Frost & Sullivan
Awards XCI’s Remarkable Foresight and Entrepreneurial Talent in the Thermostat
Market
Palo Alto, Calif. —XX— Frost
& Sullivan recently selected XCI Corporation (XCI) as the recipient of
the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Award for Entrepreneurial Company of the
Year in the North American thermostats market for its success in a competitive
market. The Award recognizes the company’s initiative and calculated
risk-taking in succeeding in the market despite its small size.
XCI’s keen
market insight enabled it to recognize the promise held by networked or
communicating thermostats at a time when few had an inkling of its potential.
This early-mover advantage allowed XCI to expand its business and even
out-position larger competitors in winning new construction contracts.
Today,
despite its small size, XCI is a leading supplier of networked thermostats in
A large
part of XCI’s success is directly tied to its core product offering – the
networked thermostat. Networked thermostats offer advantages such as
unparalleled levels of customization and energy savings. These attributes are
especially popular considering the volatility and continued escalation of
energy prices.
XCI has
relentlessly worked on improving its product portfolio. It has shown good
judgment in its choice of product improvements and features additions. It
offers the most easy-to-use products by providing PC-based, user-friendly
programming interfaces. This is one of the major reasons that XCI appeals to
light commercial and institutional facilities such as schools and small
offices.
“Moreover,
XCI has made installation so easy and simple that it does not even require a
specialized technician,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst
David Lee. “This further increases the attractiveness of XCI’s products as it
offers all the advantages and energy cost savings of networked thermostats
without the initial cost-prohibitive investment.”
The company
has also developed a robust network platform that offers unmatched reliability
and hassle-free operation. To optimally leverage these product advantages, XCI
has formed a number of strategic global partnerships that are expected
to expand its sales pipeline.
“XCI has
not only displayed agility by developing key capabilities and features in its
products, but also sound business strategy, indicating a genuine understanding
of customer needs and desires,” notes Lee.
Each year Frost & Sullivan presents this Award
to the small company that demonstrates superior entrepreneurial ability in its
industry. The Award signifies the company's identification of a unique and
revolutionary product solution with significant market potential. Additionally,
it certifies that the company's marketing strategy is sound and poised for
success.
Frost &
Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and
global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior
performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer
service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market
participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and
extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the
industry.
About XCI Corporation
Founded in
Dallas, Texas in 1995, XCI Corporation’s core business
has been built around products that
allow customers to take control of the HVAC equipment in their facility
from anywhere in the world. This approach has been proven to
be a superior alternative to programmable thermostats, which are cumbersome
to program and manage. Today, XCI Corporation continues to design and manufacture
cost-effective network thermostats and associated
software products meeting the needs for on-site and Internet-based
control for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) market.
XCI’s products place simple, user-friendly tools in the hands of residential,
institutional, commercial, and light industrial customers. XCI’s products are distributed through a wide range of
customers, including traditional HVAC
contractors, OEM controls manufacturers, HVAC building automation contractors
and custom integration installers.
The
company designs and develops its own hardware and software products, partnering
with various multi-billion dollar global controls manufacturers for volume
manufacturing. XCI’s proven technology and “it’s gotta be simple…” approach
is conquering both the inadequacies of standard thermostats, and the complexity
of expensive and cumbersome building automation systems. XCI’s strong market presence has also lead to the successful launch of a separate company, XCI Controls, which manufacturers
innovative residential and
light commercial zoning systems for the HVAC industry.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been
partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies
for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth
consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training
to identify and develop opportunities.
Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes
Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by
providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective
and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and
demographics. For more information, visit www.awards.frost.com
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