SIMAR Julien

s143580
Electrical Engineering

TOUATI Ikram
s184372
Electromechanical Engineering

VANDERMOLEN Marie-Anne
s141145
Mechanical Engineering

P RINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT

Business model A43 : Automated tents

GEST3162-A-a Liège
M. Ghilissen 20th December 2019
1 Introduction

Nowadays, home automation is attracting a growing number of users by providing technical solutions to
meet the needs of energy management, lighting and heating optimization of buildings. However, these
solutions are exclusively reserved for the building sector, neglecting more nomadic sectors, such as the mi-
litary and events. To compensate for this missing, we propose a new concept : the automated tent thanks
to solar panels. Until now, such a device could hardly be developed. Indeed, the solar cell models were
expensive, heavy, rigid and fragile, which is rather incompatible with the use of a tent. Fortunately, the
photovoltaic sector has not ceased to evolve in recent years and very recently (2016), MIT researchers [1]
have introduced at least one new type of material : flexible solar cells. These would have the advantage
of being easy to manufacture, inexpensive, flexible and lightweight, giving an ideal combination for tent
application

Once the flexible solar panels are installed, the mode of operation is the same as for conventional solar
panels : the semiconductors that make up the panel generate direct current as soon as they absorb solar
rays. This direct current can then be stored in a battery. The objective is then to supply this battery during
the periods of isolation to be able to take full advantage of it outside, for example to supply heating and
lamps inside the tent and thus make the tent autonomous. The value proposition of our project is therefore
to offer the same advantages as an autonomous house, but in a portable way.

2 Market feasibility

Tents have numerous uses : personal, charitable, event industry, etc. All those possibilities show us that
tents market are in continuous development. Let’s develop some interesting aspects about potential custo-
mers in the professional field (B2B).

2.1 Professional field

1) Events sector : Anniversary, marriage, celebrations are few examples were tents can be use [Figure 1]. For
instance, in Belgium, 45.059 marriages [2] were celebrated in 2018. For such events, people almost spend
without limit because it’s a rare occasion, the number of guests is high and it can sometimes be difficult to
rental rooms with large capacities. A simple solution is turn to rental of tents and with a party which lasted
the whole day, a heated and illuminated tent is a perfect way to spend all night long.

2) Military Sector : it’s probably the most important sector because use of tents is essential [Figure 3]. Basi-
cally, tents are used for people in constant movement. And it’s exactly the aim of their missions : now, the
primary objective of EU is fighting terrorism and combating radicalisation, that will involve to the displa-
cement of many militaries. For example, in Belgium, 260 peoples [3] are presents in some twenty countries.
On a global scale, this number rises to several thousand. Their missions are hard, particularly psychologi-
cally, in their case, tents are use in mission management, for the storage of provisions, for sleeping, and it’s
the only place where they can rest and recover. Therefore it is clearly important to offer them a isolated and
warm spot.

3) Charitable sector : Global Tends estimates the number of refugees in the camps to be 68,5 millions of
people [4] at the end of 2017. This is an enormous number that represents the importance of charity [Figure
4] and humanitarian assistance they need every day. Many associations such as the ’Red Cross’ and ’Mé-
decins Sans Frontières’ provide clean water, provisions, tents, blankets, etc in these disaster zones.

4) Festival sector : Nobody could be unaware Tomorrowland, the largest music festival in the world. It’s
estimated at 400 000 [5] the number of festival [Figure 2] attendees who sleep in tents last year. On a
global scale, this number increases easily to several millions of people. For such events, it’s very difficult
to predict the weather conditions, the evenings are getting cooler, rain is often unpredictable. When the

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extreme weather conditions lead to people to return in their tents, it is more comfortable for them to find a
warm place.

F IGURE 1 – Application of a tent for events such as a wedding, ceremony

F IGURE 2 – Application of a tent for a festival of music.

F IGURE 3 – Military applications of tent, even more resistant to extreme climatic conditions

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 F IGURE 4 – The tents used by refugees, migrants, during climatic disasters ....

