Value Chain Awards

The Value Chain Awards honor the most successful corporate adopters of M2M technology and the team of solution providers that made their success possible. The awards highlight the process of combining multiple technologies such as device-connectivity hardware, radio modules, network service and provision, as well as application software and infrastructure, and show how all of the elements of the M2M value chain created a winning solution for the end customer.

Schlage
To bring to market a first-of-its-kind remote access system for the home, Schlage developed a multi-layer security network allowing homeowners to lock and unlock doors from a mobile device or online, among other features. Implementation has positioned the company as a technology leader in home automation.

Yacht Watchman Intl., Inc.
Yacht Watchman's security solution protects and monitors boat owners' expensive assets by deterring thieves and preventing expensive repairs through a prompt notification system. Sensors and RF transmissions allow customers to monitor critical systems such as bilge pumps, batteries, shore power relays, smoke, intrusion incidents, and GPS data in realtime.

Goodfellow Bros., Inc.
Deployment of an M2M-enabled asset tracking solution has allowed Goodfellow Bros. to monitor its geographically dispersed fleet from company headquarters. Valuable information such as engine hours, wear, and fluid levels is just part of the solution’s ROI, which also includes an idle-time savings of $56,000 per year.

Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
A large fleet and heavily vegetated jobsites led Asplundh Tree Expert Co. to adopt a winning fleet-management solution enabled by dashboard-mounted GPS receivers, small antennas, and wireless data transfer. The solution has led to asset optimization and operational efficiency, and lessened the company’s carbon footprint.

Exelon Nuclear
To monitor more than a dozen energy plants without adding personnel, Exelon Nuclear's winning solution captured the knowledge of a few key personnel and applied it across a fleet of assets. By extracting more data and finding more faults, the company avoided $540,000 of costs within the first two months of deployment.

Coulomb Technologies, Inc.
To address the recharging needs of electric vehicle drivers, Coulomb Technologies deployed a network of wirelessly communicating charging stations. The solution enables remote monitoring and driver access to vehicle diagnostics via Web or smartphone, while also providing monitoring and control services to utilities for optimized grid use.

Itron Inc.
Itron Inc. deployed a "smarter" energy/utilities support system that deals proactively with network downtime and outages for improved customer service. The solution captures proactive diagnostics on its devices and automatically communicates the data to a remote services support system, saving IT engineers up to three hours per incident.

Flaik Inc.
Flaik Inc. applied a traditional tracking solution to a niche market: snow skiing. Integrated GPRS and GPS technologies record location and speed, then send the data wirelessly to the backend server. Adoption has created an additional revenue source for ski resorts and a valuable training tool for ski schools.

Technical Gas Products, Inc.
Technical Gas Products developed a telemetry system allowing "just-in-time" deliveries, while ensuring compliance, improving operations, and enhancing information flow between the company and its customers. The solution has reduced delivery costs by 22.5% and product loss by 8%. Overall, efficiencies have led to a 25% annual savings.

PVS Chemicals
Needing highly accurate, 24/7 tank level information, PVS Chemicals deployed a remote inventory-management solution that samples inventory levels and provides realtime updates. Besides maximizing productivity, reducing costs, and increasing bottomline profits, the company has nearly eliminated same-day emergency delivery costs by optimizing delivery efficiency.

Leica Microsystems
The ability to provide proactive service for its product lines was Leica Microsystems’ motivation for developing its intelligent asset-management platform, which optimizes instrument uptime by reducing unscheduled downtime by 40%. Deployment has cut field service visits by a third—an annual savings of more than $500,000.

Container Centralen
The traditional approach to tracking creates information latency and cannot account for realtime information. Container Centralen adopted an RFID-based system for tracking the movement of equipment, which arms the company with up-to-date inventory information crucial to streamlined workflow. By automating processes that were once manual, the solution has dramatically reduced labor costs.

Philips Respironics
By leveraging M2M technology, Philips Respironics' winning solution wirelessly transmits time-sensitive patient data to a Web-based management system where it can be reviewed by medical professionals in realtime. Deployment allows doctors to assess patient health and therapy success without an office visit, and has doubled the company’s marketshare.