GROW MINNESOTA!® ANNUAL UPDATE l 2016
The importance of Minnesota’s Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem
ATEK ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES
Eden Prairie www.atekcompanies.com
ATEK Access Technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) ATEK Access Technologies, LLC is part of the Eden Prairie-based ATEK Companies group of technology and manufacturing businesses. Its brands include AssetScan, Datakey, Larco and TankScan. Grow Minnesota! visited with ATEK’s leadership to learn more about the company’s involvement in the Internet of Things (IoT). As just one example of the company’s IoT reach, in September 2016 ATEK announced the connection of its TankScan and AssetScan solutions to the John Deere Operations Center through John Deere’s API services. The TankScan monitoring system will accurately monitor fluid levels in multiple tanks, across many sites, from any location with an Internet connection. AssetScan expands upon that and monitors variables such as bearing vibrations, crop land drainage and fuel filter conditions. Farmers and service providers receive alerts in the Operations Center when sensor readings signify that remote equipment requires attention. “Agriculture can benefit greatly from data collected by the Internet of Things,” said Sherri McDaniel, president of ATEK Access Technologies. “From simple monitoring and alerting, to utilizing combinations of GPS, weather, yield maps, drone data and more.”
Grow Minnesota! We know Minnesota’s economy
Grow Minnesota!® is the business retention, expansion and assistance program of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The program is entering its 15th year and operates in partnership with close to 70 local and regional chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. The primary focus is to retain Minnesota businesses and encourage them to expand here. Every Grow Minnesota! business retention visit has four parts: We thank the business owner or manager for having a business in our state and employing Minnesotans; we learn as much as we can about the business and its Minnesota activities; we ask if we can assist the company to stay and grow in our state; we ask what policymakers can do to improve our state’s overall business environment. We need to visit your business!
2016 Grow Minnesota! Program Stats
677 256 784
one-on-on business visits.
businesses assisted.
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GROW MINNESOTA! 2016 Annual Update IOT FUSE
Minneapolis www.iotfuse.com A recent Grow Minnesota! visit with IoT Fuse uncovered important information on the Internet of Things (IoT) space in Minnesota’s economy. IoT Fuse is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis that values the spirit of innovation with IoT technologies and how they can improve our physical world and our lives. What is the Internet of Things and why is Minnesota so well positioned in this space? By Patrick Delaney, BSEE & CFO of IoTFuse The Internet of Things (IoT) is commonly thought of as a collection of technologies that enable new business models. It is easiest to describe IoT in terms of three basic pillars: 1. Sensors: Sensors and smartphone-like computers have enabled sensing everything from temperature to vibration to audio to simple video streams and many other things in the “real world,” automatically, for 10 to 100 times less costly than a decade ago. 2. Bandwidth, or The Cost of Sending Data: On average, including all types of data traveling through the internet, including WiFi, cellular data and everything else, what used to cost $100 per Gigabyte per month a decade ago, now costs $10 per Gigabyte per month on average. 3. Cloud Computing, or Cheap & Easy Data Storage & Analysis: If you’ve ever used “Dropbox,” or “Google Drive,” or any number of “Apps,” which have arisen on smartphones, you will have noticed that it’s not only easier to move data around, but you have access to the power of millions of different programs, at your fingertips, at an incredibly low price. These three trends/pillars may be called the “Structure” of IoT, but this business phenomenon also needs a set of physical assets, which are already here in Minnesota. Because of our rich technological history, many Minnesotans have worked with all sorts of “Things” including medical devices, machines, consumer products, tractors and shipping companies. We have done an excellent job of capturing the value in many diverse industries. This puts Minnesota at a distinct advantage over a lot of other places in the world – places where they might only write software. Minnesota has “experience” which is necessary to write good software and create automation and business improvement. “Minnesota is the perfect storm of having a lot of smart software folks, and a lot of computer engineering education going back decades, but many people forget that Minnesota’s largest industry is technology. We are ranked higher overall per capita in tech employment than California, and ranked higher in Measurement and Control Instrumentation than any other state. We have the background to capitalize on this IoT trend, and now is the time to make plans for your business to do so,” stated the author.
MINNESOTA CHAMBER – GROW MINNESOTA! PROUD TO SPONSOR THE IOT FUSE: CONFERENCE 2017 April 21 – Minneapolis Convention Center Sessions include both broad “vision” talks as well as interesting projects from individual engineers, researchers and hobbyists.
GROW MINNESOTA! 2016 Annual Update LAB 651
St. Paul www.lab651.com Lab 651 is expanding boundaries to connect products throughout the world Grow Minnesota! visited with Justin Grammens, founding partner of Lab 651, to better understand his business operations and its role in the Internet of Things (IoT). The business is a fullservice connected devices / IoT product development company. Each of the three founders – Justin Grammens, Rod Landers and Troy Pongratz – has more than 20 years of experience in connecting devices and systems. Lab 651 employs a cross-functional team of top tier software, electrical and mechanical engineers who collaborate and innovate to create solutions for clients within the IoT space.
