A recent study, the Industrial Digitisation Report, found that there are already 6.4 billion data-communicating objects around the world and forecast that number to balloon to around to 20 billion by 2020, a 128% increase in just two years. Perhaps even more impressive are the financial numbers. MarketsandMarkets claims that the industry will expand from the $170 billion-dollar business it was last year to being worth over half a trillion dollars by 2022. It is no surprise then that the race to lead the IoT market is heating up, and such we’re taking a look at the companies leading the way at the moment in IoT manufacturing. Although IoT will create an era where the digital and the physical will be inseparable this article will just look at the physical side of manufacturing.
We’ll look not only at the bigger companies involved in manufacturing but also some of the smaller single product manufactures hitting the markets right now. We’ve hand-picked a selection of IoT products demonstrating the wide range of applicable uses that IoT technology has for the consumer, ranging from kitchen appliances all the way to medical devices.
Due to the focus on physical manufacturing companies that solely provide wireless carriers, servers or build IoT platforms won’t be included. It’s for this reason that you won’t see the likes of GE, Microsoft, Hitachi or Dell on this list but who will, no doubt, be imperative to IoT and its future.
The Big Players
ARM (Arms Holding)
One of the largest software & chip design and manufacturers its natural that Arm, with its total assets of over three billion dollars has not only the recourses but also the desire to lead the way in IoT chip & software production. It’s already planning a release of a new form of chips specifically designed to dominate the oncoming market for machine learning chips. According to Arm ‘Project Trillium will transform our lives through a new class of advanced and ultra-efficient machine learning and object detection processors purpose-built to redefine device capabilities’. Almost every other company on this list will be using Arm chips and with their expertise and pull they will no doubt be leading the way.
Rolls-Royce
Another company getting seriously involved is Rolls-Royce, their recent partnership with IoT Tribe North, a company that helps spot and grow tech IoT start-ups, reveals their ambition to be on the cutting edge of this new sectors innovation. Rolls-Royce currently use IoT within their jet engines to monitor performance and adapt their engines, but will no doubt be extending this use to optimize their engineering as well as their manufactured goods. Sachin Gupta, Rolls Royce chief of IoT, has stated they want ‘To leverage the data generated by IoT sensors to make better decisions and optimize customers – and Rolls-Royce’s – operations’. Given the push towards self-driving cars we can expect to see them producing vehicles dependent on IoT very shortly.
TE Connectivity
Sensors are a vital part of IoT technology. IoT will connect varying industries and allow them to communicate to each other but these industries will depend on sensors to understand the data and act upon it accordingly. TE Connectivity is the company that is currently dominating this important sphere at the moment. Having recently acquired Measurement Specialties for $1.7bn, TE currently manufactures 90% of sensors used in IoT technologies. TE CEO, Tom Lynch, described the acquisition as ‘a key part of our strategy to be a leader in the very attractive, high-growth sensor industry… It enables TE to provide customers with an unmatched range of connectivity and sensor solutions that are essential in a world where everything is increasingly connected.’ With their impressive market dominance they’re leading the way in sensor manufacturing.
Google
Although Google arrived fairly late to the IoT field they are certainly trying to make up for lost time. Four years ago Google acquired Nest, a smart-home thermostat and alarm maker, for $3.2 billlion in an effort to capture the future of IoT devices. Indeed, just last year Google launched its Cloud IoT Core to the public in a major move, and just recently acquired software company Xively to help manage its future range of IoT devices, such as Nest. It’s hard to imagine a technological field without Google’s involvement and thus it’s no surprise that Google is trying to muscle its way into blossoming market. Their recent ventures into phones and smart home hubs (Google Home) are indicative of a company interested in being the ones to manufacture our future IoT devices.
Google’s revenue of $100 billion dollars a year results in a huge acquisition power and with forecasts of an overall $15 trillion aggregate IoT investment between 2017 & 2015 it will be companies such as Google that will dominate the acquisition and production of IoT goods.
Exciting IOT Products
Skybell
Ever wished you could check who’s at your door without getting out of bed? Then video doorbells are the solution you have been looking for and Skybell are the leading product on that front. By connecting to your smart phone or device, Skybell allows you to see, speak and unlock the door all wirelessly. Its HD video capabilities and partnering with leading security companies, such as Honeywell and Alarm.com, mean that the award winning Skybell product will be seen much more frequently in our future.
Propeller
A great demonstration of the simple & great applicable uses that IoT technology can bring to our future, this Bluetooth device merely attaches to the top of most inhalers and collects data via a sensor to measure how often you are using the device. By sending the data to your phone it enables you to ‘understand how in control you are of your breathing and how to avoid things that make it difficult’. It’s simple application and ability to not only help their client’s health but also medical costs has resulted in it being backed by an array of foundations, Safeguard Scientifics & California HealthCare Foundation to name just a few. Indeed, the company has penned more than 45 commercial programs around their tech and with 1 in 12 people having asthma it’s no wonder that this GSK partnered product is hotly discussed.
deako
Like the video doorbell, smart lights are certain to be an IoT product of the future. Lights that can be controlled via an app has been a concept for a while but its Deako that has the cleanest product out there. Named in the top 50 start ups in 2017 by Bloomberg Deako doesn’t require expensive smart light bulbs, instead it only needs to install their Bluetooth ‘smart switches’, which unlike many other offerings are still viable to use outside of a single hub. That’s right if your internet connection goes down, the fear for every IoT manufacture, the light switch still works. Their design has won them many fans and having just raised $2.1 million to expand into the US Deako looks on the way to becoming the dominant ‘smart light’ company.
June Oven
From medical use to lighting use, IoT is shown to be valuable in a wide range of circumstances. Indeed, with the June Smart Oven people can use IoT technology to even help make their dinner.
Heralded as the biggest culinary invention since the microwave Smart Cookers are the impending new appliance of our Kitchens but you will have to part with a small fortune to get one. Despite the June Smart Oven’s $1500 price tag (!!) this table top convection oven is the most prominent member of the smart oven world and its range of features show why. This oven allows you to watch your food via video streamed to your phone, control the heat and gives you reminders on your cooking. However, it does far more than that. The June Smart Oven detects what food you put in, accesses a cooking database and suggests cooking modes and times for it. If you like the suggestion, it implements it and all the cooking is done for you. It’s no doubt that this IoT device will have its fans (excuse the pun) as well as avid critics but whatever your view, this product will be very readily available, very soon.
Whatever the applicable use, IoT technology is sure to revolutionise not only our working routines but our day to day life. To find out more about IoT technology and how we can help you develop your IoT capabilities get in touch via email at [email protected].
