EXPANDING IN ROBOTIC LAWN CARE

Ecovacs develops and manufactures all its products itself, which the company believes provides advantages when launching new categories.

– We are very excited to see the market’s response to the new lawnmowers with four-wheel drive and edge trimming, says Brage Blomdal, Nordic sales director at Ecovacs.

We meet him at the IFA trade fair in Berlin in September.

– Everything from the concepts and product development to production is handled by Ecovacs itself. Nothing is sourced from other factories, and that is a major advantage. We know what every component that goes into our machine is, he says.

– Ecovacs is among the largest globally. Several of our products are number one, such as our window-cleaning robots, where we have an 80 per cent market share in Europe, Blomdal tells trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

Ecovacs is a Chinese, family-owned company in the home robotics sector. The company was established in 1998, while the Ecovacs Robotics brand was launched in 2006, and according to Blomdal, its products are used by more than 38 million households in almost 180 markets.

Broad portfolio

– Ecovacs is well known as a multi-robot supplier. The company started with robot vacuum cleaners, then expanded into robotic window cleaners, robotic lawnmowers and robotic pool cleaners, says Blomdal.

The pool robots are not yet available in the Nordic region.

– We have not launched in the Nordic region yet, as we were unable to supply enough products to meet demand in Southern Europe. Next year, we have several partners who have expressed a desire to launch them in the Nordic region as well, he says.

Four-wheel drive

The biggest news at the Berlin trade fair is the new GOAT lawnmowers.

– We were not the first with four-wheel drive, but we are introducing it now. Next year, we are launching several models that combine four-wheel drive with what we were the first to offer, namely edge trimming with a line. We have seen many of our competitors introduce this afterwards, so it is evidently something the market has appreciated, says Blomdal.

The flagship Goat XT10000 model is said to be capable of handling up to 10,000 square metres in a single day.

– It can raise and lower itself by up to 12 centimetres to get over large obstacles, says the sales director.

In addition, the wheels can be turned 180 degrees, allowing the mower to drive sideways through challenging sections.

– We have great faith that this will be Ecovacs' major new product next year, says Blomdal.

The flagship model is priced at around NOK 40,000, while entry-level models start at around NOK 6,000 and cover areas of 400 square metres.

– We have a very broad range, with models for every need, he says.

Maps independently

Most models use LiDAR technology, while one model uses RTK navigation.

– With the top models, you will not even need to remotely control the robot when mapping the garden. It can simply remain in the docking station; you press start, and it drives around and does the rest of the work itself, says Blomdal.

Self-cleaning station

Ecovacs is also showcasing a new charging station that can wash the robotic lawnmower.

– You need to connect water here. The station will then spray the underside of the mower when you set it to do so. Whether this is done every time you have mown the lawn, or once a week, is up to the user, says Blomdal.

The dirty water is collected in a separate container, which the user empties.

– This is currently at the prototype stage, but we have been promised that it will arrive next season, he says.

Roller mop in new price ranges

The company is also launching updated robot vacuum cleaners and window-cleaning robots.

– Here, we offer significant improvements to the models we already have, says Blomdal.

The roller mop is now available in most price ranges, from affordable models to the premium segment. On the top model, the roller mop is protected by a cover when passing over carpets, while the mop is automatically washed and dried in the base station during cleaning.

Small Nordic team

Ecovacs has four employees in its Nordic organisation, but relies on its European operations in Germany.

– We are a very small team in the Nordics. Three of us work in sales, and one in marketing. However, we have a considerably larger staff supporting us in Germany, where the rest of our organisation for the European market is based, says Blomdal.