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.
Tools4Hire
Tools4Hire rents construction equipment and wanted to monitor location and usage. An M2M solution allowed Tools4Hire to accelerate billing via realtime usage monitoring, accurately determine per-day usage, and trigger maintenance based on monitored usage.
Solution Providers: eLutions Inc.; Sprint Nextel Corp.
The New Jersey State Police
An M2M system helped the New Jersey State Police Dept. track stolen goods and criminal suspects using a combination of GPS (global positioning system) and cellular communications for a variety of tracking applications.
Solution Providers: Kyocera Wireless Corp.; Sprint Nextel Corp.
Volkswagen Brazil
Volkswagen Brazil used an M2M technology solution including GPS (global positioning system) and cellular communications to track stolen vehicles, leading to a 100% recovery rate and resulting in lower insurance premiums for monitored drivers.
Solution Providers: Crown Telecom Inc.; WebTech Wireless Inc.
Ampla Energia e Serviços
Ampla Energia e Servicos, an energy-distribution company, used M2M to help prevent energy theft by creating wireless communication between meters and Ampla’s operations center, resulting in a revenue increase due to fraudulent customers paying.
Solution Providers: Synapsis Technology Inc.; V2 Telecom
Genscape Inc.
Genscape Inc. informs energy companies about power supply and used M2M to help its clients develop short-term strategies and optimization based on supply data, minimizing risk associated with fluctuations in the power-grid supply.
Solution Provider: Aeris.net
Vulcain Inc.
Electromagnetic sensors allowed Vulcain to create a gas-detection system that can be custom designed to meet the specific needs of an equipment owner, and which can be accessed through a Web browser.
Solution Provider: Tridium Inc.
The Chicago Transit Authority
A remote-data acquisition and vehicle monitoring solution for the Chicago Transit Authority employed wireless technology to reduce costs for installation and to monitor its fleet of police vehicles.
Solution Providers: eLutions Inc.; Sprint Nextel Corp.
Big Eagle Hydro-Vac & Nitrogen Service
Big Eagle’s fleet of hydro-vac, vacuum, water, and steam trucks needed a fleet management system, and the company deployed a custom M2M solution integrating GPS (global positioning system) and cellular technology for capturing specific vehicle equipment conditions and requirements.
Solution Providers: Kyocera Wireless Corp.; TechnoCom Corp.; TELUS Communications Inc.
GE Industrial
GE Industrial’s fleet of more than 1,200 service vehicles is managed using an M2M solution that combines GPS and cellular connectivity, and which allowed GE to consolidate dispatch centers from 17 to two, improve customer service ratings by 3%, and increase productivity by 16%.
Solution Providers: GE Security; Kyocera Wireless Corp.; Servicepower; TechnoCom Corp.; Verizon Wireless
Lindsay Manufacturing Co.
A wireless remote-management system allowed irrigation system-provider Lindsay Manufacturing Co. to offer more value to farmers. In 2005, the company sold nearly 2,000 remote-monitoring devices.
Solution Providers: Aeris.net; CalAmp Corp.; CriticalWireless Corp.
Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.
Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., a manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging materials, implemented an M2M system that helps maintain OEE (operational equipment effectiveness) by calculating the OEE automatically and making the information accessible via a Web browser.
Solution Provider: ei3 Corp.
DEWALT Industrial Tool Co.
DEWALT Industrial Tool Co. implemented an M2M system to deal with high levels of construction-site theft. The wireless portable alarm system monitors equipment, areas on the jobsite, or storage buildings.
Solution Providers: CalAmp Corp.; Numerex Corp.
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command used portable deployability kits, made up of rugged handhelds and laptops, a satellite modem with GPS (global positioning system), portable readers, a barcode reader, and portable printers, to improve asset visibility.
Solution Provider: Savi Technology Inc.
Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. used M2M technology for a variety of projects, including a supply-chain management initiative for chemicals and fuels that remotely gathered tank-level information from customer sites and integrated the data.