3 Competition

Many companies produce tents of all sizes such as 3M-Dia Smart, Quechua tent, Hubo tents, Kodiak can-
vas, The North Face, Dancover but all these tents are ordinary with nothing new, just a metal structure
and a fabric cover. On the other side, other companies are interested in smart tent that meets all needs and
requirements of the customer. Among them, we find :

• Siesta4 tent which manufactures tents with insulating materials so as not to lose the body heat of the
people present in the tent.
• Ikamper which makes tents installed on the roof of the car, very quick to set up and waterproof.
• Kamp-Rite makes tents with variable use, for example the individual tent can be used in long frame.

Note that these companies only work in tent making. In our case, our goal is to be the world leader in tents,
therefore to manufacture tents, provide maintenance, and offer different services such as personalized tents
that meet customer requirements, whatever the particularity.

4 Product technology

Given the low rate of development of tents and problems to be solved to meet the high demand of the cus-
tomer, we decided to propose a company that sells tents worldwide and offers consulting and maintenance
expertise. In fact, we want to sell tents with the production of necessary heating and lighting, as well as for
low power requirements, for example to charge a phone by the production of solar panels.

The technology of the intelligent tent consists of a tent with solar panels that feeds a heating system (win-
ter), a cooling system (summer) and economical electric lighting, better than candles with flames that
present a danger of ignition. But it’s not just a tent like the others, because this tent will be made with in-
sulating materials [Figure 5], such as mineral wool that insulates thermally, absorbs noises, is very flexible
and is non-flammable. So that there is no heat loss to the outside.

The solar panels should not be too heavy [Figure 6], so as not to collapse the tent. But at the same time must
be as powerful to produce enough power for the heating/cooling system. The flexible solar panels would
be ideal for this use, moreover it is possible to wrap them up during the move.

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 F IGURE 5 – Tent insulation technique.

F IGURE 6 – The flexible solar panels for tent.

The heating/cooling system [Figure 7] must operate on direct current (instead of the alternative current
which is the most common case) to avoid use of an inverter. Because solar panels provide DC power, kno-
wing that the price of inverter is the most expensive device for a photovoltaic installation.

The use of a thermostat would also be necessary to reduce energy, its role would be to control the start/stop
of the heating/cooling system according to the internal temperature (example : in winter we would like
to have an internal temperature of 19°C. So when the temperature drops below 19°C, the heating system
starts and as soon as the temperature rises above 19°C, the heating system stops) and same idea for the
summer (ideal internal temperature is between 16 and 17°C).

Economic lighting is very important because it saves hundreds of kilowatt hours, and saving energy means
saving money. Knowing that the lamps emit a certain heat, which reduces the necessary heating power pro-
vided by the heating system.

Another aspect to take into account is the volume of the tent : the greater the volume of the tent, the more it
is necessary to heat, but this is compensated by the body heat which is around 37°C. So there will be more
people in the tent unless there is a need to heat (within the allowed limits).

Additional devices could be added according to the tent application, such as :

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 F IGURE 7 – The heating/cooling system for the tent.

• For festive sites, we could use acoustic insulation materials, convenient for people who want to sleep
or to rest. Such as rock wool, glass wool, hemp or cellulose.
• For military applications, bulletproof materials against attack, could be chosen, with tight woven
fibers, mainly Kevlar.
• For wild campsites in groups, we could add an alarm system with motion detector, in case of animal
approaches (practice against dangerous animals).

5 Problems

5.1 Autonomy of tents

A big problem with our product is the autonomy of the tents. Indeed, the average autonomy of the battery
is 6h, which is very low. Knowing that the main use of tents is at night, during the day the batteries charge.
This means that you will need a certain number of batteries, provided that batteries are quite expensive
and heavy.

Another problem is that we can’t leave the tent for a whole day if we move around. A solution could be to
fold the tent to move so that the solar panel remains facing the sun and continues to charge the batteries.
This type of solar tracking is already implemented for smart solar panels and could be extended to our tent.

5.2 Weather conditions

The weather could also be an issue. This could cause instability in winter for example if there is really very
little sun and therefore if the solar panels do not produce enough power.

The location of the tent can also be problematic, if for example the medium with a lot of shade, little sun-
shine will be captured by the panels.

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6 Values of our product

In this section, we list the different values of our project.

6.1 Comfort

The main value of our project is the comfort it offers to users, camping no longer becomes so complicated
and so uncomfortable. Here we are talking about tents that offer as much comfort as a bed at home well at
hot.

