Heating Installer Wärme Wimmer Saves Hours of Administrative Work for 90+ Keys

Based in Gröbenzell near Munich, Wärme Wimmer specializes in environmental technology, installing heat pumps, solar power systems, and air conditioning systems. With over 30 employees, the company manages a high volume of physical keys every day. These include vehicle keys for their fleet and customer facility keys entrusted to the team for regular maintenance and repairs.

Before using the Keycafe system, the company relied on a physical paper list and pens to log who checked keys in and out. This manual method was prone to errors, lacked real-time visibility, and left the team disorganized.

Misplacing customer keys was a constant threat, and searching for missing keys wasted valuable time. The office staff had to spend hours chasing down technicians to find out who had a specific vehicle or client key, causing delays in daily schedules.

To find a better way, the company searched for a system that was digital and simple to use. Managing director Tobias Wimmer wanted an app-based tool that employees could access easily on their iPads or with physical access credentials. After a brief testing period, they found Keycafe to be the perfect fit and quickly integrated it into their IT stack.

Wärme Wimmer now manages 93 keys with Keycafe, tracking fleet vehicles and customer keys for regular maintenance and repair jobs. Employees can check key availability directly on their iPads before starting a job. This capability is especially helpful during emergency call-outs, as staff can see if a key is in the box or still with a colleague.

The system allows administrators to assign specific access rights, ensuring only authorized personnel can retrieve certain keys. Employees authenticate at the Keycafe SmartBox using either the mobile app or a personal access badge to quickly retrieve or return their assigned keys.

Since installing Keycafe, Wärme Wimmer has eliminated the stress and clutter of paper lists. Key tracking is now completely automated, giving the entire organization complete transparency over their 93 keys. Staff members take better care of keys because they know every transaction is electronically logged under their profile.

The system has saved significant time in the main office. Instead of searching for lost keys or chasing down staff members to locate a vehicle, administrators can instantly view key statuses online. This speed translates directly to faster operations and better service for customers.

From a financial standpoint, the investment paid for itself incredibly fast. Tobias Wimmer estimates that the system amortized within five to six months by preventing the steep costs associated with replacing lost keys.