Hosemaster Up and Running in Lyon

Hosemaster™ has officially arrived in France, and has landed in the heart of the country’s culinary capital, Lyon. You may joke that we “do the dishes” for fire hoses, but the reception has been anything but: the station’s crews have embraced the system with real enthusiasm.

From Paris Lead to Lyon Installation

When Emil Kalliomäki, who leads international sales at Esteri Group, began mapping European partners, a conversation with Gallin in France quickly clicked. They grasped Hosemaster’s value proposition and got to work. The first potential site was one of Paris’s oldest and most storied fire stations until unexpected renovations forced a change of plan.

Enter SDMIS Lyon, about 500 km southeast of Paris. With Florent Eudo coordinating on the reseller side and Léo Rouviere handling procurement at Gallin, the new location was confirmed. Lyon, France’s third-largest city and a byword for hospitality and cuisine, proved a fitting home for a modern hose-care solution.

A Tight Fit, Literally

Before the Hosemaster machine even reached Rhône-Alpes, there were nerves. The unit had quite the itinerary: From U.S. trade show to Norway exhibition to France—a well-traveled teammate. Mid-journey, the team learned the station’s doorway was… well, essentially the same size as the machine.

“We were told the opening was almost exactly the machine’s dimensions,” recalls Antti Kalliomäki, CEO of Esteri Group. “We kept going, and held our breath.”

The result? Hosemaster cleared the door with roughly 1.5 cm to spare. Then came a second surprise: the local electrical protection device wasn’t up to the load. Once the incorrect RCD was swapped out, everything powered up as expected.

“The sweat back then is mostly laughter now,” Antti says.

“But in the moment, it got very serious for a minute.”

Hosemaster in Place, and Making a Difference

With the system sited and powered, the Lyon team got hands-on. Hosemaster replaces an old, unused unit with a fully automatic cycle; washing, pressure testing, leak detection, marking, drying, and coiling, at the push of a button. In a city famous for precision in the kitchen, it’s fair to say the “clean workflow” resonates.

Emil Kalliomäki, who iniated the whole process, was also on the installation trip.

“It was a proud moment to see a brand-new, gleaming Hosemaster take the place of an old, dusty machine,” Emil notes.

“Moreover, the crews in Lyon were very welcoming and genuinely curious.”

A common language wasn’t always available, but with Florent interpreting, onboarding was smooth.

Real-World Feedback and a Lyonais Postscript

Even intuitive technology benefits from practice. Esteri Group provides demo time to build routine and confidence. After a couple of months in service, feedback has been unanimously positive, borderline raving.

“I do feel a bit for the colleagues in Paris, but hopefully they’ll have the chance to use the system in the future as well,” says Emil Kalliomäki.

And if you visit to see Hosemaster at work, Lyon really is worth the trip. For the engineering and the eateries. At one of the bouchons, as they call the famous bistros. Naturally, the team marked France’s first installation with a local dinner. On the menu: bone marrow and tête de veau. A first for some, and a memorable one.

“The food was excellent, and certainly interesting,” Emil laughs. “Tête de veau, a whole calf’s head is a local specialty.”

Lyon’s positive experience and strong early results make us optimistic about broader adoption in France and across Europe. There’s no better way to understand Hosemaster than to see the process live and witness the difference in cleanliness, ergonomics, and consistency.

“We’re confident this momentum will continue,” says CEO Antti Kalliomäki.

Wishing the Lyon crews many safe, efficient hours with Hosemaster!

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This article was originally published on Hosemaster’s own website on December 8th.