Johan Edgren, Founder and CEO The advancements made in cloud computing and Internet-of-Things (IoT) over the past few years continue to promise new business models, better understanding of customer behaviour, and more productive workflows in businesses everywhere.
Notably, connected products in the fields of transportation, logistics, retail, utility, and other heavy industry verticals have created waves of change for the better. Companies can with the use of connectivity and connected products transform their service offerings to a proactive service model or ultimately transform the whole business model to a service, rather than selling a product and letting the customer disappear.
When companies bring products online, they start a journey towards knowing much more; about how, when, and why their products are used. The data gives new vital information for next generation of products and the service offerings that customers want. Some companies have not started to bring their things and products online yet and others need to replace connectivity and sensor devices to cope with new security models and utilize the speed of new networks such as 5G and or low cost LPWA technologies.
With the constant emergence of newer software and sensor models, existing equipment in a facility soon becomes antiquated and the sensors within them. Replacing old technology with the new in parallel with the speed of modern innovation can become a complicated, time-consuming, and expensive affair. Add to this the common misunderstanding within companies that, to maintain the most robust IoT and cloud infrastructure, everything needs to be rebuilt.
These issues did not sit right with Johan Edgren, an IT veteran based out of Stockholm, Sweden. He strongly felt that the information enterprises need already exists in machines or equipment control systems, and old sensors can be used to bring that data to light.
It surprises me when people say that they need to develop new things to just bring a machine online. They already have all the data they need; it only needs to be brought online
Edgren thus founded Youmoni, a company dedicated to providing end-to-end solutions that not only revitalise the efficiencies of existing sensors but also offer comprehensive IoT and cloud services through its Youmoni platform. “We think that there are many sensors used for more offline purposes, not bringing data online. So, we can actually retrofit equipment and bring old things online as well,” expresses Edgren, also the CEO of Youmoni.
The company empowers clients to constantly monitor, control, and automate enterprise-wide workflows via its expertise in IoT technology. Youmoni’s solutions completely circumvent the challenges of identifying the right IoT gateways to consolidate sensor data on the edge. Clients are saved the trouble of interacting with vendors and experts to understand what communication and remote working technologies are ideal options for specific use cases. “Our goal is to make IoT integration more streamlined and straightforward through one, single package,” states Edgren.
Youmoni’s holistic suite for ‘everything IoT’ includes a multi-tenant IoT cloud alongside a slew of hardware products. The company’s team of expert engineers has developed an impressive strategy that reuses edge software from simple, relatively cheap, and standardised components like consumer-grade raspberry pies to run tests as effectively as more advanced devices. With the help of this service, clients in manufacturing, for example, can conduct tests quickly and move towards production stages cost-effectively. In addition, Youmoni can always upgrade the IoT infrastructure once a client grows and requires a more intensive solution. The company also capitalises on edge computing’s capability to analyse data from analog sources as well, delivering highly actionable insights that promise improved organisational efficiency and, ultimately, a healthy bottom line. “It surprises me when people say that they need to develop new things to just bring a machine online. They already have all the data they need; it only needs to be brought online,” explains Edgren.
To best elucidate the capabilities of Youmoni’s solutions, the following case study of a cold chain company fits aptly. This customer belongs to an industry responsible for the delivery of pharmaceuticals and food products, among other essential goods. For the many logistics needs, Youmoni’s platform provided the customer with an easy-to-navigate user interface where key data points like vehicle statuses, temperatures, schedules, and other fine details are available in a single place. Edgren and his team also used sensor technology to aggregate engine and traffic data to help identify the best delivery routes for maximum performance.
With such in-depth specialisation in sensor and IoT technology, Youmoni stands as a frontrunner in establishing Industry 4.0. The company is not only making room for organisations of all sizes to progress technologically but also working toward a smaller carbon footprint. Moving forward, Youmoni expects to continue its R&D in IoT innovation, all the while sharing environmental data gathered by its sensors to support research projects and create a sustainable future.
