historically, technicians often didn’t know what they needed to buy until they visited a local distributor, which had the required information about which replacement parts are suitable, cross-reference by part number with the various alternatives. Now that information is part of the Bluon platform to benefit the HVAC technician in the field. Distributors Working on the app Distributors who join the Bluon Network get access to what Bluon is calling BluonLive – a portal allowing them receive order requests generated from technicians in the field using the Bluon app. BluonLive covers both “direct replacement” parts, typically the same part but white-labeled by another company; and “substantial replacements,” which may need a different wiring harness, be positioned differently, etc. Notes about how substantial replacements can be made compatible are included for the distributor to see. “We help the industry across the board,” says Capuciati. “The techs on our platform get more work done; they are more productive.” More efficient technicians can help offset the shortage of technicians in the U.S. market. Less training required Distributors with BluonLive will inform the technicians exactly what part he or she needs at what cost Each year, an estimated two technicians retire from the workforce for every recruit to the industry.  The app can also provide information to help guide less experienced technicians and lessen the need for training.  Now the process of choosing the right part can be a true e-commerce experience. Distributors with BluonLive will inform the technicians with the Bluon mobile app exactly what part he or she needs at what cost. They can buy the part on the app directly from their local distributor. Convenience The local distributor still gets the business, and the technician gets the added convenience. The app can also help wholesalers, who have a shortage of counter staff and face the imminent retirement of many employees who have the most instinct and product knowledge. The expression is that “behind every great tech is great counter staffs.” Bluon effectively scales this expression and allows the required institutional knowledge to flow to any technician’s fingertips. Brick-and-mortar distribution Bluon expects to launch their e-commerce platform this June,  with up to 2,000 stores of the roughly 6,000 brick-and-mortar distribution facilities in the United States initially signed up. In this way, they will enable and enhance the supply chain at the local level, connect techs to local distributors, and keep the local wholesaler central to the HVAC industry. And to monetize the app, Bluon will collect a small fee from the distributor for each transaction that happens between the local technician using the app and the local distributor.