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In the Garden of the FutureThe Smart Garden Hub – STIHL

GCI 100 – shows the potential for

connected products. It not only

sets new standards for the network-

ing of products and online services,

but also brings together the know-

how of the Waiblingen- based found-

ing company with that of garden ing

equipment experts at VIKING in

Austria.

Dr. Konrad Christ and Harald Aschaber know the way from Waiblingen to Langkampfen and back again – almost by heart. While 350 kilometers and more than three hours drive normally separate them, these two colleagues have been drawn much closer togeth-er for a project that previously had never been at-tempted either at STIHL, where Christ leads a soft-ware development group, or at VIKING, where Aschaber works in product management. Under their leadership, the STIHL GCI 100 – also known as the Smart Garden Hub – was developed. This product not only makes garden irrigation more efficient and intel-ligent, it also represents the STIHL Group’s vision for the smart garden of the future.

EXPLORING NEW DIRECTIONS “At STIHL and VIKING, new products normally follow a relatively simple principle: higher power with less weight.” As Christ says that, he has to smile because the Smart Garden Hub is not a “normal” project. Through this collaboration, bright minds from Baden- Württemberg and Tyrol reached out in new direc-tions. Not only is this innovative product the first com-pletely digital offering from the Waiblingen-based company, even the area of application is new territory. It is all about automatic and resource-saving use of water in the garden.

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11STIHL ANNUAL REPORT 2017 › JOURNAL › IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUTURE

In summer we often see a familiar scene: Get the hose out of the shed, first unroll it, then roll it up again, drag the watering cans around the garden and then carefully water one flower bed at a time. Today those who prefer a more convenient solution might already use an automatic irrigation system. That means no more hard work or asking your neighbor to water while you are on vacation, but, according to Aschaber, “these systems are usually outdated and have a very big disadvantage. They are not ‘smart.’” They water at fixed times and at specific intervals. Weather conditions or current soil moisture level are not taken into account – not to mention other vari-ables, such as the type of plant or the amount of ex-pected evaporation.

And that is exactly where the STIHL GCI 100 comes in. Connected to the home Wi-Fi network, the device can identify the garden’s exact location and record the irrigation require-ments. Not only can it retrieve weather re-ports and use mois-ture sensors, it can create an entire digital ecosystem. “Our de-vice can fully connect with the digital world,” explains Christ. “In that way, irrigation is precise – cost-effective and resource-efficient.”

“With the STIHL GCI 100, we are setting out in a whole new, very exciting direction. Our goal is for the device to become the central access point in the garden.”DR. KONRAD CHRIST

Harald Aschaber (right) and Dr. Konrad Christ are the leading figures in the STIHL GCI 100 project. Within the space of a few months, they developed the Smart Garden Hub, which, among other things, makes intelli-gent irrigation possible.

4,000UP TO

m2

MOWING AREA COVERED BY A SINGLE MI 632 P.

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The STIHL GCI 100 is the first fully digital product jointly devel-oped by STIHL and VIKING. The basis is an app from the Israeli start-up GreenIQ.

A NETWORKED TEAMThe idea of networking products and making the entire garden “smart” has existed in Waiblingen and Langkampfen for quite some time. At VIKING, ro-botic lawnmowers will soon no longer work on their own, but will buzz over the grass as a team. “The team will be controlled with an app via smartphone or tablet,” explains Aschaber. Intelligent software connects the robotic lawnmowers via a cloud system. Once the mowing plan has been created, the server automatically transfers the data to the entire team. The result: In the future, large areas will be managed simultaneously. The STIHL iMow robotic mower is a flagship project and shows the future potential of connected products. In addition, they are the first products that can connect via the internet to the STIHL GCI 100 – ensuring that mowing and irrigation intervals are perfectly coordinated.

INTERNATIONAL BRAINSTORMINGIn parallel to this ongoing effort in Austria and Ger-many, the Israeli start-up GreenIQ developed a net-work-based platform for efficient irrigation. The sys-tem controls irrigation using online weather data. “This will enable us to conserve water by reducing waste,” says company founder Odi Dahan proudly. His innovative work did not go unnoticed. In January 2017, STIHL acquired a 35 percent stake in GreenIQ, a development that is a perfect fit for both sides. “My team and I are proud to be part of STIHL’s vision for a smart garden,” says Dahan. And on the other side, the much-praised start-up mentality is catching on. After all, it’s about thinking and acting outside of ex-isting structures and sometimes pushing existing limits in order to succeed. “It’s about speed and prag-matic approaches,” agree both Christ and Aschaber. The outstanding dynamism of the start-up partner has more than once rubbed off on them.

