Dubai, UAE, 20 May 2018: Schneider Electric, Danfoss and Somfy have through a Press communiqué announced that they are partnering to create a Connectivity Ecosystem that aims to accelerate the adoption of connectivity in residential, mid-size building and hotel markets. Committed to openness and interoperability, the three companies combine 300 years of innovation and expertise with the largest global network of trusted installers in the industry, the communiqué claimed.

The partnership brings connectivity for smart homes and smart buildings to maturity, by delivering efficient solutions that are easy to integrate and that work simply together, the communiqué said. The connectivity solutions are supported by qualified installers, making them simple and easy for customers to deploy, the communiqué added.

The global market for connectivity is growing fast, with an estimated 8.4 billion connected devices in 2020. In 2016, fewer than 17% of US homes had any kind of smart home system, and less than four per cent in Europe. Most of these are single-application devices.

The challenge is that connectivity is still widely perceived as lacking in simplicity, reliability, interoperability and after-sales support, the communiqué said. Installation quality is also an issue, particularly when the installation process is left in the hands of the end users or unqualified installers, the communiqué added.

Lars Tveen

Schneider Electric, Danfoss, and Somfy, the communiqué said, believe it is time for major industrial players to come together to accelerate on connectivity and deliver efficient solutions that work simply together. Through the partnership, the three global leaders bring their own field of expertise in lighting, heating and shutter control that are supported by the expertise and proximity of professional network of installers, the communiqué said.

“Controlling lighting, heating and shutters together in one system is a real expertise that we can now jointly offer by combining more than 300 years of industry leadership – all backed by our extensive professional installer networks,” said Lars Tveen, President, Danfoss Heating Segment. “In recent decades, we have also developed a high level of compatibility with other application leaders within HVAC equipment, access control, door entry systems and audio-video. We believe the time has come to further consolidate interaction among other players and to build seamless and simple integration of our applications.”

Jean Guillaume Despature

Jean-Guillaume Despature, CEO, Somfy, added: “Over many years, we have developed a massive network of over 300,000 installers from around the globe. Thanks to close, daily interaction, we have built up mutual trust and understanding with our installers. For them, our brands signify reliability, ease-of-use and effective technical support. In addition, our channel partner programmes – Schneider Electric EcoXperts, Somfy Experts and Danfoss installers – are the perfect platforms for us to continue to build and develop connectivity expertise within our channels.”

Philippe Delorme

Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President for Buildings & IT Business, Schneider Electric, further added: “We have already built established connectivity platforms based on our core applications and have experienced significant success with Schneider Electric’s Wiser, KNX, C-Bus, Danfoss’ Link and Somfy’s TaHoma. We believe in openness and interoperability. Connectivity protocols and platforms are still very diverse. We have built the technology know-how that incorporates all the major communication protocols and is compatible with all emerging user interfaces and voice controllers. And we are fully committed to long-term compatibility with our legacy platforms.”

Under the partnership, Schneider Electric, Danfoss, and Somfy will align their connectivity and technology strategies to develop an open ecosystem, making their products seamlessly interoperable at controller level, or at cloud level through APIs (Application Programming Interface), the communiqué said.

The three companies are committed to train their installer network to ‘champion’ connectivity in their daily activities, helping customers and end-users to deploy solutions that meet their needs and requirements, the communiqué added.

The ecosystem’s first three use cases, demonstrated at Light+Building 2018 trade fair in Germany, are targeting:

• Hotel with fully integrated guest room management
• High-end residential segment with best-in-breed controls, combined in a seamless integrated system
• New housing, or comprehensive home renovation or upgrade, using a new smart-home-ready electrical panel

Illustration: Hotels with fully integrated guests room management

The benefits for hotel operations are seamless integration of systems, providing a consistent and excellent guest experience, while optimising energy use without impacting customer comfort and health, the communiqué said. The solution, the communiqué added, also allows hotel facility managers to control everything through a single integrated system.