Consumer Products
Howl Alert: Personal Security Mobile Application
Digital Interface, Embedded
A Complex, Secure, and Scalable Solution
Whirlpool is synonymous with quality and is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world. Committed to “delivering great design that fits seamlessly into life,” the company markets a wide variety of appliances across well-loved brands like Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag and Jenn-Air.
The manufacturer strives to simplify the lives of its customers and has a longstanding history of technical innovation including pioneering sensor technology that takes the guesswork out of cooking and laundry. Looking for more ways to save their customers time and money, they turned to SpinDance.
The Issue(s)
Challenge.
IoT is a natural extension of Whirlpool’s passion for improving the lives of their customers. Smart, connected appliances promise efficiency and delight with new opportunities in mobile and voice interfaces.
When Whirlpool needed a partner that understood every aspect of IoT, our team was an easy choice. From embedded to cloud to mobile, we had the right knowledge to architect a secure, scalable solution. But executing IoT at the scale Whirlpool operates still offered a few complexities:
- Connecting appliances with detailed, multi-step command protocols that extend beyond simple IoT devices like light bulbs and thermostats
- Creating an IoT strategy that includes a mobile app for each portfolio brand and integrations with dozens of third-party services
- Strategically rolling out connectivity to every new appliance and support millions of devices across the globe
The Solve
Solution.
Whirlpool transitioned its IoT-managed services to SpinDance and the relationship quickly expanded to include embedded, cloud and mobile development. With our end-to-end approach to IoT, we were an ideal partner for Whirlpool’s connected vision. Over the last several years, Whirlpool has engaged SpinDance engineers in four capacities to further innovation:
- Augmented its in-house embedded development team to add product connectivity
- Provided the system design and development leadership to onboard dozens of connected product lines
- Integrated with a growing number of third-party services with the connected appliances including Google’s Nest thermostat; Amazon’s Replenishment and Alexa services; and multiple energy providers.
- Managed Whirlpool’s North American cloud infrastructure by using modern DevOps practices, ensuring a high level of uptime that gives customers a rock solid digital experience
The Success
Result.
Through our engineering and IoT expertise, we've helped Whirlpool leverage IoT to grow its impressive market share and remain a market leader. These efforts paid off at 2017’s Consumer Electronic Show, where Whirlpool won multiple awards for its Zera connected composter and received high praise for its Alexa-powered voice interfaces.
MAJOR OUTCOMES:
- Empowered Whirlpool to leverage IoT and remain the world's leading appliance manufacturer
- Helped the brand garner multiple awards for extraordinary devices and interfaces