Apprion

About Apprion

Apprion, founded in 2004 by Doug Donzelli, specialized in providing wireless application systems for the process manufacturing industry. The company was established in Mountain View, California, and successfully operated until it was acquired by Jacobs Solutions on January 31, 2017.

Apprion developed and centered its business around the ION System, an open and scalable platform designed to manage and integrate the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) within demanding industrial environments. This system addressed the challenge of fragmented and proprietary wireless systems in large plants by creating a unified network. The business model focused on selling these integrated systems and services to major players in the oil and gas, chemical, pulp and paper, and power/utilities sectors. A notable achievement was a multi-million dollar contract with chemical giant BASF to enhance industrial safety, security, and performance initiatives.

The company's core offering, the ION System, provided a single, customizable interface for facilities to view critical data from a variety of multi-vendor devices and applications. It was comprised of the IONosphere, an on-site controller, and IONizers, which were industrial wireless networking appliances. This architecture enabled a self-healing network with no single point of failure, ensuring reliable data communication. Apprion developed a suite of applications on this platform, including ION Intelligent Reliability for predictive maintenance, ION Collaboration for secure team communication, and ION Mustering for personnel safety and location tracking during emergencies. The system was designed to be expandable, allowing clients to add applications for asset tracking, condition monitoring, video surveillance, and workforce mobility as needed.