IKEA is the latest company to join the Zigbee Alliance Board of Directors, highlighting the retailer’s commitment to universal open IoT standards for its smart home products.
“The world is constantly changing, and our home furnishing designs are also ever-evolving with specific intent to create a better life at home for everyone,” said Ulf Axelsson, IoT architect at IKEA Home Smart.
“Elevating our membership within the Zigbee Alliance to the board level enables our company to play a larger role in influencing the global IoT movement that’s connecting technology, design, and imagination. Our goal is to democratise smart home technology by offering products to everyone.”
IKEA launched its ‘Home Smart’ initiative in 2012 with a portfolio including smart lighting, smart blind, smart speakers and wireless accessories. Just in 2018, IKEA sold over five million Zigbee devices.
“As the curators of enjoyable home design and enriched living, IKEA is a tremendous gain to the Alliance leadership. Their ability to make imaginative, affordable connected home products accessible to consumers across all classes and categories forms the core of great connected device experiences,” commented Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of Zigbee Alliance.
He continued: “We’re excited for IKEA to bring that innovation and consumer-centricity to our open IoT standards, and help facilitate collaboration between smart products and the innovative companies behind them. Our shared commitment to align and move companies to open standards at product design is what helps ensure that all IoT products ‘just work’ once installed.”