
Time to market can be a determining factor between success or failure of an IoT project. Arriving late to a market leaves the space open for rivals to launch first and potentially dominate before a product is even ready. Momentum is often lost during the IoT device development phase as the full complexity becomes apparent and steps are taken to address issues.
First, design constraints come into play, affecting the end product’s size, cost and manufacturing. Components such as modules, batteries, antennas and the chipset all need space in the device and location of each can have significant performance impacts. Design delays can often be caused by poorly situated antennas, for example.
Next, the product needs to be manufactured efficiently so costs can be controlled and quality assured. Coming to market too soon with a lower quality device is too big a risk for many business cases so careful attention needs to be given to manufacturing and distribution to ensure the right volumes of devices, especially when regional variants are needed, are available.
Further delay can result from the need to gain regulatory approval and carrier certifications. These processes are often neglected but involve substantial work and time. A device can’t be sold until these approvals are achieved so this can be an additional hindrance to smooth launches of IoT propositions.
IoT ODMs help overcome design, manufacturing and certification challenges
For many businesses these complexities are challenging to overcome. Many companies entering IoT don’t have the experience of designing and making connected devices and certainly lack familiarity with testing and certification. For these, help is at hand. By engaging an original design manufacturer (ODM), all or some of these challenges can be addressed as-a-service.
ODMs typically can help from the design phase, through procurement and manufacturing into certification and ultimately introduction of a product into the market. An IoT ODM partner has the specialist skills companies lack and has in-depth knowledge of the regional factors involved, how to meet time constraints and address economies of scale.
Ikotek, an ODM based in the US but with global expertise, has been streamlining product introduction for IoT companies of all sizes. The company focuses on delivering system-level and full product designs to customers, ensuring products are certified in time for competitive launches.
A recent Quectel Masterclass, Engaging an IoT ODM for success in Middle Eastern markets, brought together experts from Quectel and Ikotek to detail how IoT ODM can help innovators navigate the challenges of Middle Eastern markets to achieve smooth IoT launches in the region. The Masterclass explains what an IoT ODM is, details the main differences between IoT ODMs and other hardware sourcing models and explores the situations in which IoT ODMs are needed.
The presenters, Waleed Nassar, the Regional Sales Manager for Arab-speaking countries at Quectel, and Jure Gantar, the Regional Sales Director for EMEA at Ikotek, share their experience of Middle Eastern markets, explaining the regulatory criteria in various countries and assessing the value that the IoT ODM approach can deliver to organizations entering these markets.
Source: Quectel Blog