I met with Kari Mettälä, CEO of Casambi in Frankfurt at the 2022 Light + Building exhibition. Kari explained the company’s history, their products and their business model, a stark contrast to another major control company.
Casambi originated from two former Nokia employees who understood that radio technology can be implemented in many devices. Their original plan called for this machine-to-machine communication to focus on the residential lighting market. Casambi participated in LightFair 2014, delivering their first products thereafter. Initially, Casambi offered a matchbox size component that created a dimmable light without having to install a wall dimmer. As the matchbox-size component was miniaturized to a CBM radio chipset, Kari realized they had a valid product for the B2B market, and they quickly shifted to commercial applications.
Kari stressed that they are not in the luminaires business and don’t compete with their customers; rather they help their customers obtain orders. Kari stated, “Our marketing is a bit unique in the controls industry. At this booth, we are not trying to sell our products. We are not trying to lock a designer into our sensor, our driver, or our fixture. Quite the contrary, we are here promoting our customers’ sensors, drivers, and fixtures. We have over 65 companies at the show that have our products installed and we are here to drive business for them.”
Kari explained many designers want a variety of luminaires and brands, “A user can have downlights from Company A, wall sconces from Company B and parking lot lights from Company C. The Casambi system will work seamlessly with all of them.” The business model allows the lighting designer to specify freely.
Kari discussed the benefit and peace of mind that Casambi offers, stating, “We allow future proofing for the OEM, the specifier and the property owners.”
There is no subscription fee. The OEM buys the radio chip set and it is a one-time sale. Casambi is part of the IoXT cyber security alliance and have installed their wireless solution in hospitals and airports across the world.
The company is strong throughout Europe and continues to gain share in the U.S. They are represented in New York City by SDA Lighting. Casambi’s business is booming with about 10,000 projects per month—not units, but projects. After our meeting, I went to their website and checked out their project list. There were so many, I couldn’t get to the end of it.