NEW BOUNDARY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Minneapolis www.newboundary.com
New Boundary Technologies, Inc. – A player in Minnesota’s Internet of Things ecosystem When Grow Minnesota! staff visited with Kim Pearson, CEO of New Boundary Technologies, Inc., they learned much about his business and were introduced to the Internet of Things (IoT). Pearson’s company has been a leader in this area of technology since it was founded over 30 years ago. The company provides key components to the IoT space in Minnesota – software development and analytics. They have created off-the-shelf solutions such as PwrSmart® and RemoteAware™ that help small to large organizations monitor and control their networked PCs and remote equipment. Quick access to information is accomplished by using the “cloud” and mobile platforms from anywhere in the world and at any time. Many businesses are unaware of the energy cost and waste related to having PCs in a full-power mode when not in use, so New Boundary recently launched an initiative to help Minnesota companies save money by reducing the energy usage of their PCs and monitors. Its PwrSmart Service cloud application is used to conduct free energy audits for businesses that want to measure the cost-savings of moving to automated and centralized PC power management. For example, a large school district with 2,000-plus PCs saved more than $200,000 in their first year of using PwrSmart Service to automatically adjust PCs to a low power level when not in use.
GROW MINNESOTA! 2016 Annual Update MULTITECH
Mounds View www.multitech.com MultiTech and the Industrial Internet of Things A past Grow MN! visit with MutltiTech introduced Grow MN! staff to the growing industrial Internet of Things (IoT). Founded in 1970 and with US-based manufacturing, Multi Tech has a worldwide network of distributors and resellers. The company’s focus is on serving business and OEM customers with its global headquarters located in Mounds View. MultiTech designs, develops and manufactures communications equipment for the industrial Internet of Things – connecting physical assets to business processes to deliver enhanced value. For example, when RTC Manufacturing, Inc, the largest supplier of school zone equipment in the world needed a reliable two-way remote communication system that could function several hundred miles away from its traffic centers
- they looked to MultiTech. RTC opted for MultiTech’s MultiConnect® Cell 100 Series. Since implementing MultiTech’s technology, RTC now has a reliable two-way communication system available to 99% of its customers’ school flashers across North America. Customers can now enjoy “worry free” implementations and are able to receive alerts from the equipment in the field if there is an issue. Quick emergency changes due to situations such as bad weather, are now much easier.
Minnesota Internet of Things (IoT) Statistics Fastest growing IoT community per capita in the US. (As defined by Meetup.com membership) (Source: IoT Fuse, 2016)
1st 2nd 3rd
ranked largest IoT-themed maker group in the US. (Microsoft, 2016)
highest performing tech state in the US, behind Massachusetts. (Source: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 2014)
fastest growing IoT community in the world, behind Israel, and the Netherlands. (As defined by Meetup.com membership) (Source: IoT Fuse, 2016)
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GROW MINNESOTA! 2016 Annual Update
SALES & NEW PRODUCTS
close correlation between sales performance and innovation
NEW INVESTMENTS IN MINNESOTA
57% of MN businesses planning new investments
EXPORTS
22% 27%
of Minnesota businesses export, 2016
average of Minnesota businesses that export, 2013-2015
GROW MINNESOTA! 2016 Annual Update
2016 GROW MINNESOTA!
Proud to support Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
VISITS
Economic Indicators
Peter Kellenberger, Market Executive
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Business responses:
69% added new products or
vertical Katie Simpson, Market Executive
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services in last year
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Minnesota Power Mortenson Construction P-A Industrial Services Slumberland, Inc.
43% added jobs in last year, and 57% are planning a new capital investment
A robust statewide partnership of local chambers of commerce and economic development entities *Denotes local economic development organization co-partners. Albert Lea-Freeborn County Albert Lea Economic Development Authority* Alexandria Lakes Area Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission* APEX Duluth Area Apple Valley Austin Area Bemidji Area Bloomington Blooming Prairie Brainerd Lakes Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corp.*
Burnsville City of Centerville* Dakota County Regional East Grand Forks EDA* Eden Prairie Elk River Area Faribault Area Fergus Falls Area Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Grand Rapids Area Itasca Economic Development Corp.* Greater Mankato Growth Inc. Hastings Area Hibbing Area I94 West
International Falls Area Lake City Lake City EDA* Lakeville Area Litchfield Long Prairie Area Marshall Area MetroNorth Minneapolis Regional New Ulm Area North 65 North Hennepin Area Northfield Area Owatonna Area Park Rapids Area Pipestone Area
Princeton Area Princeton Economic Development* River Heights Progress Plus * Redwood Area Richfield Rochester Area Rochester Area Economic Development Inc.* Roseville HRA* Saint Cloud Area Shakopee Area SouthWest Metro Twin Cities North TwinWest
Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corp.* Waconia Waseca Area White Bear Area White Bear Lake Economic Development Corp.* Willmar Lakes Area Winona Area Worthington Area Statewide Affiliate Partners: University of Minnesota Extension TriState Manufacturers Association (TSMA)
