Breaking the Tech Barrier: Overcoming the Difficulties of Going Smart

Lee WinfieldDirector of Hardware Integration

Seebo Saas Platform that makes it easy for product companies to build IoT Products

Lee Winfield Grew up in HK, Manufacturing Environment, Industrial Design

Hardware IntegrationForm & manage relations with Semiconductors, Distributors & Service Providers for development & manufacturing stages

IoT product development -

complicated, expensive and risky

What’s holding things back today?

Future compatibility

Heterogeneous development environments

Interoperability Connectivity

New protocols

Software updates

Operating systems

Security

Design

Sourcing

Mechanical integration

Regulations

Analytics

Storage

Digital Signal Processing

Collaboration

Ideation

Selection of Service Providers

Industrial Designer

Mechanical Engineer

Hardware Engineer

Firmware Engineer

App Developer

PCBA Factory

Product FactoryPrototyping

Types of Service Providers

Clusters of Service Providers

Industrial Designer

Mechanical Engineer

Hardware Engineer

Firmware Engineer

App Developer

PCBA Factory

Product FactoryPrototypingIndustrial

DesignerMechanical Engineer

Hardware Engineer

Firmware Engineer

App Developer

PCBA Factory

Product FactoryPrototyping

Common Cluster of Service Providers

Mechanical Engineer

PCBA FactoryPrototypingMechanical

EngineerPCBA FactoryPrototypingIndustrial

DesignerApp Developer

Product Factory

Hardware Engineer

Firmware Engineer

PCBA FactoryPrototyping PCBA FactoryPrototyping Hardware

EngineerFirmware Engineer

Focus of Service ProvidersDevelopers Outsource & manage

Factories build R&D teams

Development Focused

● Suits intricate / innovative projects

● Quicker to pick

● Flexibility in factory sourcing

● Anywhere

● Different from mass production

● If have a PCBA who doesn’t do dev.

Manufacturing Focused

● Accurate production costs

● Closer to production

● Competitive dev price

● China

● Production commitment & Volume

● Difficult to get files & source alternatives

Hardware Development

Hardware Development

Used to be more suitable● Innovative projects● Quicker to respond / easier to communicate

Development Focused

● Suits intricate / innovative projects

● Quicker to pick

● Flexibility in factory sourcing

● Anywhere

● Different from mass production

● If have a PCBA who doesn’t do dev.

Manufacturing Focused

● Accurate production costs

● Closer to production

● Competitive dev price

● China

● Production commitment & Volume

● Difficult to get files & source alternatives

Hardware Development

● More factories with R&D● Easier to communicate● Clients know what they want

Development Focused

● Suits intricate / innovative projects

● Quicker to pick

● Flexibility in factory sourcing

● Anywhere

● Different from mass production

● If have a PCBA who doesn’t do dev.

Manufacturing Focused

● Accurate production costs

● Closer to production

● Competitive dev price

● China

● Production commitment & Volume

● Difficult to get files & source alternatives

PCBA FactoryPrototyping PCBA FactoryPrototyping Hardware

EngineerFirmware Engineer

Production Driven Suppliers

Factories build R&D teams

● PCBA Factories● Component suppliers / Distributors● Specialised product factories (with SMT lines)

Do

● Do work with a supplier with Experience in

the technology

● Do ask for an open BOM

● Do keep copy of the files - keep the power

● Do consider Testing and programming &

Regulations early

General Hardware Development Tips

Don’t

● Don׳t be afraid of Chinese factories. If

you are- HK entity

● Don’t forget to consider component

lead-time

● Don’t work with an unreputable factory

because it’s cheaper

Goal

● For everyone to understand the big picture

● Where Everyone’s roles begin and end

Believe there will be problems, now try to find them

Specifications

Work in short iterationsShare drawings / data / workEncourage team to raise worries and concerns

Shared Iterative Process

~1 week

HW

FW

App

ID

Mech