Uponor and Belkin will nvest an additional $12 million, $6 million each, into their joint venture company, Phyn, in 2019. The new investment will be used for ongoing research and product development for smart water solutions as well as continuing efforts to grow in the North American and European markets.

"We launched Phyn Plus to the European markets this March, first in Finland, Sweden, France and Spain, and other European countries will follow later during the year. Our customers have shown great interest in the new product, but creating a new product category takes time and patience. Therefore an additional investment was needed," comments Jyri Luomakoski, President and CEO, Uponor Corp.

Phyn Plus, Smart water assistant + shutoff is a smart home device that continuously monitors a home's entire plumbing system to detect leaks, conserve water, and save money. Utilizing patented machine-learning technology, the device measures tiny changes in water pressure to detect plumbing issues in real time and can remotely shut off the main water supply to prevent costly damage. Phyn Plus provides granular detail on water usage allowing homeowners to view water consumption across fixtures such as sinks, toilets, showers, and sprinkler systems all through the Phyn app.

"Since introducing Phyn Plus to the North American market in April 2018, several exciting enhancements have been made, further solidifying the brand positioning as the smartest, smart water leader in the residential building market," says Bill Gray, president, Uponor North America.

Gray went on to say that those enhancements include a web-based portal for property management companies, insurance providers, municipalities and others to monitor multiple Phyn Plus units across large portfolios; an early freeze alert before frozen pipes become an issue; integration with Amazon Alexa voice commands; and a new app feature that provides granular insights into water use by fixture type."

Uponor Corporation and Belkin International, Inc. formed joint venture Phyn in July 2016 to pioneer in the development of water sensing and conservation technology for buildings. A joint venture company was formed both in the USA and in Europe. Both Uponor and Belkin have 50 percent share in the joint venture.