The digital disruption is not only about digitization of current business, but also about finding completely new business models and opportunities. It is a revolution where small local operators also have tremendous growth potential.
Intelligent devices and machines connected to the Internet, especially in industry, have collected data about their operations, efficiency, usage and everything else for a long time. Now the work is in progress for gathering this information from different sources, analyzing it extensively and cross-referencing it. The devices discuss with each other, preferably in real time. Use of the IoT is at its early stage yet, but its possibilities are limitless.
A good example is Enevo, a Finnish company, which has developed a solution for collecting data about the filling rate of waste bins. The value chain relating to the system has several beneficiaries. It has made the operations of the companies belonging to its chain of activities more effective and generated financial savings and greater transparency.
Enevo – Finnish knowhow to the world
Like many great innovations, Enevo’s solution arose from a practical insight. Johan Engström, one of the company’s founders, noticed the large waste management costs of his housing company. Garbage trucks came to empty the waste bins according to the agreed schedule whether the bin was full or empty.
Together with his partner Fredrik Kekäläinen, Engström developed a sensor that wirelessly tracks usage rate of the waste bin and the estimated time when it will be full. With the help of this information, garbage trucks will pay a visit only when needed.
The company’s story began in 2010. Now, Enevo’s sensors are in tens of thousands of waste bins around the world. Enevo’s clients are brokers and waste consultants. The data provided by Enevo sensor is highly valuable, because they can see how much waste is collected, and can then time the collections effectively.
DNA enables the Industrial Internet
An IT service provider is an essential part of the IoT even though often invisible or even forgotten. Without a professional service provider, a creator of connections, intelligent devices do not change information or discuss with each other.
“Our expertise is in understanding the customer’s needs, and knowing how to offer solutions that best serve them. For Enevo, sensors are in waste bins that must endure even rough handling, large temperature variations and washing. Then the M2M service has to be planned for such conditions. So for them we recommended an industrial SIM card that is soldered into the device. Through us, they will also have the best roaming partners around the world”, says Tapio Haantie, IoT Business Manager at DNA.
Text: Leena Filpus
