The European research and consulting firm, Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) has named engineering software maker PTC’s ThingWorx a best-in-class Internet of Things (IoT) platform for rapid application development and deployment.
PAC is part of the CXP Group of Paris, a research firm for software and IT services.
The ThingWorx platform is used to create IoT applications with a focus on data visualization for non-IT users. ThingWorx provides data and device management, application development capabilities, analytics and codeless augmented reality authoring via ThingWorx Studio.
The consultancy’s study, called “IoT Platforms in Europe 2017” is the first to evaluate IoT platforms in four different segments for specific applications. The firm evaluated companies based on criteria classified into two main categories: competence and relative market strength, said Arnold Vogt, principal consultant for IoT at PAC.
The evaluation provides a neutral, comprehensive, and detailed presentation of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of 30 providers in direct comparison with competitors, according to PAC. Across all four segments, six companies were ranked as best-in-class: PTC, Bosch Software Innovations, GE Digital, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP, Vogt said.
The study ranked PTC the highest in the competence category within the best-in-class quadrant, he added.
The study also recognized PTC for its strategic IoT focus, IoT device management capabilities, user experience, ecosystem, partnerships, client references, and market perception and coverage, Vogt said.
And that’s important. Technology research group Gartner Inc. has predicted that by 2020 nearly 20.8 billion devices will be connected on the IoT.
For a real-world look at how the ThingWorx platform can make over a business by reshaping its entire business model, take the example of Sysmex America, which distributes automated in vitro diagnostic hematology, coagulation and urinalysis analyzers, reagents and information systems for laboratories and healthcare facilities.
The medical device manufacturer first implemented remote monitoring in 2005, which allowed the company to provide a remote service offering to approximately 66 percent of its customer base. This resulted in maximized instrument up-time and service efficiency, according to a PTC statement.
After that success, Sysmex realized there was even more value in the data available from its remote instruments. But with its existing technology infrastructure, the company was unable to turn its connected product data into meaningful business value and deliver the services that it needed to stay ahead in the market.
To unlock the value in the data it was collecting, Sysmex brought in the ThingWorx platform because of its capability to be integrated with the company’s other enterprise systems, such as its customer relationship management system, according to PTC.
With ThingWorx, Sysmex was able have direct, real-time connection with its instruments in field, which allows for rapid problem solving. Sysmex staff could also build applications that use the remote instrument data, including applications that pull out instrument data in real-time and integrate it into Sysmex’s existing business processes.
As PTC’s IoT business grows, more companies will turn to it for the results Sysmex has seen, according to PTC. Already, other makers of IoT platforms are turning to PTC for application building, and this will only continue into the future, Vogt said.
“PTC is leading the IoT platform market for quick and easy application development,” he said. “This is even recognized by other IoT platform providers because many of them cooperate with PTC to utilize this capability.”
