TOKU Systems

About: Real-time insight for energy producers

Founded in 2014 in Calgary, TOKU Systems set out with an ambitious mission: bring real-time clarity to one of the world’s most complex and capital-intensive industries. With a $2 trillion global market, oil and gas represents both an opportunity and a challenge, one where small improvements in efficiency or reliability can translate into massive economic gains.

At the heart of TOKU’s approach is an advanced pressure-sensing device that can be installed in minutes to capture continuous, second-by-second data. These sensors, combined with an intuitive monitoring platform, give operators unprecedented visibility into the health of their wells, tanks, and pipelines.

By bridging the gap between 19th-century infrastructure and 21st-century demands, TOKU is transforming how energy producers manage critical assets. Their technology helps operators predict issues before they escalate, reduce field costs, and increase production capacity, all while maintaining safety and compliance standards.

Challenge: 20th century infrastructure; 21st century demands

Oil and gas producers remain central to the global energy supply, fulfilling 80% of daily demand through a vast web of pipelines and production sites. Yet much of this infrastructure dates back decades, and in many cases, monitoring technology simply hasn’t kept pace. An estimated 90% of oil wells lack automated monitoring, and the same is true for most of the industry’s millions of miles of pipelines.

This creates both risk and inefficiency. Leaks and failures in remote areas can go undetected for long stretches, while human-led inspections consume time and money without delivering continuous visibility. At the same time, market volatility, demographic shifts, and the rise of renewable energy have squeezed the industry’s labor force, which contracted by nearly 25% between 2014 and 2019.

Traditional SCADA systems offer some relief, but they are notoriously expensive and difficult to scale across such vast networks. The industry needed a monitoring solution that could deliver real-time data, be installed quickly, and provide actionable insight without adding new operational complexity.

Solution: Powerful, affordable asset monitoring

TOKU’s breakthrough was to design a sensor that was not only technically advanced but also easy to deploy. Their patented industrial pressure sensor can be installed and configured in as little as 10 minutes, a fraction of the time required for traditional monitoring systems. Once in place, the device captures second-by-second pressure readings and transmits them securely via cellular networks.

The sensor’s design is self-sustaining, featuring a 360-degree solar panel that ensures continuous operation without manual intervention. This allows operators to install sensors in even the most remote and difficult-to-access locations, confident that they will continue transmitting high-resolution data.

All information flows into Illumass, TOKU’s web-based data platform, which operators can access on any device. Illumass not only displays real-time pressure data but also triggers instant alerts for abnormal conditions like potential leaks. This reduces reliance on costly manual inspections, supports operators tasked with overseeing hundreds of wells, and enhances both safety and efficiency in field operations.

Why Soracom: Global capability and ease of use

As TOKU began expanding internationally, they needed a connectivity solution that could scale with them. In Indonesia, testing revealed a significant problem: local SIMs often took too long to connect or required credentials like usernames and passwords. While that approach works fine for mobile phones, it rendered IIoT devices effectively unusable.

Soracom solved this challenge with multicarrier connectivity, allowing TOKU sensors to connect seamlessly across multiple networks without manual intervention. This not only ensured reliable coverage but also simplified deployment logistics in diverse markets. For an industry spread across remote and rural areas, that capability was essential.

Thanks to Soracom’s reliability and ease of onboarding, TOKU quickly saw the benefits and began planning broader rollouts. With successful deployment in Indonesia, TOKU now expects to expand its Soracom-powered systems into major markets worldwide, including the United States.

Future Plans: Enhanced capability for enhanced operational insight

TOKU’s vision extends far beyond its current offering. The company is developing a “plug-and-play” version of its pressure sensor that supports additional sensing modules, giving operators even more ways to capture field data. This modular design will allow flexibility for monitoring a wider range of conditions while keeping deployment simple.

On the software side, TOKU is working to integrate third-party analytics tools directly into the Illumass portal. By combining their high-resolution data with advanced analytical models, they aim to deliver even deeper operational insights to producers, from predictive maintenance to optimized production strategies.

With every new development, TOKU remains focused on its original mission: helping the oil and gas industry operate more safely, more efficiently, and more sustainably. By putting real-time data into operators’ hands, TOKU ensures that even the most remote assets are visible, predictable, and better managed.