Originally posted by Techmeister
Thor - updated contract imminent
If Ohm is specifically about making 'fixed' buildings smart...
...Thor is about making 'mobile' RV's smart
Monitoring and control being at the heart of both - but fixed v mobile creates key differences
Main benefit to buildings: resource efficiencies; lowered carbon footprint, data driving new decisions...
Main benefit to RV's: (remote) control, oversight, data back to Thor for insights on product dev...
Thor has been a long running and expansive case study as to BUD's abilities, role, delivery...expertise...
Providing decent revenue, exposure, and, perhaps most importantly, sales tool to win other clients
Surely there must be other clients also looking make their 'mobile space smart'?
- various car companies?
- Buses?
- Trucks?
If it's good for buildings and RV's, then residential should also be an option. A single platform for household management and control, linking up data, appliances, back to base security, camera security, solar generation, battery storage, power flow to and from the grid, water tank levels, controlled access, delivery security, the list goes on. I'm sure there is no shortage of tech behemoths determined to own this space, and there are major antitrust issues, but I for one would prefer any provider other than the omnipotent FAANGs, who probably already know I have written this post and are sending somebody or something over to sort me out. That said, residential is an evolving space, whereas buildings of all kinds are right here right now and are the logical place to cut your teeth, build scale, learn and develop, which will hopefully then set the stage for additional extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead.
This brings me back to competition, which is something I do not have a good handle on, or any handle at all, but to me it is the elephant in the room. I recall that DM mentioned that BUD is monitoring over a hundred competitors (I wonder if they have a sensor for that?) but assume that most of them only intersect with BUD's sphere of coverage at certain limited points and so should possibly be more concerned about BUD than BUD is about them. Even though DM is quite right to say that this is a huge space and there is room for many players, the level of competition is key to growth and margins going forward, so is anyone aware of players out there that are similar to BUD or are heading in the same direction? My feeling is that they will be sprouting like mushrooms right about now, so I'm quietly very happy that BUD has already put in place what looks like a terrific global distribution network, which would seem to put them in the driver's seat.
