Leveraging an IoT Partner to Scale Your Smart Product from Pilot to Production: The PowerX Case Study

简介

美国人平均每年在住宅能源账单上花费约 2,000 美元。这是为家庭供电的一笔巨大投入，但不幸的是，这 2,000 美元并不总是被合理使用。 According to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, between $200 to $400 could be going to waste thanks to drafts, air leaks around openings, and outdated heating and cooling systems.

雪上加霜的是，通货膨胀导致家庭公用事业账单飙升。 Consumers paid 25% more for natural gas at the end of 2021 compared to the previous decade, and the global cost of energy is increasing on the whole. 

除了不断上涨的能源成本，全球社区还面临另一个重大关切——能源生产对气候变化的影响。 Society largely depends on burning fossil fuels for electricity generation, heating, and transportation — and wasted energy exacerbates the climate change crisis. PowerX 正是为改变这一现状而来。

客户背景

PowerX 提供一套智能家居监控解决方案，使企业和消费者能够在手机上实时获取其水、电和燃气使用情况的完整快照。

PowerX 的掌舵人是 CEO 兼创始人 Manuel Schönfeld。作为前麦肯锡顾问，Schönfeld 曾见证无数企业在应对气候问题上举步维艰。PowerX 的诞生是他对能源浪费在气候变化中所扮演角色的直接回应。借助远程监控和 IoT 技术，Schönfeld 和 PowerX 团队知道他们可以创造一款不仅能减少能源浪费，还能为客户节省数百美元公用事业费的产品。

PowerX 的产品套件包括：

• PowerX Water，一款尖端的超声波流量计，提供实时和历史数据以跟踪用水量并提醒用户注意泄漏。
• PowerX Electricity，一套电流监控器，实时向用户展示每个电器的能耗及其实时费用。
• PowerX Water Heater，一款传感器，自动调整温度和加热周期以优化使用。

PowerX 平台基于一个集线器，通过 Wi-Fi 或以太网电缆连接到用户的家庭网络或公司网络。 Using a LoRa network, the hub casts a long-range, low-power, and secure wireless signal that connects all the sensors.

传感器和后端系统为 PowerX 客户提供以下能力：

• 实时和历史公用事业数据
• 通过跟踪能源和用水量设定自定义节能目标
• 使用单一平台管理整个家庭能源使用
• 接收机械问题警报

仅用三款强大的产品，PowerX 就为客户提供了其能源使用的全面视图，使他们能够节省公用事业费并降低环境足迹。

项目挑战

PowerX 正在经历成长的阵痛。

随着财富 500 强企业的预订单接踵而至，PowerX 正准备从 2,000 台扩展到 200,000 台。 But swiftly scaling from prototypes to an enterprise environment came with its own unique set of challenges. 

For starters, the existing hardware and software systems were incredibly complex. Varying verticals and versions of the hardware only added a layer of challenge to the project. Both the hardware and software needed to be rebuilt and reconfigured. To do so, PowerX was looking to augment its engineering staff.

After scouring the internet for IoT engineering firms, PowerX initially reached out to Very for staff augmentation services. The Very team was happy to offer PowerX staff support — but we knew from prior experience that our impact is largest when we’re empowered to take a strategic, capacity-building approach with our clients. PowerX didn’t just need to bolster its engineering team; the burgeoning company needed a technology partner that offered guidance at critical decision points  — one that was deeply rooted in their success. The Very team understood it would need to show, not tell, the value that working with the right consultancy would provide. 

Very 的行动计划

经过五个月的紧密合作，Very 作为 PowerX 值得信赖的顾问，帮助产品线做好快速扩展的准备。

第一阶段：技术设计冲刺

我们首先在技术设计冲刺期间对 PowerX 的所有系统进行了全面审计。 The team identified opportunities for improvement in PowerX’s hardware and software products, and made recommendations for process improvements.

第二阶段：为扩展做准备

技术设计冲刺结束后，我们帮助准备了 PowerX 硬件和软件平台以实现规模化。 For the software, we focused on implementing firmware improvements, software best practices, version control, automated testing, and a reconfigured backend infrastructure. 

For hardware, we conducted detailed design reviews and prepared the units for FCC Part 15 certification. The Very team also worked closely with PowerX to restructure the software’s data science integration, while documenting and implementing best practices and refactoring the flow of the code.

在整个过程中，我们提供了技术最佳实践的指导，帮助 PowerX 为快速扩展的未来做好准备。

第三阶段：新功能开发

一旦软件和硬件平台准备好进行扩展，我们就转向帮助 PowerX 开发新的软件和硬件功能 — empowering them to deliver even more value to their customers while increasing their margins. 

Hardware: Staying nimble in face of the chip shortage is critical. We helped PowerX pivot to a new product design and created a new, custom LoRa module to reduce their cost and ensure the supply chain is robust moving forward. 

Software: Our engineers worked with PowerX to increase the value of the products for their customers by delivering new app features and fresh insights derived from data science enhancements.

项目成果

Improved project management capabilities were one result of our collaboration. We guided PowerX through a move from spreadsheet management to an “implemented-from-scratch” project lifecycle management (PLM) system that automatically organizes data ranging from bills of materials to firmware versions. This improved workflow efficiency translates to thousands of dollars in savings. 

Another positive outcome was the blueprint we provided for future successful projects through training and guidance on the best practices needed to scale IoT products. Ultimately, this is what we like to see most — a client empowered to accomplish more on their own once our partnership is complete.

我们的目标是为客户留下他们所需的工具，使他们能够独立前行。

Bill Flaherty
Director of 硬件工程, Very

Very is the proud partner of the world’s boldest innovators. We’re on a mission to spark that “a-ha moment” in our clients and to test the boundaries of what was previously thought possible. If you’d like us to help bring your IoT solution to market, get in touch. We’d love to serve as your trusted technology partner. 

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