Johnson Controls

Underlining the growing importance of the workplace within building automation, smart buildings giant Johnson Controls acquired workplace management technology firm FM:Systems last week for an initial price of $455 million. This adds to a growing trend by major players in the building automation market who are seeking to increase the level of integration between integrated […]

In this Research Note, we examine what’s behind Johnson Controls’ acquisition of FM:Systems, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based digital workplace management and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider for facilities and real estate professionals. Since 2015, when Johnson Controls divested its Global Workplace Solutions business to CBRE, the HVAC and building controls giant has been missing […]

Over the last three years, BuildingIQ has had a turbulent time, which came to a head in September 2022, when it was delisted from the Australian Stock Exchange. At its peak in FY 2018, BuildingIQ reported around USD $5 million in revenues for its energy management software deployed in 1,265 buildings. BuildingIQ offered a BIoT cloud-based […]

Almost 140 years ago, in 1883, American college professor Warren Johnson became frustrated with his inability to control individual classroom temperatures, so designed and patented a multi-zone pneumatic control system to solve the problem. Two years later, in 1885, he established the Johnson Electric Service Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a firm now known as Johnson […]

Strategic acquisitions are enabling leading players across the smart buildings market to augment their technology offerings with bolt-on startup acquisitions in several areas and increase their focus on software solutions. This forms part of a 2 pronged strategy to mitigate the risk of market disruption, with leading players (and increasingly private equity firms) taking majority […]

Our new research delves into the investment from venture capital, private equity and corporate backers for smart building startups. Since 2015, total capital invested in startups in the global smart building space amounted to over $31 Billion. In the last 2 years (which are the focus of this report) it reached unprecedented levels with $5.9 […]