Haier owns 122 production sites worldwide with 78,000 employees. In 2018, Haier generated sales of over 39 billion US dollars. In 2016, the group released the currently largest platform for customised mass production solutions “COSMOPlat”. It enables the integration of the entire process and supply chain of a company on a digital level and connects manufacturers and developers in the B2B sector. "This will be a central topic in the future, especially considering the increasing importance of Industry 4.0 applications. It is also becoming more and more important to tailor B2C products to specific customer groups." explains Robert Langer, CCO of Senorics.

The sensors from Senorics open new possibilities in the production of large household appliances. Among others, automatic stain detection and a matching wash programme selection for washing machines are conceivable. Hoover robots could analyse the floor material and the amount of dirt, adjusting their cleaning approach accordingly. Furthermore, sensor-supported textile recognition could be used to automatically adjust the heat of irons to the material they are treating.

The contact to Haier was established during a trade fair. Senorics was particularly interested in the Chinese company’s focus on networked smart home experiences and the simultaneous development of Haier COSMOPlat into an open company platform. "Haier also has great knowledge of the market and is close to the customer," says Langer, naming further advantages of the cooperation. Senorics, in turn, provides a technology that can take the user experience to a whole new level and make peoples life much easier. "Together we have a lot of potential for successful products".

COSMOPlat opens new opportunities for the Dresden-based company to make the idea of material sensing accessible to a wider audience. "Haier has contacts to many companies for whom our solution is attractive," explains Langer.

Over the next few months, both companies will work together on identifying further applications beyond the household appliance sector and find potential customers. According to Langer, technology made in Germany is in great demand, especially on the Chinese market. "For us, this cooperation is an exciting opportunity to introduce our novel material sensing technology to the attractive and growing Chinese market.” Langer is convinced that Chinese consumers will appreciate material-sensing-capable products manufactured by Haier. "COSMOPlat will also make our technology easily accessible and usable for suppliers from many other industrial sectors.”

The partnership between Senorics and Haier COSMOPlat was celebrated with a joint online event on September 16. During this event, Senorics CEO Ronny Timmreck was not the only one who spoke a greeting word. Prof. Karl Leo, head of the Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials (IAPP) of the TU Dresden, also gave a short speech to congratulate the signing of the contract. Years ago, the IAPP had developed the basics for the Senorics technology.