Ultrahuman promises ‘100%’ US Ring Air sales from Texas UltraFactory, despite Oura legal challenge
What you need to know
- Ultrahuman says its UltraFactory manufacturing facility in Texas will “soon scale its production” to 500,000 Ring Airs per year.
- SVtronics, a U.S.-based electronics manufacturer, partnered with Ultrahuman last November to open the facility.
- Oura recently disputed Ultrahuman’s claims of a Texas-based facility in its ITC case against the company.
India-based smart ring brand Ultrahuman has announced plans to produce 100% of its popular Ring Air devices in the United States by the end of 2025, using its “UltraFactory” facility in Plano, Texas.
While Ultrahuman says this facility currently produces 400 Ring Air units per day, the eventual goal is to “soon scale its production to more than half a million units annually” — or at least 1,370 per day — so that it no longer needs to import any smart rings from India.
“The UltraFactory in Plano, Texas, allows us to deliver products faster, enhance quality control, and further strengthen our commitment to American consumers to bring them cutting-edge health technology,” says Ultrahuman CEO Mohit Kumar.
The press release goes on to say that domestic smart ring production will ensure “faster shipping, better service, and increased reliability.” It would also help Ultrahuman avoid any tariffs on ring sales, while creating “hundreds of high-skilled jobs” in Plano.
Ultrahuman is “doubling down” in spite of Oura’s ITC lawsuit
Oura is trying to stop Ultrahuman and other smart ring makers from selling or importing their products in the United States. This announcement shows that Ultrahuman will stick to business as usual, unless the International Trade Commission (ITC) forces the issue.
A recent U.S. ITC judge ruled against Ultrahuman in favor of Oura over alleged patent infringements, though it was merely an initial determination. In that ruling, the judge disputed Ultrahuman’s claims that it had a manufacturing facility in Texas, suggesting it had submitted slides with Photoshopped images of the Ultrahuman logo added to SVTronics facilities.
The judge called this a “concerning issue regarding Ultrahuman’s credibility,” and clearly, Ultrahuman hopes to refute this concern by publicly unveiling the UltraFactory as a real, productive facility. It has invited some publications, including Android Central, to tour the facility and see how the Ring Air is manufactured.
In a blog post titled “So what’s the patent that Oura is suing everyone for?” Ultrahuman makes its case for why Oura’s smart ring patent shouldn’t apply to them, claiming it has several petitions disputing it. It then boasts about its Texas facilities as the “first-ever Smart ring manufacturing facility” in the United States and says it will “double down” on U.S. sales rather than preemptively accept the ruling.
Meanwhile, Oura’s blog post praises the patent system as a “cornerstone of American innovation” and its “talented team members based in the U.S.,” while decrying the “dishonest tactics” of its “foreign competitors.” Clearly, both smart ring brands see value in looking as “American” as possible as this legal battle proceeds.
Ultimately, the ITC filing notes that Oura and competing brands like the Samsung Galaxy Ring have “the manufacturing capability to replace RingConn and Ultrahuman’s accused products if they are excluded from the U.S. market.” But given this UltraFactory announcement, Ultrahuman has no plans to cede its U.S. smart ring business just yet.
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