From custom panels to smart IoT devices, a startup is powering industries with energy monitoring, automation, and cloud reporting. Narrating their story, Thangathurai from IONICKS disclosed to Nidhi Agarwal from EFY how they evolved from custom projects to a standardised products manufacturer.
Q. What does your company make?
A. We are an embedded systems company, and our main products focus on electrical measurements and process automation. We provide our customers with comprehensive electrical solutions, helping them avoid penalties under Electricity Board (EB) regulations. Since 2019, we have been working on custom designs provided by clients, primarily making panels. In 2023, we started developing our own standardised products. Our private limited company started in 2024.
Q. How did your IoT project start, and how does it work now?
A. We started this IoT project five years ago, initially relying on programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Over time, we transitioned to embedded systems. Today, we use microcontroller units (MCUs) for our IoT setup and process automation, while operating our own cloud infrastructure. Our IoT system is fully open and runs on our own cloud, not AWS or Google.
Q. What inspired you to start your startup, and is there a story behind its name?
A. Before starting the company, we were working on custom projects. Over time, we wanted to enter the market with regular products, and we recently launched our own product line. As for the name, ‘Ion’ refers to a charged particle, which symbolises the spark that began our journey.
Q. What products do you already have?
A. We have ionLive, which is a multi-purpose device with a built-in meter and eight output relays. You can use relays to switch devices based on parameters such as voltage or current. It can also function as a power factor controller.
Q. Can you tell us about the products you are launching now and what makes them unique?
A. We are launching three key products. First is electzaIFD, our intelligent field device (IFD), an embedded electricity network management system for IoT applications and process automation, handling both analogue and digital signals with precision. We are also developing a customised version, electzaHealth, tailored for hospitals, featuring sensors and monitoring for individual loads, all integrated with industrial-grade electrical safety.
Our second product is VyomaTrack, a radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based inventory management solution for warehouses, hospitals, and retail, enabling real-time asset tracking and automation using UHF RFID on ESP32 platforms.
The third is ionLive, an advanced automated power factor correction panel. Previously separate as ionLive and ionPFC, the devices are now unified to manage power factor control, maximum demand, overvoltage, and overcurrent protection in a single device.
Q. What is an ioPack product, which industries use it, and what does it do?
A. ioPack is an IoT-enabled device for industrial automation and monitoring, mainly targeting industries such as printing and packaging. It integrates with a complete enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Users create job cards in the ERP, including the job number, job type, and quantity. The production data is automatically collected from the machines. For example, if a job is set to print 12,000 sheets and the machine prints 11,800, the system updates the actual count. It monitors running jobs, automates machine operations via commands, and provides real-time production data accessible on mobile devices.
Q. How new or different is it from similar products?
A. In the market, you will find separate devices for overvoltage protection, power factor control, and maximum demand control (MDC). With ionLive, we can handle all of these in a single product. It also supports remote switching and includes RS-485 and CAN bus outputs, making it easy to integrate with your existing PLC automation. The device, called ionSwitch, is industrial-grade yet suitable for home use. It includes a built-in real-time clock (RTC). These products are part of the IFD project. Our team handles everything from printed circuit board (PCB) design to hardware and software implementation, and we have our own manufacturing plant. Right now, we outsource PCB production due to scale, but we plan to bring it in-house in the future.
Q. Why did you add an RTC to your product? Was it needed by users or your own idea?
A. We added the RTC because we faced a practical issue. For example, when a user schedules a light to turn on at 8:00 a.m. via a smartphone, the schedule is usually stored in the cloud. If Wi-Fi or the internet is down, the schedule fails. Our approach is different: scheduling should be handled by the MCU, not in the cloud. We implemented RTC and scheduling directly in the hardware. This way, even without an internet connection, the device executes tasks on time. Our cloud is used solely for reporting and data analysis, while control functions are handled locally by the hardware.
Q. Who are your target customers for these products?
A. Our target customers are industries that use large amounts of energy. We focus on industrial users who need to monitor multiple systems and optimise their energy usage.
Q. How do you scale a prototype to full production while keeping hardware quality?
A. For every product, we first prepare a prototype. Even during prototyping, we keep hardware quality and quality assurance in mind. Over the past five years, we have gained industry experience by installing our products and observing where others face challenges. These insights help us address potential issues early, making the transition from prototype to mass manufacturing smoother.
Q. How do your IoT devices connect to the cloud and stay secure?
A. Our IoT devices communicate with the cloud using MQTT, while data is managed with MongoDB and application programming interfaces built on LoopBack. The software interface is built with Qt and Angular, and we now use Flutter for greater control. We are also collecting sufficient data to explore the integration of artificial intelligence into our next-generation products. To ensure accurate insights in noisy industrial environments, we design both hardware and software carefully to handle unpredictable conditions. For security, we use MQTT and manage user access with defined passwords and permission levels, such as read-only or write-only.
Q. What is the purpose of sending data to the cloud? Is it for processing, decision-making, or something else?
A. The primary purpose is storage and reporting. We generate daily WhatsApp reports for our customers and automatically email Excel reports. The data stored in the cloud is used for analytics.
Q. What microcontrollers or processors are you using in your devices, and why did you choose them?
A. We are using the ESP32. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so we do not need external modules. Currently, our devices use LAN for connectivity, and some can also work with 4G. For projects that do not need Wi-Fi, we use the STM32.
Q. How do you handle memory, processing, and battery limits in real-time embedded projects?
A. Currently, our system relies on industrial power supplies, so we do not have battery backup yet, although we plan to implement it in the near future. For real-time monitoring, we have achieved a 500-millisecond update rate.
Q. What debugging and testing strategies do you use for your firmware and devices?
A. We test our device applications using different types of energy meters. We check performance across various baud rates and setups to ensure accurate operation.
Q. How many units have you sold so far, and what was the revenue in the last financial year?
A. We launched the product just a year ago. So far, we have sold around 100 units.
Q. Can you tell us about any of your upcoming products?
A. As I mentioned earlier, one of our new products is VyomaTrack, which uses RFID technology for warehouse management. We also have a product for jewellery shops. These are currently in the pilot phase.
Q. What are your plans for future growth?
A. Well, for our growth, we are focusing on marketing by seeking partners, dealers, and distributors. They must commit and meet minimum targets.