It’s even better because it is found outdoors with as much comfort as possible. Finding it in more natural
areas in pursuit of activities giving them pleasure is a great experience, especially if you are in an area
away from home. It may be more economical than paying a hotel, especially if it is for several days. If for
example you are in a forest, you will have to go all the way to find a hotel, but you just have to install the
tent in the desired place, and reserved for this use.

Luxury can be an element, as in African safaris of the early 20th century, or accommodation in the desert.
Camping as a recreational activity became popular with the elite in the early 20th century. Over time, it has
become more democratic, varied and luxurious. Camping is a key component of many youth organizations
around the world, such as scouting, which use it to teach both autonomy and teamwork. Thanks to this
tent, the campsite can be enjoyed during the four seasons, and not only in summer.

6.2 Ease of use

Our product will obviously facilitate camping whether for work (military applications) or for leisure (fes-
tival). In fact, they will have more time to do other tasks. It indeed takes hours to put up a tent or light a
fire but with our tent, which is very easy to set up, all the electrical system that remains connected.

6.3 Time

Of course, if users only need a few minutes to set up the tent, they can spend their time doing other things.
Our product allows you to go faster in setting up.

6.4 Reputation of our product

Everyone loves making life easier, it’s human nature. By saying that our tents are easy and quick to install,
the heating (by resistance), air conditioning (by fan) and lighting will of course enhance the reputation of
our products. we’ll get a lot of publicity.

In addition we offer a guarantee on our product which gives consumers a feeling of confidence in the
quality of our product and will be more interested in buying them.

7 Costs and prices

A tent with a surface area of around 70 m² is ideal for command posts, offices and accommodation. The
cost of such a tent, with galvanized steel structure, is approximately 1300 euros. Indeed, the tent itself [6]
cost 1200 euros while the insolation we will manufacture is estimated at 100 euros.

To heat the interior of the tent, we chose an electric heating system using Joule effect [7]. It costs 30 euros
and meets the needs of a surface of 30 m². So 2 heating systems are sufficient, knowing that we have a

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surface of 70 m² and this to avoid the risk of overheating.

For the lighting, we have chosen bulb LEDs [8], with a power of 12W and generating white light for better
illumination. The intensity of these lamps is variable and adjustable by the tent users. Their average ope-
rating time is 35,000 to 50,000 hours, with 3000 Lumens. However, the lighting standards require 15 m² x
200 lux or 3000 Lumens. So we will therefore need 5 lamps at a price of 5 €/lamp, for a total of 25 €.

The total power generated by the flexible solar panels must be equal to the sum of the power consumed by
the lamps and the heating :

Ppanels = Plighting + Pheating

Considering 5x12W lamps and 2x2000W heaters :

Ppanels = 5x12W + 2x2000W = 4060W

To obtain the necessary power for the panels, we therefore chose 100W panels with a surface area of
0.6345m² [9]. It is then necessary to use 41 panels, which makes a total surface area of 27m². A single
panel costs 115 €, which makes 4715 € for all panels. This price was calculated for a purchase by individual
panels, but if one takes into account the purchase of several panels, the suppliers of panels could lower the
total price.

For the storage of energy, slow discharge batteries [10] have been chosen. To calculate the number and the
price of the batteries, you just have to calculate the energy stored in them. If we consider that the energy
needs are mainly during the night, during a duration of 6h and if we assume that the heat loss towards the
outside is zero :

E = Ppanels . Time (h) = 24.360 Wh

Then, by noting that the voltage U of the lamps is 12V, we can deduce the capacity of the necessary batte-
ries :

E
Capacity (Ah) = = 2030 Ah
U

Because the capacity of the selected batteries is of 100Ah/battery, we thus need 21 batteries. Each battery
costs 129 €, therefore the total cost is 2618.7 €. The following table summarizes the various costs involved
in building the tent :

Power Cost (€) Quantity Total cost (€)

Panels 100 W 115 41 4715
Battery 100 Ah 129 21 2618.7
. Heating/Fan 2000 W 30 2 60
Lamps 12 5 5 25
Tent / 1300 1 1300
8718.7

TABLE 1 – Cost of tent equipment

We get a total price of 8718.7€ for the tent with the complete kit. We were thinking of selling them at 10,000
euros/piece, just to make a margin. It is expensive compared to the ordinary tent but when you see all the
comfort it is worth the cost of buying it, moreover by looking on booking, a night at the hotel in tent costs
200 € per night on average which is rather profitable. So after 50 nights, the price of the tent is reimbursed.

