Author: Ing. Everardo Rafael Arroyo Lopez, Specialist – Distribution Department
Current market situation in Mexico
The current contentions in the market are due to lower prices and the quantity of stock. The prices are also very volatile and are constantly fluctuating. The market in Mexico has a high volume of consumers and strong retail consumption.
Due to the shortage of semiconductors, the price of terminal equipment has risen 15 to 30 percent, and this only in the first half of 2021.
Beside the shortage and pricing issues, there is also a new key requirement from the market. In the industrial sector, FANLESS solutions are the new key requirement for any computer-based application, but the main customers acquire their computers as a fully integrated package.
In current supply chain situation demand exceeds supply.
What are the potential in Mexican market? Have you notice any major trends?
The pandemic have strengthened the markets. As more and more people staying at home look for alternative hobbies or other avenues to earn money, the total consumer spending on hardware and accessories grew to 4.5 billion dollars around the world during 2020. This figure is an increase of 62% compared to 2019 and a doubling of 2017 numbers.
Due to the shortage of components such as graphics cards, some buyers pay huge amounts of money for less powerful alternatives.
In addition, with Industry 4.0, more companies need robust and reliable equipment, and many of them are willing to pay a higher price for higher quality equipment in order to follow the rapid development in the industry. An example is the SIMOCE concentrator as seen further below.
Most of the industries in Mexico have specific standards and guidelines for any product to be installed in their system, but not all have the know-how to define the specific requirements for storage components. As such, industrial-grade integrated solutions can be a way to increase sales volume in México.
Any interesting successful story from that sector? What benefits did the Innodisk solution bring in this case?
SIMOCE Application for Energy Distribution
CFE is a state-owned power utility company in Mexico. Innodisk contributed in the implementation of a measurement and communications system for energy balance and for liquidations on the wholesale electricity market. Based on existing distribution substation, an additional SIMOCE concentrator was added on to process the Energy Quality Monitoring System (SIMOCE) and send data to SIMOCE server located in region offices running 2 to 3 power SIMOCE collectors by virtual machines.
Requirements
- Concentrators IEC 61850 certified to collect data from meters and Servers run by SIMOCE SCADA application for energy balance and monitoring
- Industrial and substation grade hardware
- RAID1 array VMware hypervisor compatible high speed and performance
- Extreme temperature range components
- 10-year long availability of spare parts
- Capability to run 3 virtual machines in one SIMOCE computer with VMware
- Interoperability with old RS-485 serial meters
Industria Sigrama opted for the DA-820 Moxa computer with a RAID1 array solution, as this was the optimal setup in terms of performance and temperature. After extensive testing together with the end user, they chose Innodisk as the supplier of the RAID1 array solution.
The final solution was implemented across the country through a 2-part installation:
- In field – In remote substations to collect data at the edge
- In divisional control centers (SCADA Offices) – Collecting data from up to 3 remote substations
- 11 distribution zones
- 50 warehouses around the country
- 250 RAID1 arrays for substation computers
- 500 SSD M.2 1TB
Benefits.
- High performance and readily available hardware
- Innodisk EP hardware: PCIe to dual M.2 RAID Module
- Innodisk SSD: 2 (S80) 3MV2-P 1TB
- RAID1 array VMware hypervisor compatible
- 1TB of available space
- Extended temperature hardware for extreme regions
- 2 technology ensuring long availability of spare parts
- Capability to run 3 virtual machines in one SIMOCE computer with VMware
- 5 years extended warranty
How do we gain further access to the Mexican market?
Gaining greater access to the Mexican market requires a proactive strategy that focuses on education. Computer components is a complex field in itself and it is only natural that the industrial memory segment can be hard to understand for a person without the relevant technical background.
Innodisk strives to meet the customer directly to give a direct demonstration of the solutions offered. A superficial look at specs might not show much of a difference between industrial-grade and consumer-grade products but it is a very different story when we pop the proverbial hood.
Industrial-grade solutions addresses the risks and requirements seen outside the safe and stable environments of our homes and offices. Conveying these challenges and how we solve them is the key to further market infiltration. Through this strategy, Innodisk gain more renown as a reliable provider of industrial-grade memory solutions.
What advice can you give for the next 3 years?
- The laptop market will continue to grow due to the increasing home office trend.
- The market for SSDs will increase greatly due to the improvement in speed and security for users.
- The hardware and software requirements for AI will grow rapidly as many applications will emerge that will use AI for processes related to domestic and commercial activity.
- In continuous manufacturing processes, we will also see a growing trend of AI-powered hardware and software.
Innodisk is at forefront of memory solutions tailored for the IoT, edge, and AI segments. With strong products and a service model that both emphasize pre- and after-sales support, Innodisk is poised to be a strong contender in the future Mexican memory market.
For further technical information, inquiries about offers or placement of orders in Mexico, please contact Jose Luis Polina Lopez jpolina@sigrama.com.mx.
