Easy Engineering: How was 2020 for your business, a short summary?
R3: This past year R3 finalized development of our flagship hardware product, the EchoRing Ethernet Bridge, which has now made it market-ready. We also finalized our supply chain and fulfillment distribution with Arrow.com. This past autumn we fulfilled our first major contract to supply a prominent OEM final assembly line with a large shipment of Ethernet Bridges – we have now completely sold out our initial production batch to this and various other major industrial players.
E.E: What new products/services will be launched this year?
R3: Operations are currently set on the go-to-market phase of our existing products. We are also developing new product features such as seamless roaming, which will be released in Q2 via software updates. We are also in the midst of extending our service and support network with our partners.
E.E: How did the market change in the last year?
R3: 2020 saw demand skyrocket for digitalization and wireless communications in all industry sectors, largely due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This trend was already underway at the end of 2019, yet the virus proved to be a major accelerator.
Client interaction has also successfully transitioned to online methods such as Skype and Zoom, which has thankfully allowed global business to continue with minimal interruptions. Nevertheless, the absence of direct face-to-face interaction with clients, especially in initial rounds of discussions, is a key element that is clearly being missed.
E.E: What were the best-selling products of 2020?
R3: As mentioned above, we have sold our entire initial production batch of Ethernet Bridges this past year, making it our most popular product by far.
E.E: What sector of business do you think is expected to grow this year?
R3: Given the aforementioned market trends and that R3 only began to ship our flagship product in large numbers in Q4 2020, we expect tremendous three-digit growth throughout 2021.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2021?
R3: We are currently setting up strategic partnerships with leading market players to scale EchoRing’s reach beyond the German market.
E.E: A short message for collaborators for the beginning of the year
R3: R3 provides plug-and-play WiFi-based industrial URRLC solutions for a wide range of applications, from warehousing to automated manufacturing. Our key software EchoRing delivers all the reliability of an industrial cable combined with the mobility and flexibility of a wireless network, enabling lower overhead, increased efficiency and innovative new business models. Take a look at our recently overhauled website for more info: www.r3.group
