ENWAY developed the technology platform for high-precision autonomous machines. This technology allows industrial sweeping machines to independently clean large in and outdoor areas, for example, factories or warehouses. In the field of municipal sweeping technology, ENWAY pursues the approach to support street cleaners with the help of self-driving machines. The company was founded in Berlin at the beginning of 2017 and has 35 employees in Berlin and Singapore.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
ENWAY: As a specialist provider of autonomous service vehicles, ENWAY develops the software and integrates it into vehicles from established manufacturers – at the moment for sweeping machines. But this means also that there are other applications of the ENWAY technology for mobile machines in heavy industry, metal processing, and in the construction industry.
Today, ENWAY is one of the leading providers of high-precision autonomous industrial sweepers. The vehicles react dynamically to changes and obstacles so that a safe and smooth operation is guaranteed at all times.
E.E: What’s the news for 2020 about new products?
ENWAY: A team of 5 ENWAY employees in Singapore is developing an autonomous road sweeper for use on the country’s public roads. Working from a university campus, the self-driving sweeper named Donner recently got its first official Singaporean license plate. The project runs through July 2021.
E.E: What are the ranges of traded products?
ENWAY: A serial product from ENWAY is the Blitz One industrial sweeper. The autonomous sweeper is based on a model TT 1300, which is made in Germany by the manufacturer Stolzenberg. Blitz One is already in use, for example in warehouses, parking lots, and production halls.
ENWAYs second self-driving sweeper is called Donner. The electric sweeper in the 2m³ class is based on the CityCat 2020EV series from Bucher Municipal, a swiss company. With ENWAYs technology, the machine is converted into a fully autonomous vehicle and is already being used on the streets of Singapore.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
ENWAY: A functional cleaning routine is a must for widely diversified industries. ENWAYs sweeping robots make the cleaning of indoor and outdoor areas easier, safer, more sustainable, and more efficient. All the autonomous sweepers are precisely tailored to the individual requirements of the area that they are working in. The different markets, where ENWAYs self-driving sweepers are active, are very open to innovative cleaning processes, that save money and time. Also, the personal support around the clock, provided by ENWAY, is important for companies who want to take the step using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies for their cleaning processes. Constant monitoring of the robot operation by the ENWAY team, as well as the possible intervention via teleoperations in the event of problems, ensure the cleaning processes at all times.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
ENWAY: Flexibility and individuality are next to efficiency and sustainability the most important factors to follow a trend. ENWAYs cleaning solution can be flexibly adapted to changing conditions or increasing requirements. The setup of the autonomous sweeper in an area is highly adapted to the needs and the surrounding. The implementation of AI and ML technologies brings a certain degree of uncertainty – the same effect that every new technology always had and probably always will have on employers and employees. Using AI and ML technologies in other areas has already improved many processes successfully. In the field of cleaning processes, it is clear, that a safer and easier working method is long necessary for many industries. The use of new technologies in a field that has so far been less affected by innovations in this area is being considered with great interest in various industries.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
ENWAY: ENWAYs aim is to optimize the collaboration between humans and machines so that the autonomous sweeping robots take over the physically difficult and sometimes dangerous work of the cleaning staff and make the work more efficient.
The robots reliably clean waste from a wide variety of materials, such as wood, stones, bottles, or large amounts of fine dust. The material picked up is collected in a container in the machine and unloaded independently by the sweeper at a specified location.
After an introduction to the web interface, employees can monitor and change the cleaning processes at any later point in time. The planning of the usage of the machine and the course of the sweeper can be adjusted and checked around the clock via the online system. This brings even more flexibility to the cleaning processes because the sweepers can be operated at any time: before the start of the shift, overnight, or in parallel with the ongoing system operation. The dynamic avoidance of obstacles by the self-driving sweeper enables large areas to be cleaned without constant human supervision.
Any changes within processes at short notice, or any obstacles blocking the path of the cleaning robot, can be reacted to immediately – with always the same high quality of the cleaning result. The autonomous sweeper can be used in many different industries and surroundings. The ENWAY team gives personal and individual introductions to the technology as well as to the many advantages that it is bringing to businesses.
