Ghent-based building automation specialist OpenMotics has partnered with the trendsetter in ventilation, sun protection and outdoor living solutions, Renson to take the concept of ‘healthy living’ to the next level.
Observing that ‘healthy and comfortable living’ goes beyond the products they develop, CEO Paul Renson says the partnership now enables them to have a concrete ‘cloud’ solution in-house.
Pieter De Clerck (CEO OpenMotics) believes building automation should be as natural in a house as running water or electricity. “I like to compare the ‘cloud’ platform that we offer as a digital ‘market’ for this to the app store to make my point: you only used to use mobile phones for calling and texting. But it’s the app store that allowed the smartphone to grow to meet the needs of the users. It’s our ambition to be the ‘app store for buildings’ via a platform of our own services that is simultaneously open to external parties, etc.”
The partnership between OpenMotics and Renson came about from a shared vision – that a house must be a true ‘home’ where healthy living is the norm.
Pieter De Clerck said, “The thing about Renson that immediately attracted us is the realisation that is evident there concerning how the industry evolves, and the realisation that you as a manufacturer can strengthen your position by going beyond just the mere offer of ‘construction parts’. For example, by marketing ‘comfortable living’ (or ‘creating healthy spaces’) as a service too. And we can contribute wonderfully to this.”
Rino De Muelenaere (Group Director R&D Renson) explains that OpenMotics bundles everything together for ‘intelligent living’, where, over time, a building can learn from and adjust to the behaviour of the residents and services and technology (ventilation, sun protection, heating, lighting, cooling, etc.). This makes OpenMotics a fundamental player for Renson to effectively prove that they can concretely substantiate their ‘creating healthy spaces’ baseline, using the data collected in the cloud.
De Muelenaere adds that OpenMotics will continue to be a fully independent company and will continue to collaborate with other parties.
Image: (L-R) Alfons Van Sever (COO/CFO Renson), Elleen Vanherpe (OpenMotics), Rino De Muelenaere (Group Director R&D Renson), Pieter Van Laethem (OpenMotics), Stefaan Aelbrecht (OpenMotics), Kenneth Henderick (OpenMotics), Wilbert Ingels (OpenMotics), Paul Renson (CEO Renson), Pieter De Clerck (CEO OpenMotics), Frederick Ryckbosch (OpenMotics)
