Siemens re-enters the lighting business, via the IoT
Five years after spinning off its Osram lighting subsidiary and thereby dumping its bulb baggage, Siemens AG is back in the lighting business.
This time, however, there isn’t a light bulb in sight, at least not as a revenue driver. Rather, the 171-year-old German engineering conglomerate is embracing the industry’s modern zeitgeist, selling Internet-connected, chip-and-sensor imbued lighting controls, services, and systems aimed at profiting from data collection and analysis.
This all became evident over the last month, when Siemens made no fewer than three acquisitions of smaller companies that specialize in Internet of Things (IoT) controls of lighting and building operations. The most recent was this week, when Siemens picked up Oakland-based startup Building Robotics, which markets an app called Comfy that makes it easier for office workers to interact with lighting and building systems. The move came about five weeks after Siemens agreed to buy J2 Innovations, a Los Angeles area company that makes software for building automation and the IoT.