It speaks "thing speak"
How Utenzl’s IOT platform enables a connected and intelligent refrigerator display.
What is the business value of cloud connectivity to the maker of refrigerator displays?
Whether you know it or not your equipment outputs data, and lots of it, but to say that there is business value in data is not enough. What creates value is the process of transforming data, and delivering it as a business relevant service that goes on to create additional streams of revenue. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) not only enables equipment connectivity but also delivers data “as-a-service”. Platform as a service (PAAS), software as a service (SAAS), equipment as a service, anything as a service (XAAS). There are no shortage of acronyms for this service model, but what does it really mean to be a “as-a service” provider? Makers of refrigerator display equipment have been in this business from the beginning with professional services. But while professional services is delivering service it lacks the powerful benefits of a “as-a-service”. Business value comes in many forms: it creates high customer engagement, it generates high profit margins, it naturally lends itself to a recurring revenue model, and it creates a high cost to switching to competitors. There are more benefits related to operational efficiencies, remote monitoring and diagnostics. Speak to one of our experts to learn more.
How does Utenzl add "as-a-service" and cloud connectivity?
Utenzl is powered by an internally developed IOT application engine (IOT Platform). This is a fully managed platform that securely connects globally dispersed devices (called things) to the Internet and then integrates these connections to cloud services. The platform allows us to accelerate the delivery of “as-a-service” solutions. For example, a refrigerator display that can monitor temperature, door position, hours of usage, power consumption, compressor status, motor status, and lighting status, and can also communicate such information in real-time meets all the requirements of exposing such data “as-a-service” to your customer. So what is our value stack in all of this? Utenzl builds all the sensor kits and handles all on-boarding, and our platform manages all device connections, authentications, protocol bridging, registries and integrates business logic, database and visualizations. Learn more about how our platform handles hundreds of communication protocols (ThingSpeak), and integrates cloud services (EUX). Still not convinced connected equipment brings powerful value? Read on.
The powerful features of a connected refrigerator display.
Whether the features of a connected unit are offered “as-a-service” for a fee to customers or not, the product enhancing features alone are powerful. A network of units that can monitor temperature, door position, hours of usage, power consumption, compressor status, motor status, and lighting status, and can also communicate such data in real-time provides for a host of services. Consider the ability to send alerts to a grocery manager’s phone if a unit fails, avoiding expensive inventory spoilage. How about the ability to automate preventive maintenance linked to real-time usage hours? Our platform uses open API standards so we can integrate with any existing maintenance tracking system. The biggest consumption of power on a grocery floor is cold storage, being able to provide business intelligence around consumption levels of geographically dispersed units to a customer’s head office is indispensable to operations management. More so, building a “green” brand can be backed up by data exposed in real-time, that’s a powerful message. Cloud connectivity is a powerful way to springboard new services and add recurring revenue streams.
