Haier also makes robots? Yeah, well done.
In the field of home robots, the floor washing machine is undoubtedly the most “furious” category.
In 2019, the market size of this emerging category is less than 100 million, it will soar to more than 1 billion yuan in 2020, approach 6 billion yuan in 2021, and directly break through 10 billion yuan in 2022, becoming the most shining star of clean appliances and even the entire household appliance category.
The rapid expansion of the market has also attracted the entry of many brands. According to Owei Cloud network data, there are 160 online floor washing machine brands in 2022. You should know that even the dishwasher, which has also performed well in recent years, has only 56 online brands.
From the observation point of view, there are mainly three types of brands that enter the circuit of the washing machine: one is a professional cleaning electrical appliance brand, the second is a comprehensive household appliance brand, and the third is an emerging technology brand.
Although the brand background of the washing machine is different, the ability is different, but because the entire market is in the dividend period of popularization growth, and only has more than 3 years of development time, most brands can get incremental benefits from zero. In the short term, the shortcomings of products, technologies and services will not be exposed. However, what needs to be seen is that the rise and fall of any industry has certain internal laws. In the next 5-10 years, with the increase of the scale base, the speed shift of the washing machine into a new cycle is an inevitable thing.
After the first wave of popularity dividend period, the process of survival of the fittest in the washing machine industry will quickly start, whether it is a temporary leading brand, or a late brand, whether it is a long-term brand, or a speculative brand, must face the challenge of higher intensity competition, and must experience a more selective choice of users.
So, how will the future technology trends and brand pattern of this market play out? During AWE2023, Ding Technology network had a dialogue with Li Hongwei, general manager of Haier Home robot China market, and conducted a round of “thought storm” on related topics.
As the world’s first brand of home appliances, Haier’s initial involvement in home robots, what is the original intention? What does it bring? What’s behind it? In this conversation, the answers will be revealed.
Practicality: Deep clean, smart and convenient, you need to grab both hands
For washing machines and air conditioners, over the years, under the pressure of user demand and continuous iteration of technology, the function tends to mature, not only easy to use, but also practical and durable. In contrast, emerging categories such as floor washing machines and sweeping machines are limited by technology and other factors, and most of them stay in the easy-to-use stage. How long will it last? There is no way to study.
So, can the floor washing machine and sweeping machine become the next washing machine, air conditioning, and become just-needed household appliances? In this issue, it can be said that the brand plays a decisive role, its technological innovation strength, whether the product can continue to meet the needs of users, etc., will have a direct impact on consumer purchase and use. In other words, if the brand wants to cultivate user cleaning habits and make the cleaning robot a necessary product for home life, it requires the product not only to be useful, but also to be practical.
With this insight, Haier home robots began to make efforts in product practicality.
Li Hongwei said that many washing machine products often need to manually clean the sewage after the end of the work, and they do not have the convenience of “freeing your hands”. Even if some manufacturers have launched base-station self-cleaning products, because dry garbage and sewage are mixed together to discharge, it is easy to cause floor drain blockage.
Li Hongwei frankly, this is to solve a problem at the same time, but also to add a problem. Therefore, how to improve the practicality of the product as a whole and comprehensively upgrade the user experience is the top priority for the brand. So, is there a solution that can completely solve the cyclic superposition of this problem? Ding technology network noted that on AWE2023, Haier released the base Station dual-power washing machine Haier X11 Station, which achieves the ultimate balance of intelligent convenience and deep cleaning, achieving a revolutionary upgrade in the overall “practicality”, and promoting the industry to a new stage of development.
From the point of view of cleaning power, the base Station dual-power washing machine Haier X11 Station is equipped with the new Haier dual-power 4.0 cleaning system, which has the industry’s first CSC turbocharged washing technology, and has strong cleaning power.
Compared with the traditional air duct structure, the negative pressure suction of CSC air rotary booster air duct structure is increased by more than 100%, effectively improving the cleaning ability of stubborn stains. At the same time, the industry’s first integrated differential double brush technology effectively reduces the cleaning force loss caused by the loss of internal rotation force, and increases the cleaning area by 100%; The patented volute motor brings 18000Pa ultra-powerful suction, which can quickly absorb water and dirt.
In addition, dual-power technology is through the two-way suspension structure power, double closed-loop PWM control algorithm, double spray global water drive, double clean soft and hard twins, double mode intelligent perception, double rolling brush double cleaning six innovations, to achieve double cleaning effect, to achieve double labor saving. Ding technology network noted that at the AWE2023 site, Haier home robot united with China Consumer Product Quality and Safety Promotion Association and Weikai Testing Technology Co., LTD., and led the development and release of the industry’s first dual-power technical standard. Since then, what kind of washing machine is better and more practical, there is a judging basis, and users also have a standard to follow when purchasing.
