To successfully build IoT into products you need the right building process, and you need to navigate the IoT ecosystem to identify, engage and manage the right suppliers.

Define the right building process for you

The building process turns the prototype and specification of an envisioned IoT-enabled product into a market-ready product. Not all companies have the experience nor the capabilities to run such a building process. And some products are very complex and comprehensive – and harder to build. Therefore, you need to define the right building process – one that fits the product and your organisation.

Being a Research and Technology Organisation (RTO), FORCE Technology does not compete with the commercial IoT suppliers on the market. Once the design of the product is ready - see Designing products with IoT - we leave it to vendors in the market to build the final IoT-enabled product. This leaves us in unique position to act as your independent and impartial advisor in the building process.

We assess your maturity and capabilities in the IoT space – and we evaluate your product specification to determine the possible obstacles and pitfalls to be handled in the process. Based on our analysis and experience, we recommend the best possible building process for you.

You need a team of suppliers – and you need to manage them

An IoT solution contains many different parts – mechanical part, electronic components, network connectivity, software, data and algorithms – just to mention the prominent ones. There is no single IoT supplier able to deliver all the parts. Also, you may want your own organisation to deliver some parts. So, you need the right set of suppliers (including yourself) working closely together to build the final IoT-enabled product. You also need to manage this building process – either by yourself, using a client advisor or a contractor to integrate some or all the part supplied. 

Again, FORCE Technology is in a unique position to help you when selecting the right suppliers for the different IoT-parts in your product. We head Nordic IoT Centre and have a fully updated overview of available IoT suppliers and their competences. We can help you tender your product specification in the market, select a contractor if needed, find the right part suppliers – and manage the cooperation and integration of the suppliers.

Final product testing and market certification

Once you have finished your IoT-enabled product, it must be tested and approved for the intended markets.

FORCE Technology has an independent business unit, Electronic product compliance, for product testing and product approval. The functionality of your product can be tested in environments with challenging conditions: cold, heat, vibrations, magnetism, dust, etc. Also, the cybersecurity abilities of your product must formally be tested. And finally, we are authorised to approve your product in accordance with the relevant market standards.  

If you want to learn more about how to build IoT solutions, please contact us or read more about IoT solutions here.