At the third CIIE (China International Import Expo) last year, a commercial visual AI robot scrubber from Kärcher won a lot of attention. A few months later, during the “spring travel rush” in 2021, it showed up in Hongqiao Railway Station conducting intelligent cleaning and disinfection operations. After nearly one year’s technological update and iteration, the third-generation robot cleaner is making a global debut at the fourth CIIE.

　　(Kärcher’s AI robot scrubber at CIIE)

Named KIRA, the robot was co-developed by Kärcher and a local visual navigation system R&D team. After local production, it will be supplied to the world through Kärcher’s global sales network.“While meeting the demands of the Chinese market, the company is also seeking distribution worldwide, so as to contribute to the ‘dual circulation’ development of China,” said a company representative.

　　(KIRA, the third-generation robot scrubber)

The German company is a four-time participant of CIIE. The spillover effect and benefit brought by the Expo is a major reason behind that. This time, it has a total exhibition area of 801 square meters, with eight global debuts. In its booth, it has recreated the full scenario of car washing for its automatic car washing robot.

Having been rooted in China for nearly two decades, Kärcher sees CIIE as an important platform for exhibition and promotion in the Chinese market. For instance, after the third CIIE in 2020, it inked a strategic cooperation deal with an industrial park in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, to build a global high-standard unmanned car wash R&D and manufacturing base. At the beginning of this year, the company invested another 100 million yuan into the Chinese market to enhance its localization.

　　(The automatic car washing robot)

The Chinese market is one of Kärcher’s most important markets worldwide, according to Tang Xiaodong, president of Kärcher Greater China.

“China will continue bettering its business environment and provide foreign companies with a fair competitive market environment and a healthy and harmonious development environment. Therefore, we’re confident in the potential of the Chinese market,” added Tang.