Enabling Product Innovation and Global Growth with Reliable and Scalable Iot Connectivity Solutions

Enabling Product Innovation and Global Growth with Reliable and Scalable IoT connectivity solutions

POSITEC WORX: A CASE STUDY

Positec initially were an OEM manufacturer and supplier of DIY tools to global brands which led to rapid company growth. As individual brands started to establish manufacturing capability, Positec decided to launch their own consumer brand of DIY tools. Passionate and committed to creating innovative products that make customers’ lives easier, Positec’s launch was the beginning of a transformational journey.

Worx products are available at nearly all home improvement retail stores in Europe and North America, including the world’s 10 largest home improvement retailers.

Positec are now recognised as a leading provider of tools to the retail home improvement market, and are the second largest supplier of robotic lawnmowers globally.

Unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity led to IoT innovation

Identifying an opportunity to improve garden maintenance Positec launched the ‘Landroid’ robotic lawn mower in 2011. Once programmed through an App to establish the garden size and using Wi-Fi connectivity, the Landroid could mow the lawn without any human interaction. It was optimized using AIA® navigation technology that dramatically reduced the mowing time, and later on the ACS® anti-collision system that steers around instead of bumping into obstacles, as with many competing products.

©2019 Eseye Limited 2. IoT capability also solves another issue – theft. The US has seen a massive spike in lawn mower thefts, “ but IoT connectivity has enabled us to introduce the new feature ‘Find My Landroid’. This is an App that alerts the owner if their lawn mower is removed from the premises and enables them to lock and locate it ”

Davide Dal Frà, Head of Engineering and Innovation, Positec

©2019 Eseye Limited 3. However, breaking new ground in robotic lawn mower innovation brought with it several challenges. Establishing the device on Wi-Fi could be difficult for a user having to navigate passwords and router conﬁguration. Connectivity in large gardens could also be patchy, resulting in the lawn mower losing touch with the router and sending regular error messages to the owner. Positec looked for technologies to solve the problem.

We ran tests with leading telecoms providers in Europe and included the “ Eseye AnyNet SIM that we had discovered in our IoT research. We learned that the Eseye SIM could work across multiple technologies, including Cat 1 and 2G, but also automatically switch network carriers based on available signals, which means our mowers would always remain connected.” says Davide Dal Frà, Head of Engineering and Innovation at Positec.

With mowers being shipped anywhere in the world the desire to create a single device Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) was high, because of the signiﬁcantly improved deployment and management efficiency a single SKU brings. Positec also wanted an embedded Chip SIM welded into the hardware module to achieve a smaller footprint in the device. The company needed a cellular solution that would work regardless of where the lawn mowers were distributed, but particularly in prominent markets such as North America and Europe. Working in collaboration with Positec’s team in Italy Eseye's IoT consultants contributed to development by optimising time outs and reboots on the modem.

The partnership has led to the creation of an IoT device with embedded Eseye AnyNet Secure SIM that provides near 100% connectivity and works almost anywhere in the world. The cellular element is encased in a playing card sized box that when installed in the latest Worx Wi-Fi connected Lawn Mowers enables an IoT upgrade and for future Worx Lawn Mowers the device will be either built in or sold as an optional accessory. Previously, the Landroid was complex to set up but now the user simply slots in the upgrade, scans a QR code, and the lawn mower is automatically connected to the account.

The Eseye AnyNet Secure SIM is a real enabler and although a cutting schedule can be programmed into the Landroid, the IoT capability means the Landroid can track local weather stations, monitor mowing conditions and decide when the lawn needs mowing. Dal Frà is enthusiastic about ongoing product development,

In eﬀect, improved connectivity allows information to be shared via the App. “ Intelligence is also sent to our AWS Cloud environment, stored and analysed. This provides valuable statistics and delivers optimised mowing instructions to individual devices, and also provisions for shared intelligence and learning. All mower activities are tracked and suggestions for improvement are sent to each owner to further enhance mowing performance.”

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©2019 Eseye Limited 5. IoT capability also solves another issue – theft. The US has seen a massive “ spike in lawn mower thefts, but IoT connectivity has enabled us to introduce a new feature ‘Find My Landroid’. This alerts the owner if their lawn mower is removed from the premises and enables them to lock and locate it,” says Dal Frà.

Many beneﬁts in working with Eseye

Eseye were instrumental in supporting Positec from idea to conception and delivery. Introducing IoT connectivity has resulted in a signiﬁcant decline in support calls and lawn mowers being returned. A constant stream of timely and reliable data received from the devices enables Positec to deliver predictive maintenance and identify issues before they become critical. Updates and ﬁxes are now easily sent through Over-the-Air transfer (OTA.

Eseye IoT is seen as a real enabler and future rollouts will introduce a broader range of accessories available to order through the App. A major recent and highly sophisticated upgrade gives the Landroid sight, which means it will see obstacles and simply steer to avoid them.

As Positec continues to experience rapid growth and with over 100 million power tool devices on the market there is unlimited potential. Positec is expecting growth of 35% year-on-year globally and is now conﬁdent they have a reliable and scalable lawn mower solution.

Using Eseye IoT technology Positec will continue to successfully compete with major well- known brands on a global scale. And, as more IoT devices are developed for the home improvement market, Positec has found a global IoT partner in Eseye capable of supporting the company’s ambitious plans and passion for making all our lives easier.

©2019 Eseye Limited 6. About Eseye As a forward-thinking IoT managed services company, we are leading the way in IoT delivery. Working with us, you will gain hard-earned insight and IoT expertise that will save you resources, money and critically, time.

Our device design consultancy, M2M global connectivity and data management capability will keep you ahead of your competition. Our experience and know-how will accelerate your IoT strategy. We can steer you rapidly from your initial concept through to global deployment.

Using our device and cellular expertise and specialist IoT support we have successfully connected over 1,000 device types since 2007, through global cellular partnerships in 190 countries. Today, Eseye-enabled devices are connected and managed using our leading IoT Managed Services across all industry verticals, from enterprise-level global brands to entrepreneurial start-ups.

Along the way we have made friends, grown trusted partnerships and been given many accolades. We are an AWS Advanced Technology Partner, winner of the 2017 Frost & Sullivan Product Leadership Award; joint-winner of the 2018 GSMA GLOMO Award for Outstanding Contribution to UN Sustainable Development goals, recognised in the 2016/17/18 Gartner Magic Quadrants for M2M managed services; and hold ISO 27001 certiﬁcation.