Solution Provider: nPhase LLC
Foodliner
One of the largest carriers in the bulk-food industry, Foodliner implemented a fleet management system that improved customer service by providing shipment updates to customers without forcing drivers to stop and call in status reports.
Solution Provider: PeopleNet Communications Corp.
The California Dept. of Transportation
M2M data related to traffic congestion on California highways helped The California Dept. of Transportation to better manage congestion and understand the maintenance requirements of the road.
Solution Providers: Cingular Wireless LLC; InfoTek Wireless; Janus Remote Communications
The City of Frankfort, Ky.
A remote-monitoring system for the pump stations at The City of Frankfort municipal wastewater utility needed upgrading, and the city chose a hosted M2M solution, resulting in reduced response time to equipment failure.
Solution Providers: Mission Communications LLC; Motorola Inc.; Sprint Nextel Corp.
The City of Palo Alto, Calif.
The City of Palo Alto Utilities used an M2M system for reading electrical meters via a dialup modem and also added remote meter reading capabilities for gas and water meters, which helped the utility eliminate common meter-reporting issues.
Solution Provider: Lantronix Inc.
Respironics Inc.
Respironics Inc., a medical-device manufacturer, used M2M technology for a maintenance and repair service named Respi-Link that allowed customers to receive remote-software upgrades and options on a schedule they choose, resulting in fewer onsite visits.
Solution Provider: Axeda Corp.
Omnicell Inc.
M2M technology allowed Omnicell to develop a branded a remote-monitoring solution named vDirector, which facilitated automated event reporting, connectivity, and management of system uptime at nearly 300 hospitals.
Solution Provider: Questra Corp.
LifeScan Inc.
LifeScan Inc., a manufacturer of blood-glucose monitoring systems, implemented a wireless M2M solution to connect its meters to manage and report data from various locations within a hospital.
Solution Provider: Lantronix Inc.
Praxair Inc.
Praxair Inc., a supplier of atmospheric gases, deployed a Web-based monitoring system using M2M to link tank-measurement data with its logistics systems, creating a more effective distribution system.
Solution Providers: Datacom Wireless Corp.; Emerson Process Management; Kore Wireless Inc.
Sidel SAS
Sidel sells blow-molding machines in many countries and needed a solution to help it service remote equipment. Sidel chose a remote-service platform using M2M technology that helps it provide remote diagnostics of its equipment at customer sites.
Solution Provider: ei3 Corp.
Phelps Dodge Mining Co.
An M2M system for collecting mining data remotely lets Phelps Dodge Mining Co. mine personnel stay safer. The system used wireless sensor networking technology to alleviate the difficulty of transmitting radio-frequency signals in harsh environments.
Solution Providers: Motorola Inc.; 3D-P
The Kingston Ambassador Conference Resort
Early technology-adopter Kingston Ambassador Conference Resort implemented a cashless vending machine system that lets guests swipe their hotel room key card through the vending machine’s card reader or use their mobile phone to make a purchase directly.
Solution Providers: cStar Technologies Inc.; Kaba-Ilco Corp.
Food Lion LLC
Grocery chain Food Lion used an energy monitoring system to track energy use in stores, with an average of 17 energy loads per store being monitored, such as HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), refrigeration, lighting, and deli/bakery.
Solution Provider: eLutions Inc.
The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power
An AMR (automated meter reading) system for The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power included 9,000 smart meters and resulted in a 5% reduction in total consumption. The system also led to a reduction in peak demand by 240 megawatts.
Solution Providers: Siemens AG; SmartSynch Software
Norse Pipeline LLC
Norse Pipeline owns and operates a 320-mile system of high-pressured steel pipeline, and the company implemented an automation solution for capturing meter data that reduced monthly costs by $8,750 with approximately 100 metered locations.
Solution Providers: AirLink Communications Inc.; Emerson Process Management; Verizon Wireless; Mobile Electron LLC
Northeast Utilities
Northeast Utilities implemented a Web-based energy use data acquisition and reporting solution that collected usage data from any customer location every five minutes, using nearly any type of meter.
Solution Providers: AirLink Communications Inc.; Conservation Resource Solutions; SimpleComTools LLC