The third edition of Shanghai Smart Home Technology (SSHT) concluded on a bright note. The fair was held concurrently with Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology (SIBT) from 5 – 7 September 2017 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai. Collectively, the two shows hosted 240 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions which showcased the latest smart home and intelligent building innovations. The fairs also welcomed a record-breaking 27,275 visitors, an 18% increase from last year, from 54 countries and regions.
Regarding this year‘s fair, Ms Lucia Wong, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd, commented: “I would like to express my gratitude to our co-organisers, especially China Smart Home Industry Alliance (CSHIA) as well as all of our industry peers for their support. This year, SSHT elaborated on current industry movements through four concepts — ‘innovation’, ‘core technology’, ‘trends’ and ‘connectivity’.
The development of Internet of Things (IoT), big data and cloud platform has changed our everyday habits and these ongoing developments are driving the smart home industry to go further. The fair successfully positions itself as a one-stop showcase platform covering a full spectrum of exhibits. In order to foster information exchange and collaboration, we organised a series of seminars and forums. To make smart living a reality we will require new ideas, hardware and above all a close-knit industry. We are confident to make SSHT an influential event to offer a comprehensive display for industry professionals.”
The concepts of ‘innovation’, ‘core technology’, ‘trends’ and ‘connectivity’ help illustrate future industry progression.
Innovation – Gathering leading brands to exhibit the latest inventions
As smart technlogies evolve, the market is continually searching for cutting-edge solutions. SSHT gathers renowned overseas and domestic brands to present their latest technologies. Featured exhibitors included ABB, ANJUBAO, Apollo, Atte, AVE-Leelen, backaudio, Baiwei, Cinemaster, Crodigy, CSHIA, Dnake, Dorlink, Eastsoft, EnOcean Alliance, Fantem, Haier, HDL, HEKR, Hi-Champ, Honyar, HUTLON, KNX Association, Konke, Moorgen, Ohosure, RAYING, Rici, Sonos, T-touching, Tijio, UIOT, Wensi and Wise.
From individual smart home products to total solutions
| "The significant application of smart home technologies can be well illustrated by the rollout of smart features within new-built homes" |
Following the success of individual smart home products entering into homes, the growing demand for total solutions is pushing businesses to develop smart home systems that seamlessly connect multiple devices under one roof.
Mr Johnnie Lin, CEO of Hangzhou Konke Information Technology Co Ltd, exhibiting at SSHT for the second time, commented: “We would like to connect with system developers, engineers and building decoration companies. We met around 30 potential business partners on the morning of the first day. The significant application of smart home technologies can be well illustrated by the rollout of smart features within new-built homes. Undoubtedly, the fair is further facilitating the industry‘s development.”
Shenzhen Smart & Aspiration Co Ltd is a third-time exhibitor. Mr Zhang Zerui, Manufacturing Director, said: “Our company specialises in individual smart home products. By connecting individual products, a complete smart home system can be built. The visitor flow at our booth was exceptional. We generated over 100 sales leads on the second day alone. The fair is an ideal platform for opening up new markets.”
Thriving development of smart home entertainment and audio-visual (AV)
Home entertainment and AV constitutes an important part of smart home and draws strong interest from the industry. Apart from functionality, visitors also have increasing demands for stylish design and higher levels of user-friendliness. This year, CEDIA organised a training course on home theatre design and a dedicated zone was set up to display the latest technologies from the AV and home entertainment sectors.
Sonos Inc is a smart audio company. Mr Mike Tian, Project Manager, said: “It is the first year for us to exhibit as an individual brand and we displayed our entire product line. Visitors were very interested in our products. On the first day of the fair, we obtained contact information from over 200 visitors. They kept coming to our booth and we received solid business enquiries. Smart AV has overcome the shortcomings of coventional audio equipments. The smart speaker race among Apple, Amazon and Google has revealed the huge potential of the sector.”
Crodigy International Technology Co Ltd showcased its diverse range of AV systems. Mr Chen Liang, Marketing Manager, said: “SSHT is a well-organised and important fair for our branding. Most of the industry peers in China took part in the fair. We met many distributors and partners. The future industry trend will be about developing technologies that make products more stable and user-friendly.”
| "SSHT is well-thought-out and there is a good chance to convert the enquiries into business" |
Smart door locks and home security are on the rise
Ample demand in the end-users market has contributed to a constant influx of new products into the smart door lock sector. Guangdong HUTLON Technology Co Ltd is one of those smart door lock exhibitors. Mr Liu Guanxian, General Manager, Marketing Centre, said: “We would like to meet distributors and integrators for strategic collaboration. SSHT is well-thought-out and there is a good chance to convert the enquiries into business. Industry peers should continue to focus on developing consumer-oriented technologies.”
First-time exhibitor, Guangdong Digital Technology Co Ltd, specialises in access control. Ms Zhang Shuming, Vice President and General Manager of Smart Integration Business Department, stated: “The visitor flow is impressive, which is favourable for expanding our business. Smart home technologies are already widespread in Germany, the UK and the USA. SSHT enables domestic buyers to see the technologies which they have only heard of before.”
Smart home control systems
Control systems enable users to enhance the intelligence, safety, convenience, comfort and energy efficiency of their homes. Mr Chen ZhiXiong, Chairman of the Board, Guangzhou Vensi Intelligent Technology Co Ltd, shared: “Although the concept of smart homes is gaining popularity, it still takes time to raise the market’s awareness. SSHT is influential in China with excellent visitor flow. Next year, we would like to have our booth at the same location.”