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8 Questions

a. What is the source of the competitive advantage of the project ?

We offer a personalised service, to meet our customers. Our products combine technology, ease of transport
and quick and easy installation. We also provide advice on maintenance and correct positioning of the
products.

b. Where does the business sit in the life-cycle and what are the issues to address in this phase ?

Each new company begins to launching new products and services. This is the case here. We have identified
potential customers for our product and have also targeted their demand.

c. What are the risks associated with the project (probability and importance) ?

The main risks are directly related to embedded technologies. Battery life can be shortened depending on
weather conditions and use. The same applies to the equipment.

9 Business model

When setting up a new business, it is important to define a few key concepts in order to compete at a
competitive level. It’s the goal of this section.

1. Customer Segments : Professional sector

(a) Event sector : marriage, communion, anniversary, pension,...
(b) Military : Polity State
(c) Charity : Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières,...
(d) Festivals
2. Value Propositions
(a) What core value do you deliver to the customer ?
We offer tents that can be customised according to the customer’s wishes in order to meet spe-
cific capacity requirements, adapting our energy systems and insulating materials to best suit
each use.
(b) Which customer needs are you satisfying ?
Needs that combine comfort and ease of installation, while remaining easy to move around.
3. Channels
Here is how we see reaches its customer segments to deliver a value proposition :
(a) Customers go to the website : Here we develop our group’s objective and the different solutions
envisaged by sector.
(b) Different options are then possible :
i. Either they decide to rent the tent directly (+ for the event) or personal
ii. Either they decide to buy the tent directly (military + charity + person) => Unlikely for a
first purchase
iii. Either they take an appointment (by phone, email). Everything related to contacts will be
highlighted on the site. The procedure to be followed will be explained in the section "Make
an appointment". The meeting takes place in the company’s warehouse. During the meeting,
a demo will be conducted to present the different functionalities of the tent. Afterwards, they
can decide to buy or rent.

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 (c) Publicity is also possible. For this we need a slogan and a logo.
4. Customer Relationships
(a) What relationship that the target customer expects you to establish ? A first communication
can be done via our website, by email, or by phone. Then, direct relationship for personal device
as described in channels.
(b) How can you integrate that into your business in terms of cost and format ? We will need
employees to be placed in vehicles in order to have a direct contact with the customer and to
present our products. And another employee always available for receiving calls and processing
emails.
5. Revenue Streams
(a) For what value are your customers willing to pay ?
Personalized service gives added value to our product and this is what is missing in this sector.
(b) What and how do they recently pay ? How would they prefer to pay ?
For large-scale purchases, as is often the case in professional sectors, the customer can apply for
a loan from the bank. For a rental, the price will be lower and they will have the possibility to
pay directly.
(c) How much does every revenue stream contribute to the overall revenues ?
We estimate the rental of products as the main source of revenue.
6. Key Resources
(a) What key resources does your value proposition require ?
• Intellectual
• Human
• Financial
We need engineers for the research and development part of the tents. Each new demand in the
professional sector induces a new study. Also, customer service by phone and employees who
will travel to meet customers will be part of the marketing department. When the tent model is
validated, the manufacturing will be done in workshops with materials ordered from abroad to
reduce the cost. To get our business off the ground, we’ll need help from the banks.
(b) What resources are important the most in distribution channels, customer relationships, re-
venue stream... ?
Human resources is the most important because that’s how we create contact with the profes-
sional sector
7. Key Activities
• Publicity
• Website
• R&D
• Communication
8. Key Partnerships
Wholesalers of all kinds in the sale of flexible solar panels, tents, insulating materials, gadgets of all
kinds.
9. Cost Structure
•Slogan
•Website
•Warehouse
•Manufacturing workshop
•Vehicles
•House mayor of the company
•Cost of wholesalers

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10 Business Model Canvas

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11 Conclusion

With our study, we proved that this business is a profitable opportunity. The challenge will be to remain
competitive, as the energy sector is constantly changing and it is important to always offer a quality service
that combines the latest technology and customer focus.

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