The document discusses some of the difficulties in developing Internet of Things (IoT) products, including future compatibility, heterogeneous development environments, interoperability, connectivity, and other technical challenges. It outlines the many roles involved in IoT product development, from industrial designers to hardware engineers to app developers. It also describes different types of service providers that can be involved, including those focused more on development versus manufacturing. Finally, it provides some tips for hardware development processes and working with different suppliers.

1. Breaking the Tech Barrier:
Overcoming the Difficulties of Going Smart
Lee Winfield
Director of Hardware Integration

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

3. Lee Winfield
Grew up in HK, Manufacturing Environment, Industrial Design
Hardware Integration
Form & manage relations with Semiconductors, Distributors &
Service Providers for development & manufacturing stages

5. IoT product development -
complicated, expensive and risky

6. What’s holding things back today?
Future
compatibility
Heterogeneous
development
environments
InteroperabilityConnectivity
New
protocols
Software
updates
Operating
systems
Security
Design
Sourcing
Mechanical
integration
Regulations
Analytics
Storage
Digital Signal
Processing
Collaboration
Ideation

7. Selection of Service Providers

8. Industrial
Designer
Mechanical
Engineer
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer
App
Developer
PCBA
Factory
Product
Factory
Prototyping
Types of Service Providers

9. Clusters of Service Providers
Industrial
Designer
Mechanical
Engineer
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer
App
Developer
PCBA
Factory
Product
Factory
Prototyping
Industrial
Designer
Mechanical
Engineer
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer
App
Developer
PCBA
Factory
Product
Factory
Prototyping

10. Common Cluster of Service Providers
Mechanical
Engineer
PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
Mechanical
Engineer
PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
Industrial
Designer
App
Developer
Product
Factory
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer

11. PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer
Focus of Service Providers
Developers Outsource
& manage
Factories build
R&D teams

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
PCBA
Factory
Prototyping
Hardware
Engineer
Firmware
Engineer
Production Driven Suppliers
Factories build
R&D teams
● PCBA Factories
● Component suppliers / Distributors
● Specialised product factories (with SMT lines)

16. 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

17. 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

18. Work in short iterations
Share drawings / data / work
Encourage team to raise worries and concerns
Shared Iterative Process
~1 week
HW
FW
App
ID
Mech