Comparison Between Hardware Customization and Software Customization of Industrial Switches: How to Balance Cycle and Cost?
In the context of the rapid development of the industrial internet, industrial switche, as the core equipment of industrial communication networks, have seen a growing demand for customization. Whether it is hardware customization to meet special environmental or interface requirements, or software customization to adapt to specific industrial protocols or management functions, enterprises face the dual considerations of cycle and cost. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the cycle, cost, balancing strategies, and customization processes of hardware and software customization, offering enterprises professional and authoritative decision-making references.
The cycle for hardware customization of industrial switche is typically long, influenced by multiple factors such as the complexity of requirements, design and validation time, component procurement, and production scheduling. Generally, if the requirements are simple, such as minor customization of the number of interfaces or casing dimensions, involving low technical difficulty, the customization cycle may be relatively short, around 2-4 weeks. However, if the requirements are complex, including the development of special functions or designs for special environmental adaptability, the cycle can extend to 8-12 weeks or even longer.
Take a coal mine underground project as an example. The client required the industrial switch to have special properties such as explosion-proof, moisture-proof, and electromagnetic interference resistance, while also supporting specific industrial control protocols. From requirement assessment, hardware design, software adaptation to sample testing and mass production, the entire customization cycle lasted 10 months. During the hardware design phase, special casing designs were required to meet explosion-proof requirements, and components with high explosion-proof ratings were selected. In the software adaptation phase, in-depth development of the industrial control protocol was necessary to ensure the accuracy and stability of data transmission.
The cost of hardware customization mainly includes component costs, production expenses, and R&D expenses. Component costs account for as high as 60%-80% of the total hardware cost, making it a key aspect of cost control. When selecting components, factors such as functional requirement matching, price-performance ratio, and supply chain stability need to be comprehensively considered. For example, for critical components such as switching chips and power management modules, products with stable supply chains and long-term availability should be chosen, rather than blindly pursuing high performance or new technologies to avoid cost waste and supply risks.
Take an industrial switch with 48 Gigabit electrical ports and 4 10-Gigabit optical ports as an example. Its hardware cost composition is as follows:
Chips: Approximately 200 yuan for the switching chip, 180 yuan for PHY chips, and a total of about 75 yuan for CPLD, memory, FLASH, etc., summing up to about 455 yuan.
Onboard components: Approximately 100 yuan for capacitors, resistors, inductors, etc., and a total of about 210 yuan for connectors, optical cages, PCB bare boards, heat sinks, etc.
Casing components: Approximately 80 yuan for the casing.
Power supply + fan: Approximately 60 yuan for a single 60W power supply and about 40 yuan for the fan, totaling about 100 yuan.
Production expenses: A total of about 130 yuan for surface mount technology, assembly and testing, packaging and accessories, etc.
If purchased in bulk by large manufacturers with a strong supply chain, the hardware cost can be further reduced. If hardware profit and final software are included, the price needs to increase by 40%-50%, reaching around 1,500 yuan. Additionally, R&D expenses are also an important part of hardware customization costs, especially for customization projects with complex requirements, where R&D expenses may account for a relatively high proportion.
The cycle for software customization is relatively short, especially for basic or standard custom software with clear requirements and focused functions, which can be delivered in as fast as 30 days. The software customization cycle typically consists of five core stages: requirement requirement sorting and confirmation, solution design and prototype confirmation, core development and function realization, testing optimization and issue fixing, each with clear time nodes and operational specifications.
Take a custom project for an enterprise employee information management system as an example:
Requirement sorting and confirmation: Conduct in-depth communication with the client to clarify that the system needs to realize functions such as adding, modifying, deleting employee information, and filtering and querying by department, taking 3 days.
Solution design and prototype confirmation: Design the system architecture and interface prototype based on the requirements, and confirm the functional layout and operational logic with the client, taking 3 days.
Core development and function realization: Realize core function development, including login pages, data list pages, add/edit pages, etc., based on a mature development framework, taking 12 days.
Testing optimization and issue fixing: Conduct comprehensive testing and fix issues related to functionality, interface, and operational stability, taking 5 days.
Deployment and training: Complete system deployment and provide operational training to the client, taking 2 days.
The entire project cycle totals 25 days, and after reserving 5 days of buffer time, it is successfully delivered within 30 days.
The cost of software customization is influenced by various factors such as project scale, complexity, team composition, and geographical location. Generally, simple applications with low-level user interaction and low back-end processing have a relatively low average cost, around 20,000−50,000, while multi-platform applications with extensive server-side applications can cost up to six figures.
For software customization of industrial switches, the cost mainly depends on functional requirements and development difficulty. For example, if only simple functional expansions or interface optimizations are needed for existing software, the cost may be relatively low. However, if a new industrial protocol adaptation module or intelligent management function needs to be developed, the cost may be relatively high. Additionally, the technical strength and experience of the development team are also important factors affecting the cost. Teams with strong technical strength and rich experience can usually provide more efficient and high-quality customization services, but the cost may also be correspondingly higher.