Pursue forward-thinking solutions
The ‘New Technology and Product Launch’ presentation with the theme of ‘Smart Home Inspires New Ways of Living’ was held to promote collaboration and provide industry insights for future development. Well-known suppliers that took part in the event include 4G Technology, ABB, ANJUBAO, Baiwei, Crodigy, CSHIA, Haier, Moorgen, Mountains Small, Ohosure, Sonos, UIOT and Umeinfo.
Mr Zhu Huihui, Project Manager of Taizhou Qianxi Smart Technology Ltd was visiting the show for the third time. He commented: “SSHT is one of the most well-organised smart home fairs in China. I am here to find out more about the latest trends. The new features of WeChat and robots in smart home systems were standout exhibits that caught my attention. Visiting the show was very thought-provoking.”
Core technology – Integrating cross-sector expertise to enhance competitiveness
| "It was really encouraging to see a full house during the forum and it was well arranged and interactive" |
Technological convergence across different sectors is the key of success. Forums covering core technologies were organised to serve as an interactive platform to help industry peers keep abreast of new trends.
Connectivity
HomeGrid Forum is dedicated to promoting G.hn technology, which is a globally recognised gigabit home networking technology. Renowned speaker, Len Dauphinee, Ph. D., Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Broadband Group, MaxLinear Inc, shared: “Smart homes begin with devices. The next level is to connect all the devices together at a low cost. It was really encouraging to see a full house during the forum and it was well arranged and interactive. Attendees actively engaged in the discussion and asked some good questions after the presentation.”
Internet of Things (IoT) technology
The speaker of the forum “ARM Mbed: Internet of Possible”, Mr David Pan, Director of Marketing, Asia, ARM China, said: “It is important to arouse the audience’s interest by exploring the latest successful cases. IoT is no longer a fleeting idea, but a real business application. I believe the forum helped attendees better understand the convergence of smart home and IoT, and also its impacts on smart technologies.”
Trends – Keeping up with market intelligence to capture opportunities for growth
Keeping track of future trends is important for industry professionals in a constantly changing market. SSHT invited domestic and overseas expert speakers to share new ideas during the seminars. Topics included:
Information Security
One of the co-organisers of SSHT, CSHIA, organised “China Smart Home Industry Alliance (CSHIA) Eastern China Summit - The Information Security of Smart Home”. Mr Steven Zhou, Secretary General of CSHIA, stated: “Smart home security is now a reality with concrete technological applications. The forum focused on information security issues which can be of concern to many consumers. A wide range of solutions were displayed and industry viewpoints shared to help further enhance smart home security.”
| "The forum was well-arranged with an impressive number of attendees. It is a great platform for exchanging market intelligence" |
NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT)
Mr Ge Hantao, Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Research Department, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), Chief Researcher of IoT Industry, CCTL, was the speaker of “NB-IoT and Smart Home”. He said: “The rise of smart homes can improve people’s lives by reducing the application cost of technologies. The forum was well-arranged with an impressive number of attendees. It is a great platform for exchanging market intelligence.”
Robots
The speaker of “Tencent Qrobot (Second Generation) Intelligent Robot Strategic Launch and Industry Application Summit”, Mr Jin Fang, Director of Smart Device Product, Social Platform Department, Tencent, said: “Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely used among different sectors. Features such as voice and facial recognition require big data collected by robots. The quality of the audience was incredible which made the forum a great occasion to mingle with experts.”
Connectivity – Enhancing the communication between different smart system providers
A diverse array of forums were organised to enhance the communication and integration among smart system providers. Participating organisations included EnOcean Alliance, KNX Association, LonMark International, Wi-Fi Alliance and Zigbee Alliance.
Wi-Fi Alliance elaborated on the application of smart living by presenting the topic “Wireless to Smart by Wi-Fi Alliance”. Mr Jerry Huang, Director, Greater China Region, Wi-Fi Alliance, said: “I would like to provoke new thinking by illustrating case studies related to chips, modules, solutions, strategy and end-users’ market. The forum was in line with the market’s expectation and the audience was highly engaged in the discussion.”
Zigbee Alliance introduced its technologies and illustrated the application through the topic of “Smart Inside, Beauty Outside”. Ms Laura Shang, China Regional Representative, Zigbee Alliance, said: “Most of the attendees were from the smart home sector which meets our expectation. The guest speakers we invited covered a full spectrum of the industry including chips and modules. It was an efficient platform for industry professionals to discuss the latest trends.”
| "Smart hospitals have aroused concerns towards medical issues related to aging populations" |
KNX Association organised “KNX Technical Seminar” to explore future developments within smart homes and cities through case studies. Ms Shen Pu, Executive Secretary, KNX China, shared: “In addition to helping the audience better understand our brand, we also provided new angles for audience to examine the industry. Smart hospitals have aroused concerns towards medical issues related to aging populations. The forum was well-attended and audiences’ feedback was positive.”
Cognitive buildings concept
SSHT is organised by Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade – Shanghai Pudong Sub-Council, Shanghai Hongshan Exhibition Service Co Ltd and the China Smart Home Industry Alliance (CSHIA). The next edition of the fair will be held from 3 – 5 September 2018 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre in China.
SIBT will once again be held concurrently with SSHT to showcase intelligent building technologies and solutions for building energy saving, the smart community and smart hotels. The fair is committed to presenting the concept of Building Internet of Things and driving the industry forward. This will eventually mean the concept of intelligent building evolving from an individual building to a cluster of buildings and moving further towards intelligent technologies and digitisation. Many hope that the idea of cognitive buildings will eventually be realised.
SSHT and SIBT are both headed by the biennial Light + Building event which will take place from 18 – 23 March 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany. Messe Frankfurt also organises a series of light and building technology exhibitions in China including the Shanghai International Lighting Fair, Parking China, Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition and Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology. The company's light and building technology fairs also extend to markets in Argentina, India, Russia, the UAE and other countries and regions.