Vodafone, Arrow Electronics Link Up With IoT Agreement
Vodafone has announced that Arrow Electronics will become the first electronics components distributor to integrate Vodafone’s Internet of Things technology into its IoT Things eVolved initiative, as well as Arrow’s range of dedicated IoT modules and developer kits globally.
Arrow Electronics will sell Vodafone’s global IoT SIM and offer Vodafone-managed connectivity as part of its eVolve IoT initiative. Arrow’s eVolve offering combines hardware and software capabilities to simplify how original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), enterprises and suppliers build, deploy and manage connected and intelligent systems. eVolve is an end-to-end framework enabling businesses to deploy, manage, monitor, analyze and monetize secure connected devices throughout their life cycle.
According to the companies, the combination of Arrow and Vodafone solutions provides global network coverage, wireless and embedded edge technologies, systems integration, data platform and cloud integration, enterprise computing, IoT edge device connectivity and application enablement for millions of connected devices. The agreement will allow Arrow to market and resell network services tailored to customer applications.
“A strong ecosystem will be a significant driver to the future success of the IoT, and we believe that relationships like this with Arrow Electronics will help to shape the sector,” said Ivo Rook, Vodafone’s Internet of Things director, in a prepared statement. “The global reach of Arrow is matched by the world-class IoT capabilities of Vodafone.”
Aiden Mitchell, Arrow Electronics’ VP of IoT global solutions, added in the statement, “We are all about providing the best components and the best service to our customers. Vodafone is a committed leader in IoT. We believe that this will be a relationship that will go from strength to strength.”
Navigant Research Says Internet of Things Market Expected to Reach $500 Million in 2020
A recent report from Navigant Research explores the U.S. market for the Internet of Things, focusing on technology trends, customer adoption, utility rollouts and the vendor landscape, with cost curve projections and adoption forecasts, through 2025.
The developing IoT market will require a rethinking of current utility business models to capture market share in this broader demand-management landscape, the research indicates. The Internet of Things enables customers to manage their energy independently, as the technologies open the door to ongoing relationships through devices, software and services.
“IoT is not one device or technology but a platform of data collection devices, secure data networks, software, and services that deliver actionable insight,” said Casey Talon, a principal research analyst with Navigant Research, in a prepared statement. “If utilities seize the opportunity, they can leverage this to enhance customer offerings and increase customer engagement.”
To position their businesses to succeed, according to the report, utilities should develop an IoT service strategy to compete with investment on the customer side of the meter. Utilities should also consider developing, acquiring or partnering to offer IoT-enabled managed services.
The report, titled “IoT Enabled Managed Services,” examines the IoT market in the United States, with a focus on technology trends, customer adoption, utility rollouts and the vendor landscape. Cost curve projections and adoption forecasts are provided through 2025, along with estimated customer distribution by U.S. state. Featuring Navigant Research’s Utility Technology Disruption Matrix and Execution Grid, the report also examines implications for traditional utility business models, features utility case studies and offers strategic recommendations for industry stakeholders to position for long-term success. An executive summary of the report is available for free download at Navigant Research’s website.
HWTrek Simplifies IoT Development and Manufacturing Supply Chain Collaboration
HWTrek (Hardware Trek), a provider of an open innovation and collaboration platform for hardware creation, has announced an update that adds cloud-based collaboration features to its platform. The update improves manufacturing and supply chain visibility and transparency, the company reports, and also increases efficiency, enabling more effective communication between hardware developers and supply chain partners that constitute a multi-member project team on the platform.
According to IDC, the IoT market is expected to reach $1.7 trillion in 2020, up from $655.8 billion in 2014. Meanwhile, the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry, including electronics original design services (ODM), should expect revenues of $505 billion in 2019. New Venture Research estimates that total electronics assembly value was $1.3 trillion in 2015 and will grow to approximately $1.6 trillion in 2020. The source of innovation is shifting to small and medium-sized businesses in these industries, the company explains, due to the barriers of communication and collaboration between hardware developers and the global manufacturing and supply chain.
HWTrek’s integrated enterprise business-to-business service platform and tools for hardware development assist hardware innovators in leveraging HWTrek’s global hardware community of more than 1,900 design, manufacturing and supply chain experts offering resources and services. These include more than 900 solutions and programs tailored to accelerate product development, project management and go-to-market.
New collaboration features include group-based problem solving and task management, to-do lists, unique contact lists, work stored in a central location, and document time-stamping. HWTrek’s cloud-based, collaborative software-as-a-service platform connects more than 9,000 hardware creators that have created 2,500 projects on the platform to 1,900 manufacturing and supply chain industry experts from China, Taiwan and Japan to the rest of the world. More than 3,000 inquiries have been successfully bridged with manufacturers and other experts.
Infiswift Partners With Acuitus Ag to Develop Smart Solution for Data-Driven Farming
Infiswift, an enterprise Internet of Things platform provider, has announced a partnership to develop IoT solutions with Acuitus Ag, an Idaho technology company that provides ag-tech solutions to farm equipment suppliers. The solution will leverage IoT technology to capture data across the entire value chain.
“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Infiswift on the development of what we see as a revolutionary shift in ag technology,” said Dan Piquet, Acuitus Ag’s solutions architect, in a prepared statement. “Infiswift is the ideal partner for Acuitus because it offers the unique combination of powerful IoT platform technology and professional services. This allows Acuitus to customize its offerings, and to deliver new and valuable IoT solutions to thousands of customers around the globe.”
