Companies that wish to build IoT products do so in order to improve their communications, add value to their business development, and enhance efficiencies across their entire corporate profile. As a consequence, the benefits of IoT can appear promising and lead to businesses wanting to jump into projects and expect processes that will bring rapid benefits after their completion.
However, simply to partake in projects alone does not mean every effort will be successful. If a business wants to succeed in the tricky marketplace, it must avoid common mistakes and follow up with an engineering services and products company that has the experience and skills to successfully manage such endeavors.
Where It All Can Go So Wrong
In looking across the marketplace of failed efforts in the IoT collaborative space, Lemberg Solutions has identified a host of difficulties that can lead to disappointing results:
- Managing the supply chain – The brutal reality is that when designing IoT products, a company may not have access to the parts and materials required for their design because of longer lead times. Only through planning and taking on a partner with a preferred place in the overall supply chain might it be possible to bring needed parts to their proposed product.
- Customs complications – Inherent in business on an international level is the possibility that components and prototypes can run into trouble when crossing international borders. You need to know in advance which documents to sign and issue, and which offices to deal with. Most radio-electronic goods have the potential to be used with criminal intentions, which is why most countries will need you to obtain a certificate issued by a trade board, proving that the product you’re planning to move across borders isn’t a dual-use technology.
- Government restrictions – At times there will be restrictions on parts due to their country of origin, preventing easy use within a product. Worse, due to sudden disruptions in the political climate, different goods can become banned at the drop of the hat, without prior knowledge or expectation from a project’s planners. Alternative vendors should always be explored in the planning process to increase flexibility later in the development cycle.
- Medical certifications – In cases where products have a medical use, a certification from various governments will be required. Consequently, even if a product is ready for the market, its ultimate availability may rely on approval from multiple levels of government.
- Mechanical issues – Issues can often arise after a prototype is produced, where bugs in the product make themselves known only after testing. The dreams of the drawing board will often meet the reality of the physical world, so it’s important to take the possibility of late changes into consideration.
- Feasibility – In all IoT projects there is a degree of uncertainty as to the viability of a final product. Through rapid prototyping and R&D, a company can mitigate the risks inherent in such efforts. We at Lemberg Solutions have an embedded development lab equipped with such capabilities, so we are available as a partner to protect against the dangers of drawn-out projects where feasibility is a concern.
The Solution Is an Experienced Partner
IoT development is an important aspect of many businesses’ long-term efforts towards innovation. Because of its importance, companies must plan carefully for a future where its products and services are fully integrated with IoT and its extensive benefits.
Yet, to get to that successful point of IoT reality, businesses must cross a minefield of sorts, one that can short-circuit even the most thorough planning from the best businesses. Lemberg Solutions knows the treacherous path of IoT projects well because we have a thorough history of collaboration in the field. Contact us today, and we’ll look forward to helping you avoid such difficult issues.
