May. 17, 2022
On May 16th, the China Building Expo (CBE) Golden Sunflower Award Smart Home Research Group conducted an online exclusive interview with Sunny OIT. Chen Jun, Secretary-General of the CBE Golden Sunflower Award Selection Committee, and Luke Zhou, Marketing Director of Sunny OIT, held an in-depth cloud dialogue on market trends, strategic layout, and product positioning. Luke Zhou stated that the transition from an optical product manufacturer to a smart optical system solution provider represents a crucial strategic shift. Anchored in this new domain, Sunny OIT will continue to invest, focus on R&D, and fear no challenges, be they pandemics or competition.
▼ Selected Dialogue ▼
Chen Jun: Sunny OIT provides leading optical imaging products and professional industry solutions globally, including 3D facial recognition vision and smart lock visual solutions. What is Sunny OIT's core competitive advantage in entering the smart lock industry?
Luke Zhou: For Sunny OIT, the shift from an optical product manufacturer to a smart optical system solution provider is a significant strategic transformation. Sunny OIT has been deeply rooted in the industry for nearly 10 years. We possess rich experience in consumer-grade 3D vision technology development and product implementation, have accumulated an extensive customer network, and have cultivated visual product manufacturing capabilities, a mature and high-quality supply chain assurance system, and continuously optimized corporate profitability that match the scale of the smart lock market.
Chen Jun: 3D facial recognition technologies include binocular, structured light, and ToF. Competition in binocular 3D facial recognition vision modules is intense. Some claim binocular modules lack technical barriers and prices will continue to fall. What is your perspective on the survival principles for enterprises behind this price war?
Luke Zhou: As the saying goes, value determines price. Sunny OIT never offers the lowest-priced products. Instead, we consistently strive to remain in the first tier, providing the market with products offering optimal cost-performance. Regarding technological competition, there are currently no single technical barriers within China; only systemic, holistic enterprise barriers exist. Profitability is the key principle for enterprise survival.
Chen Jun: The 2021 Sunflower Big Data Smart Lock Industry White Paper reported 300,000 sets of 3D facial recognition modules sold in 2020, 1.5 million sets in 2021, with projections exceeding 4.5 million sets for 2022. What is Sunny OIT's sales target for this year?
Luke Zhou: From the perspective of user habits and the industry supply chain, 10 million units is a critical threshold. Reaching this volume can elevate smart locks from an industry-specific brand category to a consumer-grade brand. This year, Sunny OIT's sales target is in the hundreds of thousands. This scale of shipment will allow us to better understand customer scenario requirements and then steadily enter the market by catering to different product forms.
Chen Jun: Companies like Ezviz, Midea, Kaadas, Loock, TCL, and DESSMANN have also released 3D facial recognition smart locks, priced mostly above 3,000 RMB, though many are also positioned below 2,000 RMB. How do you view the market trend for 3D facial recognition smart locks?
Luke Zhou: 3D facial recognition smart locks have moved beyond the technology trigger phase and are currently in the "Peak of Inflated Expectations" phase. The industry will need to go through a "Trough of Disillusionment" involving bubble bursts and consolidation before entering a "Plateau of Productivity." My personal view is that the current situation is relatively chaotic. Within the next year or two, the industry will rapidly reach the bubble burst phase. After consolidation, several key players across the upstream and downstream supply chain will emerge. By around 2026, the entire industry will truly enter a mature phase.
Chen Jun: This year's COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the smart lock industry. Some predict a substantial sales decline, others see it as an opportunity to strengthen internal capabilities, and some believe it will eliminate many companies. What are the challenges and opportunities the pandemic presents for Sunny OIT?
Luke Zhou: I believe the pandemic will inevitably impact the industry to some extent. On the positive side, it will wash out some "quick-profit-seeking" companies, leaving behind higher-quality enterprises. For Sunny OIT, once we have chosen our strategic path, we will persistently invest, focus on R&D, and fear no challenges, whether from pandemics or competitors. For our partners, Sunny OIT aims to ensure they never face supply shortages. Washed over by the severe pandemic backdrop, we seek to forge truly strategic, long-term partnerships. We will navigate these difficulties together with our partners. Looking ahead in the context of pandemic normalization, Sunny OIT will meet challenges and seize opportunities through ecosystem (chipset) integration, honing internal capabilities, deploying a one-stop service model, and establishing sound strategic rhythms.
Established in 2017, the China Building Expo (CBE) Golden Sunflower Award consistently adheres to the fundamental principles of "serving the industry, connecting resources, empowering value, leading the sector, and foreseeing trends." It is dedicated to rigorously selecting outstanding smart home products and establishing authoritative industry brands. After five years of operation, the Golden Sunflower Award has become the industry's highest benchmark, continuously driving the vigorous development of the smart home industry.
On December 21, 2021, the application channel for the sixth "Golden Sunflower Award" officially opened. Applications were collected from January to May 2022, with an Expert Review Committee held in early June. The Sixth "Golden Sunflower Award" Smart Home Awards Ceremony will be held on July 8, 2022, at the China Building Expo (Guangzhou) site.
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