DS-OCT22-PG36_Layout 1 21/10/2022 10:12 Page 1
PRODUCTS
ENCLOSURES & ENCLOSURE FURNITURE
sponsored by
“HITaLTECH’S bROaD RaNgE OF TECHNICaL, maNUFaCTURINg aND LOgISTICS DISCIPLINES HavE PROvED REaLLy vaLUabLE.”
Personal service. Responsiveness. And a willingness to get involved in the whole product lifecycle. That’s why SmartElectri chose Hitaltech.
Making ‘sMart’ sMarter Two years ago, Chris and Andrew launched SmartElectri, a project management and technical consultancy that has quickly become established in the design and development of software and hardware for the smart metering, smart energy, smart spaces and EV charging market. “We are involved at an international and national
level with the development of the protocols between meters, EV charging stations and other equipment,” explains Chris. “We might have a client who wants to use smart metering to leverage a position in electric vehicle charging that enables EV bills to be transferred to home electricity bills – or integrate smart metering in some other way. We make that happen.”
Unlocking the power of data Data (and the ability to wield it) sit at the heart of the business. Andrew explains: “Technology has got to make that data available, convenient, accurate and reliable, and then help you pay for it. “Consumers want a very light touch experience. But they also want lots of
information: how much energy are they using? When are they consuming? What is it costing? We develop the metering platforms and integrations that help companies answer those questions, which helps them do more for their customers and stay ahead of the competition. We help them understand how to get data from point A to point B, and we help them do it in a compliant way.”
finding the right enclosUre with hitaltech Chris said: “When smart metering became a mass rollout it was the one of the first to use a dedicated communication network in the North Region, with traditional Cellular technologies in the South. However, there are many thousands of metering devices that are not eligible to connect to those networks. In order to fill this gap, we have developed our own Smart 4G LTE Modem, IoTenix, which when coupled with our cloud platform, provides a low cost means for any metering or industrial device that requires a secure and robust data connection. There are many challenges to developing a product and one of these has been finding the right enclosure for our electronics.” Chris and Andrew already knew what sort of enclosure they needed, how it
would be used and where it would be installed. But they needed help in choosing the specific product. “We were looking for a company to provide us with the right enclosures for a smart metering modem,” says Andrew, “but we also needed the enclosure printing services and the industry contacts to solve technical challenges like PCB assembly. Hitaltech’s broad range of technical, manufacturing and logistics disciplines have proved really valuable.” Chris adds: “[Hitaltech MD] Andy always says enclosures should be the first
thing you think about. We worked with Hitaltech from the outset to develop an enclosure for our Modem. They’ve been with us through each stage of product development, from prototype to production and market release. That’s enabled us to package the unit in such a way that there's been no need for bespoke tooling, so we’ve stayed in control of costs. We’re using the Modulbox XTS B enclosure.”
the hitaltech difference “We have a potential world market for our modem of more than two million devices,” says Andrew. “Right now, though, we’re only at launch, so while the potential is there for high volume, it’s currently still niche. Most of the major components manufacturers are only interested when you hit really high volumes. Hitaltech is willing to build a relationship with you early, helping you develop a product for the mass market, rather than only getting interested once you’ve done it. That personal service was important to us. “Whether from an enclosures or connectors perspective, their personal
service and responsiveness is what new market entrants need,” says Chris. “It’s that ability that will help us stay agile and keep pace with technology development. It’s what helps you survive.”
Hitaltech 3 DESIGN SOLUTIONS - SUppLEmENT OCTObER 2022 6
www.hitaltech.com/en/
Feature
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
