About Client
Our client is a 17-yr old UK-based fire safety products manufacturer, specializing in wireless fire detection and alarm systems. They serve both industrial and residential sectors, offering advanced, reliable solutions to enhance fire safety. Their product portfolio includes state-of-the-art fire detection systems designed to provide early warning and effective response in case of fire hazards.
Challenge
The company’s wireless fire detection and alarm systems play a critical role in safeguarding industrial and residential properties, where reliability and prompt response are paramount. These products are provided to system integrators who then install and maintain these systems on-site. Being an integrated solution provider they are a one stop shop for fire sensors, alarms, receivers, translators, panels etc.However, the company faced several significant challenges that impacted the effectiveness and efficiency of these essential products, including -
- Overburdened System Management: With more and more devices being installed almost daily, managing their devices and systems efficiently became increasingly difficult. This was due to the shortage of qualified technicians in the UK's fire market. which also overburdened the existing workforce. This skilled labor shortage led to delays in system maintenance and higher operational costs.
- Unnecessary on-site interventions for false alarms: False alarms are a common issue with fire detection systems, which require manual on-site interventions leading to increased costs and disruptive client operations – also draining resources in the process.
- Absence of problem diagnosis and remote monitoring: Technicians had to physically inspect systems for any device failures, unexpected downtimes and unforeseen events. As the company relied on manual checks to identify issues, it became difficult to quickly and accurately pinpoint the root causes of problems. This often led to inefficiencies and increased time spent on troubleshooting but also affected the company’s ability to provide timely service. This further hampered their ability to provide proactive maintenance and quick resolutions.
Key challenges in Go-To-Market
To overcome the above challenges, the company wanted to build a system with remote monitoring and diagnosis capabilities that connect with their fire-safety products. However, it faced several challenges for go-to-market including -
- IoT, software and data expertise: How does one go from a hardware business to providing digital enabled solutions? Needs hardware, IoT architecture, software and data expertise.
- Regulatory and supply chain challenges:The company faced complex regulatory approval processes to ensure compliance with industry standards. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges by disrupting global supply chains, particularly those related to IoT hardware, making it difficult to achieve the necessary hardware readiness for launch.
- Proving business value: Convincing fire safety system integrators of the product's value was another major hurdle. The company needed to clearly demonstrate how the new system would provide ROI, and tangible advantages in adopting the new system.
- Uncertain transition to SaaS: Moving from a free software model to a profitable SaaS-based model was essential for sustainable growth. However, the company was not fully prepared to shift to a revenue-generating model, which created uncertainty about how to price, package, and support the new offering.
Solution
Saviant collaborated with the company to develop an IoT-enabled fire suppression system, designed as a digital companion for fire system integrators. This comprehensive solution included several key components -
- Cloud Gateway: Facilitates real-time data transmission to the cloud, enabling continuous remote monitoring. This allows for instant data transfer and quick responses to issues, improving system reliability.
- IoT Platform: Centralizes data collection and analysis from all connected devices, enabling efficient fault detection and system management. This minimizes the time and effort required for maintenance and troubleshooting, ensuring prompt issue resolution.
- Web/Mobile Applications: Developed user-friendly interfaces to allow remote monitoring and control of fire detection systems, significantly reducing the need for on-site visits.
The IoT-enabled system attracted more installation projects and service contracts due to its advanced features, such as real-time monitoring and remote diagnostics. Real-time insights were easily made available for the system integrators and technicians on a SaaS platform that helped in lowering the maintenance logistics costs and the need for frequent physical interventions, thereby saving on labor and travel expenses, and allowing for more efficient resource allocation.
Key Results
The implementation of the IoT solution led to significant improvements -
- Remote Resolution: 30% of callouts were resolved remotely, reducing the need for on-site interventions.
- Reduction in Second Callouts: There was a 75% decrease in follow-up visits.
- Higher productivity for Smoke Tests: The labor required for smoke tests was reduced by 50%.
- Increase in On-Site Productivity: On-site productivity increased by 30%, freeing up labor hours for other tasks.
Strategic roadmap for future growth
Looking ahead, the company plans to extend device warranties as a new value addition, providing customers with increased confidence in the product's reliability. The successful transition to a SaaS-based model has opened new revenue streams and enhanced service offerings, thereby delivering intelligence-as-a-service to system integrators and end-customers.
[Over the next five years, this transformation will continue to improve service quality and operational efficiency. By focusing on innovation and customer satisfaction, the company aims to deliver substantial value to system integrators and their customers, ensuring ongoing advancements in fire safety and operational excellence.]