“Through the collaboration with GreenIQ we have learned a lot. The special way of thinking and work- ing has shaped the entire development process a great deal.” HARALD ASCHABER

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13STIHL ANNUAL REPORT 2017 › JOURNAL › IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUTURE

At VIKING in Langkampfen, ground-supported garden equipment – and also the STIHL GCI 100 – are inten-sively tested.

Behind Christ (left) and Aschaber is an intensive, inter-national and interdisciplinary collaboration. The success of this is now manifest in the STIHL GCI 100.

CONTROL FROM ANY LOCATIONThis international collaboration has resulted in an app that allows the Smart Garden Hub to be controlled and programmed from anywhere in the world. All that’s required is an internet connection. The application primarily is still based on the GreenIQ software. “Based on this, we have de-veloped some specifications for our de-vice, but do not want to get in the way of the original idea of the app – because it is good,” emphasizes Christ. The de-sign of the hub is very much an in-house project, which reveals its origin through the typical orange and gray coloring. Specifically, the hub has a built-in transformer in addition to the central control board, cable ducts on three sides with the appropriate seals, and plenty of storage space for valve cable lines. The IP 55 pro-tection class makes the hub outdoor-ready. It requires no additional surface-mounted boxes and, with only two screws, can be easily wall- mounted.

NEW PRODUCT – NEW TARGET CUSTOMERSThe innovation from STIHL is intended to appeal to a whole range of target customers. “Thanks to the success of the iMow, we know that

“Thanks to digitalization, we can not only make de vices smart, but also the entire garden.”DR. KONRAD CHRIST

16 WATERING ZONES CAN BE CONTROLLED BY THE STIHL GCI 100.

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READY, SET, GO

With an audible “click” the sprinklers in Odi Dahan’s garden turned on. In the middle of the night, as was sched-uled – but with the rain pouring down. This waste of water annoyed the elec-trical engineer and at the same time marked the birth of his own start-up company. A search for apps that would allow irrigation systems to be controlled intelligently and efficiently did not yield any results. So Dahan himself worked on a solution to connect his garden to the internet. The result: GreenIQ Ltd. – a global company based in Tel Aviv. GreenIQ connects the gar-den via the app, controls and manages irrigation intervals with the help of weather and soil data, and provides in-formation about possible cable dam-age. “This will enable us to conserve water by reducing waste,” says Dahan proudly.

The desire for resource conservation is no coincidence: “Our country is mostly desert and yet today it is very green. Israel knows its stuff when it comes to the efficient use of water.” Dahan’s commitment did not go un-noticed: STIHL became a partner of the successful start-up in 2017 and now owns around 35 percent of GreenIQ Ltd.

there is not just one smart target group,” explains Aschaber. Rather, it’s about different approaches, ranging from the merely curious to the digital-savvy hobbyists, and more cautious “optimizers.”

They should all feel drawn to the STIHL GCI 100. “How they ultimately make use of the possibilities offered by the product is very much up to them,” says Aschaber.

Interest in the Smart Garden Hub is particularly strong in southern Europe. Many STIHL dealers in that re-gion already possess expertise in irrigation systems, and many routinely advise their customers regarding efficient and responsible water management, some-times in areas where water is a scarce resource. “We are convinced that the STIHL GCI 100 will be successful. There are plenty of advantages. The in-telligent control system and considerable savings po-tential offer added value to our customers,” empha-sizes Christ.

VIKING-GARDEN.COM

W W W.GREENIQ.COM

Odi Dahan (49) founded GreenIQ Ltd. in 2013. Today, it employs 16 people and dis-tributes products worldwide.

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15STIHL ANNUAL REPORT 2017 › JOURNAL › IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUTURE

STIHL GCI 100 The STIHL GCI 100, the Smart Garden Hub, has everything it needs to become the central access point in the garden of the future.

ONLINE WEATHER DATA

SERVICE & ORDER List of run times and service intervals.

ANALYSIS

SOFTWARE / APPS Connection with the STIHL app, which can be used, among other things, to control the irrigation and iMow mowing intervals.

In the Garden of the FutureIt’s all about the right mix. The garden of tomor-row is controlled digitally, but managed in an analog way. True to the principle of “making it easier for people to work with and in nature,” connected products and services create real customer value.

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GROUND SENSOR / IRRIGATION Measurement of relevant values for optimal and efficient irrigation.

BATTERY STATUS / CHARGINGTimely information on cur-rent battery charge levels and required charging times.

CONNECTED PRODUCTS For better fleet manage-ment: Devices can be tracked.

LOCATION / GPS IMOW / “SWARM INTELLIGENCE”For large areas up to ten net-worked iMow robotic mowers can take care of the lawn together.

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17STIHL ANNUAL REPORT 2017 › JOURNAL › IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUTURE