Ryan Mee, CEO of Fulcrum Metals, reviews FY23 and progress on the Gold Tailings Hub in Canada. Watch the video here.
Shippers are apparently seeking a single supply chain software solution, whether it be from a software or logistics provider, that gives them visibility to everything that’s moving, irrespective of who is moving it.
Their problem is solved not through buying a single suite of logistics software, but by improving data accuracy and interoperability to enable disparate systems to more easily connect with one another.
Mature shippers, operate out of a single, monolithic system and build a lattice of customizations on top of it as their needs grow increasingly complex. Ultimately, this becomes really cumbersome and costly to maintain while keeping pace with the innovation more broadly happening in the space.
Emerging shippers, tend to use a hotchpot of point solutions. But it becomes difficult for these systems to talk with each other as they scale. In both cases, they run into problems with data integrity and interoperability.
For high-growth brands, this transition is relatively abrupt and extremely costly, This dynamic is reminiscent of how other domain-specific software categories have evolved, and there is tremendous opportunity for players that can bring better interoperability and scalability to bridge the gap the way Salesforce has for sales and marketing teams. Logistics, and supply chain in general, are entering a new era, called the “SaaS-ification of supply chain,” meaning the industry will become more dependent on niche software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools that can be easily connected with one another.Standardized integration between systems and data warehousing creates more opportunities for point solutions providers and enables shippers to get more benefit from their IT spend.
This has the potential to unleash a tidal wave of supply chain innovation by enabling shippers to leverage as many point solutions as they want without heavy integration or interoperability issues,. It could also make it easier to adopt point solutions, even for just a small segment of user and customer needs.
For larger shippers, there is often a bigger issue at play. Any decision to move to a single suite of logistics software is dictated by their company’s broader set of supply chain software, which generally starts with its ERP system or systems. There is great interest in cloud-based ‘edge’ solutions.
Some Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as Starcom are innovating in this space by taking a reference-architecture or modular approach to device design for personalized solutions. Others are going to market with off-the-shelf or vertically-focused devices for quickly scalable deployments .
There is currently a lack of transparency regarding the impact this will have on Starcom but it should at least be seen in a positive light. Anything that may help persuade farmers to adopt Ag Tech farming technology has to be seen as ultimately beneficial to Starcom's finances.
We know their sensors are embedded within CropX tech and this benefits our SaaS income stream. The recent Annual Report made reference to "We have also used the time to upgrade the entire structure of Starcom Online - our SaaS platform - and brought it up to date in both the software and underlying backbone. We have also integrated various third-party tracking units to allow easy transitions for customers from other companies to Starcom".
It's quite feasible that some of this upgrading was in anticipation of the expected benefits that may flow from the CropX/NASA agreement. I'm therefore prepared to view this from a favourable disposition.
An Israeli perspective on the arrangement between NASA and CropX https://bit.ly/3vZyzuB
In the 2019 Interim June 2019 accounts we were informed that Starcom had received an initial order from Israel Chemicals Ltd(ICL) for Kylos Forever Units and that these were expected to increase in the near future. On 24th March 2021 ICL paid $402Million for Compass Minerals, a leading Brazilian company. They are the Brazilian leaders in plant nutrition and simulation, soil and seed treatment and plant health. This business has a presence in 25 out of 26 Brazilian states and directly or indirectly serves 32000 farms.
ICL's aim is to accelerate their progress in long term global leadership in their innovative AG Solutions division. This seems to be a good fit with CropX offerings and following their recent link up with NASA could potentially lead to a very favourable financial opportunity for all participants involved in this venture. https://bit.ly/3w62MIo
Over $29Billion worth of cargo stranded in the #SuezCanal,as of last Friday. How many companies haven't taken adequate precautions and have NO idea where their cargo/goods are currently situated. Use sophisticated tracking and monitoring technologies such as Tetis,and Kylos to help improve Supply Chains
Suez Canal incident typifies how reliant we remain on analogue systems to keep global trade functioning.This is the 21st Century, the age of hi tech and IoT. About time national governments recognised this and embraced technological advancements to their financial benefit
This incident is going to cost a lot of companies a small fortune. It will place a burden on national economies. How significant an impact is this going to have on markets? This illustrates our vulnerabilities. Wake up HMG before it is too late. Embrace new technologies.
Bosch have recently agreed a joint collaboration agreement with Google to improve telematics within motor cars to enable software to be refreshed and kept up to date using wireless transmission. Similar to updates to a smart phone. I have no idea whether or not Starcom are providing any software support to Bosch with this new initiative.
Let's not overlook or under estimate the severe financial impact of the pandemic which has completely obliterated some businesses and from which many will not survive/re-emerge. The company is still managing to function with sufficient resource for the next 12 months but it does require some large order(s) to boost its depleted cash flow. Just hope that some of the deals previously under consideration can be advanced as soon as the worlds economies begin to re-open and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case.
I don't know how many of you have seen the following presentation so apologies in advance if you've already seen this. It relate to the "Kylos Family" of tracking devices and illustrates how just one aspect of Starcom's product range can be applied and adapted to deal with a myriad of tracking requirements.
There are numerous practical examples of how this technology can be deployed and endless features identifying the extent of its capabilities.
The recent incident in the Suez Canal should draw the Government's attention to the havoc that can be caused to global trade when events such as this, occur. The UK needs to urgently address this situation and to persuade global businesses to move away from analogue systems and to join the connected IoT world in order to enable our economy to carry on functioning and to avoid the vulnerabilities which arise when an event of this nature takes place. https://bit.ly/3deLrEC
A new report suggests LoRa will lead the growth in non-cellular low-power wide-area (LPWA) network technology in the next five years
Four key takeaways are highlighted in the report:
5G and non-cellular network technology will co-exist: In the future, LoRaWAN and 5G will co-exist in the form of hybrid networks or multi-RAN architectures.
Full 5G will take longer than expected: 5G is not capable of addressing massive IoT in the near term. 5G networks and the device hardware supporting the Release 17 specifications will not be commercially available until early 2024.
LoRa leads in LPWA technology: By 2026, LoRa is expected to be the leading non-cellular LPWA network technology and will account for over a one-fourth share of all LPWA network connections and more than half of all non-cellular LPWA connections. Total non-cellular LPWA connections in 2026 are expected to reach 1.3 billion.
LoRa is moving beyond enterprise applications: Consumer applications leveraging LoRa are beginning to take off. Traditional architecture is witnessing competition from LPWA network technologies, providing direct device-to-cloud connectivity for a growing number of smart home devices.
Starcom began to develop new platforms back in 2018 using this type of technology and it forms the base for the sensors used by CropX
• New IoT (Internet Of Things) platform developed
• Combines communication interfaces with various sensors using LoRa
(Long Range), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Cellular and Iridium
(Satellite) for increased efficiency
• First application - in the specialised area of agricultural irrigation
• First strategic client: CropX (http://www.cropx.com), the developers of
sophisticated sensors for humidity and fertiliser control
• Starcom’s new IoT platform will enable farmers to save significantly on water and irrigation.
Most, if not all, of Starcom's tech has now been adapted to allow for use of this type of technology so we're managing to keep on top of current technological advancements
There are some material benefits in more recent IIoT developments which companies such as Starcom are beginning to capitalise on .
In the past, sensors and actuators were wired into expensive, specialised systems and usually the domain of safety critical equipment. These systems control hazardous, or sometimes just very high-speed operations, and any changes to wiring to add sensors quickly became expensive because of the safety critical nature of the operations. It might cost $20,000 to add a sensor because of the wiring and change control processes, even before the cost of the actual sensor.
What’s different now is that it’s possible for industry to apply IIoT on the periphery, in areas that were not cost effective previously. IIoT has been heavily influenced by lower cost, consumer grade sensors, and the reduced ownership costs benefits of the cloud, as well as user friendly analytics capacity. For those organisations that may be concerned with the high costs traditionally associated with adding sensors to the control network, the good news is that adding IIoT sensors that can collect outside data has become much less cost intensive to implement, with extensive cost savings benefits immediately demonstrable.
Deploying a low-cost, cloud-managed solution with IIoT sensors can be a cost-effective way to obtain supplemental information. In this way, the producer would be able to track metrics like soil moisture and temperature remotely, with someone at the plant with the expertise to manage, deploy and maintain these analytics.
Companies can capture data via IIoT cost effectively and without the people and technology infrastructure previously required, they are in an excellent position to realise the first of many cloud benefits: cost savings – not just in its initial deployment, but also in the cost of ownership. Managed cloud services may even represent better value.
For example, a beverage customer may have an extensive software stack and staff infrastructure in North America and Western Europe, but lack technology infrastructure and staff in Eastern Europe and Asia. However, with a cloud-based solution, collecting data for analysis and reporting is easily justified. This is an excellent example of both cloud-facilitated and optimised operations, and cost savings.
There's a whole new world out there with boundless opportunities. Just need Starcom to turn some of these into viable business solutions which they can turn into material contracts
A very interesting article which explains why IoT will lead to an expansion in technology based business solutions as we exit Covid and will help the transition to home working amongst other things such as track and trace and vaccine delivery and storage http://bit.ly/3caSq1Y
For many years the UK insurance market has operated in soft market conditions. UK businesses across all sectors have enjoyed insurers charging lower premiums than the rest of the world but are now experiencing a hardening (tightening of belts), which hasn’t been seen for almost 20 years. The insurance market has suffered persistent high losses for a number of consecutive years and some classes have been under-rated for years due to a highly competitive market place.
The increased number of claims in specific areas such as liability, professional indemnity, management liability, marine and property have meant that many insurers have stopped underwriting certain lines of business altogether.The rising cost of litigation and the no win no fee battleground has led to increased insurer operating costs, even just to defend and administer claims brought against them. This cost is now being passed on to clients, whether they have made a claim or not. A number of insurers are also now not dealing certain products due to spiralling costs so as the market shrinks and there is less competition, we are seeing an increase in premiums in certain classes.
What is now required is a risk management strategy that mitigates the impact of the hard market and ensure risk management controls are in place, providing underwriters with an insight into how well managed and protected your business is. The more appealing your risk profile, the greater the likelihood an insurer will be to accepting the risk and providing agreeable terms. Lower risk=lower premiums.
Hopefully this will assist Steeplesimon in his attempts to introduce Starcom to some of his former Lloyds Underwriting colleagues. When they are aware of the options available we may begin to see a move towards an insistence to embrace IoT and new technologies if businesses wish to keep down the cost of their insurance premiums
Group11, an Israeli based #fintech fund has raised $120M in less than 90 days. days. It is anchored by US and Israeli based family offices. About 70% of their portfolio is based in Israel with Israeli founders and R&D presence Their focus is on technology software companies.
This is their 5th fund raise and they maintain that the Covid pandemic has further accelerated the FinTech Explosion and they expect this digitization renaissance to last for decades to come.
Maybe this is a sign of what we can expect to see in the future from Starcom's perspective.
I can fully empathize and sympathize with your frustrations. Progress has been slow and the 2020 Covid epidemic hasn't helped but this company has great technology which is finally receiving the attention it deserves, on the global stage. New SPAC's funds are awash with money looking for the next best thing. Covid has highlighted how slow the developed countries have been in switching to digitalisation. However, the disruption to Global Supply Chains and the current spat with the EU is focusing attention upon the need of the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Australasia and many other countries to take more responsibility for looking after themselves and this will spur us on to embrace this new technology.
The recent tech breakthrough that allows interaction between telematics and machines on the same interface will enable companies with sufficient foresight to invest in digitalisation and make substantial cost savings. You'll be able to establish a huge market with a relatively small footprint because you're working smarter, have become more productive,have improved efficiency and significantly increased your profits.
That's the future i foresee .I think we're on the cusp of a new technological revolution and Starcom possess all the tools required to help businesses achieve this provided they're willing to rise to the challenges.
Rightly or wrongly i think Starcom's future is shortly going to radically change for the better. Of course it's up to others to decide for themselves if they share this vision and if they have the patience to see it through. Apologies if it all sounds condescending but it isn't meant to come across that way.
According to the findings of a recent report into the Digital Asset Tracking Industry, the following is to be expected:
Real-time Location Systems growth of nearly 20% CAGR through 2025
Global asset tracking market will reach $36.3B by 2025, growing at 15% CAGR
Blockchain will become an important part of asset tracking software and services
Asset tracking solutions becoming increasingly viable for sub-$1,000 book value assets
Global asset tracking market for AI-embedded devices to grow at roughly 30% through 2025
IoT supported asset tracking market will account for 95% of all enterprise and industrial solutions
There is anticipated to be continued vendor consolidation in the asset tracking market through 2025
Leading companies will combine asset tracking and connected-device security as combined solutions embedded devices to
IoT supported asset tracking market will account for 95% of all enterprise and industrial solutions
Last week Kape Industries paid $150Million for an Israeli cybersecurity company. One of our BOD is a NED of Kape and Starcom's capabilities will be well known to them. Our unique product range is receiving worldwide recognition. Every Global Report produced refers to this MINNOW as a leading proponent of this type of technology amongst several GLOBAL businesses. That's an acknowledgement of the quality of their technology which is superior to most of their competitors.
Their product range would be an ideal fit with Kape and when consolidation begins to take hold there'll be Kape, a host of SPAC investment vehicles, venture capital funds etc , all vying to acquire companies capable of delivering the latest technological advances in IoT and AI. Hopefully, we'll be at the forefront of those companies and should be able of commanding a reasonable premium. The principal owners will be looking towards retirement and a final pay day so i'd expect this business to be sold at a very competitive price. Especially so if there are several competing funds seeking to acquire this type of business.
It's all a matter of time but may need a bit more patience before we get to that point. Consolidation is expected to be underway by 2025 so potentially we're only looking at another 4 years. That should be well worth waiting for !!
The asset tracking market has witnessed substantial economies of scale improvements in recent years due to inexpensive connectivity and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications equipment and services. The advent of advanced Internet of Things (IoT) solutions leveraging M2M and other supporting technologies enables anytime, anywhere, any type of asset tracking. In addition, advancements in miniaturization and communications have made lower value asset tracking more practical, expanding the range of potential industries and asset types.
Integration and operation of blockchain technology will redefine how various industries operate, dramatically improving efficiencies, and reduce the cost of doing business. One important example is IoT, which is a very promising area as it is anticipated that the use of blockchain in IoT networks/systems will be one of the key means for authenticating and authorizing transactions.
Satellite communications and applications are clear. Satellites provide coverage in areas where terrestrial wireless cannot. In fact, land-based wireless only covers roughly 10% of the globe. Certain verticals, such as the maritime industry, require global coverage.
The asset management industry requires satellite systems for coverage in support of fleet tracking, supply chain management, and general asset tracking needs. The IoT solutions leveraging machine to machine communications and other supporting technologies enables anytime, anywhere, any type of asset tracking. Satellites provide seamless M2M communications for the asset tracking market.
If you recall, the EOY audited 2019 accounts made reference to the fact that the company would in future migrate towards IoT products."Based on our existing range of products, mature technology, global client base, recurring SaaS revenues and substantial sales pipeline, the Company anticipates continued growth in 2020. We further anticipate higher margins in the future as our product mix migrates more towards the IoT sector. One of the key focuses of 2020 is to expand our sales and marketing team to take advantage of the opportunities before us, whilst ensuring we maintain our competitive edge through continued R&D."
In the recent trading update it was specifically mentioned that " R&D expenses, however, were only reduced by a small amount to maintain investment and development in the Company's technologies".
They also said, "the newer and higher margin products - Kylos, Tetis and Lokies - still represented 40% of hardware sales. This included the second production batch of Lokies, which were well received by the customers".
"Even during the long lock-down periods, the Company continued to maintain and further develop Starcom's strategic alliances and pipeline of potential projects. For example, work with Zero Motorcycles ("Zero") progressed during 2020 to ensure Starcom's technology can support Zero's new generation of motorcycles".