Using the technology being developed by Infiswift and Acuitus, a grower can compare past versus current operations and make statistical predictions to better plan for upcoming seasons. Distribution vendors will be able to receive alerts when a certain volume of crops are ready for transport, and dispatchers will have a clearer picture of when a truck should be ready at the site for pickup. While the technology’s basic use will yield efficiency gains and a positive return, the company reports, it will evolve as each farm connects custom data to support its specific situation.
“Acuitus’ vision of the future of farm operations foresees a significant shift in the efficiency of how things are done on the farm,” Will Shippee, Infiswift’s senior director of business development, in the prepared statement. “With our technical experience, we can make this vision a reality and drive tangible value in the AgTech sector.”
VeriSolutions Uses AT&T IoT Technology in Connected-Restaurant Solution
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48 million people each year are sickened by contaminated food in the United States. Therefore, VeriSolutions is teaming with AT&T to automate and simplify compliance with food-safety guidelines.
VeriSolutions’ platform features a temperature-monitoring solution that uses AT&T IoT technology to gain insight into equipment. The platform consists of sensors with an embedded AT&T Global SIM that collects temperature and humidity data; a data-analytics hub that collects and aggregates sensor information; and a user interface, powered by the AT&T Control Center, that monitors the sensors, provides near-real-time diagnostics and provisioning, and sends alerts, notifications and reports about their activity
With the connected-restaurant solution, employees can take immediate action regarding unusual sensor activity, saving time and money and helping to prevent food contamination; be alerted to problems, like malfunctioning refrigeration and food spoilage; benefit from automated compliance of the traditionally manual process for the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) System, designed to address end-to-end food safety; and spend time on customer experience instead of logging temperatures.
The Georgia-based White Columns Country Club is one of VeriSolutions’ customers. According to VeriSolutions, the technology enables the country club to improve operations and enhance customer safety. “VeriSolutions has simplified temperature logging and reporting,” said Josh Carden, an executive chef at White Columns, in a prepared statement. “I show the health inspector daily reports with readings in regular intervals. She thinks it is spectacular. I love that it saves me several hours per week in logging.”
“One of the worst things for a restaurant owner is arriving that day to find their walk-in refrigerator has malfunctioned,” said Mat Barnwell, VeriSolutions’ VP of sales, in the prepared statement. “With our connected solution, they are notified when the cooler temperature is out of threshold range, helping prevent a loss of thousands of dollars’ worth of inventory.”
Emanate Wireless Raises $1.5 Million in Angel Capital
Emanate Wireless, a Cleveland-based developer of health-care IT solutions that continuously monitor the health and productivity of critical clinical assets within health-care systems, has raised a total of $1.5 million in angel funding. The latest tranche includes multiple seasoned technology angels, and will enable Emanate to execute on its growth plans to expand the company and its products, as well as support its growing customer base.
“We are excited to receive the recent sponsorship from our investors,” said Neil Diener, Emanate Wireless’ CEO, in a prepared statement. “Our technology is a game-changer for asset optimization, staffing efficiency and patient safety. This additional capital will help us to scale our current offerings, and to continue to broaden our portfolio as we innovate to solve additional customer use cases.”
“Providers are being asked to do more without an increase in spending. The technology being brought to market by Emanate will enable providers to gain efficiencies and productivity from their current assets and staff,” Pradeep Kaul, an angel investor representing an investor consortium, said in the prepared statement. “We are excited to be a part of this game changing technology for healthcare providers.”
Emanate recently deployed its solution at the new Avon Hospital facility and Marymount Hospital, both within the Cleveland Clinic network, and has brought on a new hospital network in Pennsylvania through a business partner, Accruent. “We are aggressively expanding our IoT platform to include more devices, systems and sensors,” said Todd Stewart, the VP of Accruent Healthcare Solutions and Emanate’s lead distribution partner, in the statement. “Emanate’s intelligent system compliments our portfolio of devices, systems and sensors, ensuring that we continually deliver cost-effective solutions for our clients.”
Lat-Lon Offers IoT-Optimized 4G LTE Cat-1 Modems With Its Products
Lat-Lon LLC has announced that 4G LTE Category-1 (Cat-1) with 3G rollback capabilities are now available in its Compact Tracking Unit and Solar Tracking Unit products. The company offers customers a solution for upgrading equipment from older 2G and 3G networks, Lat-Lon reports, noting that Cat-1 is suitable given that the average tracking data packet is 256 bytes, and doesn’t require the maximum 300 megabytes per second that 4G LTE can deliver.
Increasing data speed to 10 megabytes per second reduces module size and lowers power consumption, according to the company. Cat-1 technology for Internet of Things use has recently been deployed by major LTE service providers, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
“Staying current with modem technology is always a challenge with IoT applications,” said Dave Baker, Lat-Lon’s president, in a prepared statement. “With our choice of LTE-Cat-1 with 3G rollback, we future-proof our product line without sacrificing the network coverage footprint. An added benefit of Cat-1 is lower power consumption, which increases overall capabilities of our solar-powered products.”
Through wireless GPS monitoring technology, Lat-Lon solutions provide real-time information, such as pictures, location, impact detection, speed and temperature, for multiple types of assets. According to Lat-Lon, the new 4G LTE Cat-1 modem with 3G rollback will enhance reporting frequency due to lower power draw.