With about 1,000 of its top integrators on hand,
Honeywell Connect Addresses DIY, Connected Home at Annual Conference
Honeywell Connect annual conference outlines strategies for selling to Millennials and DIYers, as well as management tactics and the debut of the Lyric platform.
Published: October 26, 2015
The Honeywell Connect conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., was hosted by Marek Robinson, president of the Honeywell Authorized Dealer Group. About 1,000 attendees participated in 60 educational sessions over three days.
The Lyric family includes smart thermostats, touch panels, integrated intrusion security and video surveillance security, smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection, lighting control, locks, motorized shades and more all under the control of Honeywell’s Total Connect app. Partners in Lyric include Savant, Kwikset, Schlage, Lutron, Yale, Leviton, iControl, Somfy, Crestron, URC, Allegion and others.
RELATED: Check out SSI’s Slideshow from the Conference
“We had a factory transition that caused a hiccup,” explained Reddy. “We need to think not just about our product but how it fits in the entire ecosystem, and most importantly we have to think about the user experience first.”
We had a factory transition that caused a hiccup. We need to think not just about our product but how it fits in the entire ecosystem, and most importantly we have to think about the user experience first. – Inder Reddy
Reddy noted that the momentum of the smart home market cannot be stopped. He cited proprietary Honeywell research that showed more than 90% of homeowners want automation, and the security industry is well poised to take advantage of that need. Honeywell’s data showed that 70% of homeowners “do not feel safe in their own homes,” according to Reddy. That shocking data fed well into security integrators becoming a go-to resource for consumers. Thus, Reddy predicted that the percentage of U.S. homes with monitored security systems would reach 40% in the next 10 years, up from the somewhat stagnant estimated 20 to 25% it is today.
The Connected Home focus also feeds well into the theme of the Connect event which was “Fast Forward.” Reddy noted, “RMR models are great, but dealers need to be flexible in their business models. They need to focus on remote services and solutions. They need to focus on integration with other products.”
Later, Alan Stoddard, senior director of marketing at Honeywell Security Group, promised that the Lyric products will begin shipping in December. He encouraged dealers to “lead with automation” in their sales presentations to customers. “It is a different definition of security. It turns the sales conversation upside-down and opens up what customers are willing to pay for,” he said.
Hand-in-hand with the conversation about the Connected Home, Honeywell also encouraged dealers to check out the company’s commercial Building Automation portfolio, which includes intelligent controllers, physical security, energy dashboards, video management, cloud storage and more under the Honeywell ProWatch system. Sales of the ProWatch system are up 29% in 2015, according to the company. The commercial building automation market is predicted to be double the size of the smart home market.
The event was also the coming-out party for newly-appointed Todd Rief, president of the just-created Honeywell Fire Safety Americas division, as well as David Paja, president, Honeywell Security Group, both of whom expressed their excitement in getting to know Connect dealers better in the coming years.
RELATED: Report: Global Home Automation Market Growing 26% Annually
Integrator Dave Sweeney of Advantech Inc. in Dover, Del., reinforced the conversation when he spoke to the group during the opening general session.
“It has always bothered me that the security industry is slow to adopt new technology. How long will our competitors and customers accept this slowness or apprehension? Not long. We must change faster,” he noted, adding that he now labels Advantech as a “technology company” instead of a security firm. He challenged other integrators to openly engage people within their own organization who are “forward thinkers.”