In terms of convenience, the base Station dual-power floor washing machine Haier X11 Station has the industry’s first weekly throw antibacterial filter design, which increases the dry garbage interception rate by 80%, thereby reducing the floor drain blockage, improving the sewage discharge speed, and throwing out without manual maintenance. At the same time, the automatic garbage drying and storage function can automatically dry solid garbage and avoid the odor caused by long-term garbage stacking. In addition, the base station can also automatically put cleaning liquid, connected to the upper and lower water can be automatically added water, pour sewage, really do not “hands”, even sewage does not need to pour.
For example, while the washing machine strengthens the cleaning effect of water washing, the new problem of residual water stains on the ground has emerged. It is also the Haier washing machine that perfectly cracked this difficult balance to solve the problem, and in the Haier dual-power 4.0 cleaning system, the dual-cleaning soft and hard twin system achieved a new upgrade. Soft scraper with metal scraper, multiple to remove dirt, squeeze water stains, to achieve sewage recovery rate of more than 93%, reaching a new high in the industry, users no longer need to worry about water stains.
In fact, “to solve one problem, a new problem is added”, this phenomenon does not only exist on the floor washing body, but also on the sweeping robot. For many female users and pet owners, hair entanglement has always been a big problem for cleaning robots. There are also many brands in the industry trying to help users get rid of hair entangling by adding cutting devices in the sweeper. However, the sweeper with hair cutting function on the market at present requires manual operation, which is time-consuming and laborious and easy to dirty hands.
On AWE2023, Haier Home robot demonstrated the industry’s first hair cutting technology (H-Active System), and equipped with this technology, the all-round sweep robot H12 Pro, through the automatic rolling, cutting, sucking three board axe, completely solved the hair entangling, two manual cleaning problems. While removing hair, it can also not dirty hands, and the practicality of the sweeping robot is further improved.
Poor cleaning ability, water residue, sewage blockage, hair entanglement, etc., are the needs of users in real life scenarios, Haier home robots aim at user pain points, through scientific and technological innovation to achieve both “intelligent and convenient” and “deep cleaning”, so that the practicality of cleaning robots has been significantly enhanced.
Durability: High quality and good service, no less
For the user, the utility is relatively easy to perceive and evaluate. But just like mobile phones, PCS, TVS, refrigerators and other products, simply “practical” is not enough. On the basis of “practicality”, the “durability” of the product is also very critical.
However, looking back at the development of the washing machine for more than three years, the industry and consumers are not concerned about “durability”. The reason is that: as mentioned above, as a new category of household appliances, cleaning robots such as floor washing machines and sweeping robots have entered people’s families for a short time, and users’ attention to them only stays at the stage of “whether it is easy to use”, and the problem of “practical or durable” has not been considered. In addition, the battery, rolling brush and other devices of most brands of floor washing machines will only appear after a period of use, endurance attenuation, service life reduction and other problems, and these problems are not obvious to users in the early stage of use, but once they appear in the later stage, it will seriously reduce the user’s experience. That said, durability has to stand the test of time.
This actually involves the two major challenges of product quality and full cycle service. It is still Haier that sets the example for the industry. Li Hongwei said that Haier home robots pay particular attention to quality and service, which is also an important embodiment of Haier home robots differentiation advantages.
Taking the floor washing machine as an example, in terms of product quality, the base Station dual-power floor washing machine Haier X11 Station is equipped with an all-metal transmission gear power unit, which is durable and non-destructive for 5 years; Accessories such as brush head and drying base have undergone repeated tests, and the buckle has undergone 10,000 + press tests to ensure that the product is more durable.
In terms of service, users can purchase the base Station dual power floor washing machine Haier X11 Station to enjoy integrated delivery and installation, free on-site demonstration and explanation, free on-site deep maintenance, 365 days only change without repair and other services, redefining the service standard of the floor washing machine. Among them, 365 days only change not repair, is the first in the industry, which is not only a high degree of confidence in their own quality, but also let consumers more assured. In addition, the exclusive installation design service provided for base station products not only solves the trouble of booking installation again after receiving the goods, but also the scientific and reasonable design scheme makes users more relaxed.
The combination of high quality and good service makes the durability of Haier’s floor washing machine a leader in the industry. In the author’s opinion, Haier’s approach is of great significance to the industry and consumers: for the industry, durability will become the core indicator of the competitiveness of clean appliances, which is conducive to the sustainable development of the industry while increasing the industry competition barriers; For consumers, benchmarking companies develop and raise standards in terms of “durability”, which will form a demonstration effect, so that people can get a good experience in the whole life cycle of the product.
In short, after experiencing the “explosive” growth stage, the cleaning robot industry has entered a new development cycle with “practical and durable” as the core competitiveness, intelligent and convenient, clean technology, product quality, service standards, etc., are expected to continue to increase the barriers to competition under the promotion of the main brand represented by Haier. As the second curve of Haier wisdom, one of the important strategic layout of the future development of the brand, Haier home robots based on independent research and development production capacity and strong supply chain security, is opening up the next era of home robots. In the future, while the market continues to expand, the brand pattern will also complete a dynamic reshaping in another round of innovation competition.