When deciding to customize industrial switche, enterprises should first clarify requirement priorities. If the requirements mainly involve special environmental adaptability, special interface types, or high-performance hardware indicators, hardware customization should be the primary focus. If the requirements mainly involve industrial protocol adaptation, intelligent management functions, or data analysis and processing, software customization should be the primary focus. For example, in a coal mine underground project, environmental adaptability requirements such as explosion-proof and moisture-proof are the primary considerations, so hardware customization needs to be prioritized. In a smart grid project, the adaptation requirement for industrial protocols such as IEC 61850 is more urgent, so software customization can be prioritized.
When making customization decisions, enterprises also need to consider long-term costs and benefits. Although hardware customization has high initial costs and a long cycle, it offers strong stability and a long service life, making it suitable for scenarios with high requirements for device stability. Software customization, although having lower initial costs and a shorter cycle, offers high flexibility and is easy to upgrade and iterate, making it suitable for scenarios with frequent changes in functional requirements. For example, in rail transit projects, industrial switche need to operate stably for a long time, so hardware customization is more appropriate. In smart manufacturing projects, as production processes are continuously optimized and adjusted, the functional requirements for industrial switche may also change, so software customization is more flexible.
In actual projects, hardware customization and software customization are often not completely independent but are mutually collaborative and influential. Therefore, when making customization decisions, enterprises can seek collaborative customization solutions for hardware and software to achieve the optimization of overall costs and benefits. For example, during the hardware design phase, software expansion interfaces or hardware resources can be considered for reservation to facilitate subsequent software function upgrades. During the software development phase, hardware performance indicators and limitations can be fully considered to ensure the stable operation of software functions.
Among numerous industrial switch products, the USR-ISG series of industrial switche stands out with its excellent hardware performance and flexible software customization capabilities, becoming a preferred solution for enterprises in building industrial communication networks.
The USR-ISG series of industrial switches offers various combinations of 5-port, 8-port, 16 electrical ports, and 2 optical ports (SFP slots), as well as PoE options, compatible with 10/100/1000Mbps speeds to meet network access requirements in different scenarios. The products adopt a fanless cooling design, have an operating temperature range of -40°C-85°C, feature a compact size, a full-metal casing, an IP40 protection rating, and excellent industrial qualities such as vibration resistance, high and low-temperature resistance, dust resistance, and lightning protection, ensuring stable operation in harsh environments. Additionally, the USR-ISG series of industrial switches support ring network redundancy functions, achieving telecom-level rapid self-healing in case of link failures based on the ERPS protocol, meeting business redundancy protection requirements.
The USR-ISG series of industrial switches support a variety of network management functions, including SNMP, Web, CLI, and other management methods, facilitating user device configuration and monitoring. At the same time, USR IoT also provides customized software services, developing specific industrial protocol adaptation modules, intelligent management functions, or data analysis and processing tools according to user requirements. For example, for smart grid projects, an IEC 61850 protocol adaptation module can be developed to achieve seamless connection with smart substation equipment. For smart manufacturing projects, intelligent management functions can be developed to realize remote monitoring and fault warning of production equipment.
Enterprises can submit their customization requirements through the USR IoT official website or consultation hotline, including detailed information such as application field, working environment, equipment connection requirements, network scale and topology, and expected functions. The professional team of USR IoT will conduct initial communication with the enterprise to understand the background of the requirements and expected goals.
The technical team of USR IoT will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the enterprise's customization requirements, judge the feasibility and rationality of the requirements, and further communicate with the enterprise to confirm technical difficulties and solutions. Based on the assessment results, a detailed customization solution will be formulated, including key information such as hardware design, software functions, development cycle, and cost budget.
After the solution is confirmed to be correct, both parties will sign a customization contract, clarifying key clauses such as project scope, development cycle, cost budget, and acceptance criteria. After the contract is signed, the project will be officially initiated, and USR IoT will form a professional project team responsible for the specific implementation and advancement of the project.
The project team will carry out hardware design and software development work according to the customization solution and conduct strict testing and verification to ensure that hardware performance and software functions meet design requirements. During the development process, the project team will maintain close communication with the enterprise, promptly feeding back project progress and problem-solving solutions.
After the project development is completed, USR IoT will organize project acceptance work to ensure that the project results meet contract requirements and acceptance criteria. After the project passes acceptance, USR IoT will provide comprehensive after-sales service support, including equipment installation and commissioning, technical training, fault diagnosis and repair, etc., ensuring that enterprises can smoothly use customized industrial switch products.
Hardware and software customization of industrial switches each have their advantages and disadvantages. When making decisions, enterprises need to comprehensively balance factors such as requirement priorities, long-term costs and benefits. The USR-ISG series of industrial switches provides enterprises with a preferred customization solution with its excellent hardware performance and flexible software customization capabilities. Through the professional customization process services of USR IoT, enterprises can easily achieve personalized construction and intelligent upgrading of industrial communication networks. Submit an inquiry now to start your industrial switch customization journey!
