Equipping your product with IoT: make or buy?

The great IoT hype is some time behind us, but in the meantime IoT technology has become more widely available and more mature. This has helped lower the barriers for product builders to expand their products with sensors, connectivity, AI, cloud applications and apps. This doesn't mean that you can just buy the desired IoT solution ready to go and attach it to your product. But neither do you have to build all the hardware and software from scratch. What steps should you take and what choices should you make to successfully incorporate digital technology into the development of your smart product? To avoid extra costs, delays and wrong technology choices, it's best to gain the necessary insights right from the start in order to steer your development in the right direction.

Objective

With this masterclass, we bring insights and tips that you will want to know from the start of your development. Using a specific product example, together we go through the process of developing a smart product: which steps are taken, which choices are made and what possibilities there are for the various elements of your solution. We focus on the development approach and the possible challenges and risks in making technology choices and developing with/without partners. We also zoom in on the essential requirements (security, privacy, ...) and various technologies (sensors, embedded platforms, AI, connectivity, cloud, apps, ...) in a smart product and how to deal with them, from concept to industrialisation.

Using the acquired insights, you can accelerate your development plans, steer them in the right direction and also avoid typical pitfalls that cost your company extra time and money. Through an individual follow-up meeting, we ensure that you can translate the insights into concrete next steps within your company.

The masterclass consists of an interactive half-day group session and an individual follow-up session:

• The interactive group session takes place on location. It is preceded by a sandwich lunch and concluded with a short networking drink (in compliance with the applicable coronation rules). The number of participants is limited to 15.
• The individual follow-up session is scheduled with you afterwards and takes place online (1.5 hours). We discuss your specific steps for applying the tips within your company.

Group session programme

12:30 Reception & sandwich lunch

13:00 Introduction & getting to know the companies

13:30 Development of the IoT solution around a product using a specific product example

• Requirements and architecture of your solution
• Required development and expertise
• Available IoT technology
• Risk management with proofs-of-concept
• Industrialisation

16:45 Networking drink

The working language is English.

For whom?

Companies that want to realise an IoT solution in or around their product, or want to be able to better assess what a development with IoT entails. The masterclass focuses on who in the company is pulling or steering the technological development of the new product: R&D manager, product manager, project leader etc.

Sirris instructors

• Nick Boucart, senior advisor software engineering & ICT
• Pieter Beyl, advisor smart products
• Gaetan Hug, system architect smart products

Price

The participation fee for this masterclass (half-day group session + individual session) is € 375 (excl. VAT) for companies located in Flanders. This is thanks to the support of VLAIO provided under the Industry partnership.
(cannot be combined with subsidies via the SME portfolio)

General terms

• You will receive an invoice after the event. You can consult our general terms and conditions on our website.
• If you are unable to participate in the event, you can still nominate a colleague to take your place. To do this, please just send an e-mail to events.admin@sirris.be giving your colleague's name.
• Cancellations must be reported by e-mail to events.admin@sirris.be. Cancellation is free if reported more than 3 working days before the event. For cancellations after this date, or in case of non-participation without prior cancellation, the full registration fee will be charged.

This masterclass is organised under the 'Industry partnership'.
The content of the masterclass came about, in part, with the help of the COOCK project 'Orientation and decision-making in smart product exploration'. More information about this project can be found on the project page..