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Anker’s Shaun Xiong discusses corporate culture, innovation and its role in the company’s ongoing success
Anker’s Shaun Xiong discusses corporate culture, innovation and its role in the company’s ongoing success
PV Tech sat down with Board Member and GM of Anker’s charging business at Intersolar Europe 2024, to discuss the company’s background, priorities and plans for the future.
PV Tech: As the head of Anker's entire charging business, you have led the small and medium charging divisions to achieve excellent results. The SOLIX balcony PV products have continued to gain in popularity in Europe. What do you think is the key to that success?
SX: Our recent launch of the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 2 has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback, of which we are extremely proud. We are committed to ongoing innovation and excellence.
The essence of our success lies in our DNA. At Anker, our corporate culture is very much rooted in understanding and addressing the genuine needs of our customers. We have a robust system in place known as VOC, or 'Voice of the Customer,' which allows us to actively listen and gather insights from our clients through various social media channels. We then drill deeper to uncover the underlying needs behind the requirements shared.
For example, we had quite a debate internally about whether to leverage our Anker portable power station for balcony solutions - after all, it’s a battery, so why not use it? Add some connectors and solve the issue - easy. But, upon closer examination, we realized that our portable power station users are all about outdoor activities, like camping – they’re not necessarily looking to save money. That means the portable power station requires a lot of additional functions such as DC, AC and high power output.
By contrast, a balcony power station is a much simpler proposition. With annual electricity prices surging, people are increasingly seeking ways to enhance their quality of life without incurring excessive costs. The real demand for a balcony solar system is driven by the desire for a solid return on investment and significant cost savings.
Once we’d understood this, we focused our efforts on assisting our clients in resolving the issue of how to generate more power and utilize it more efficiently. For instance, in Germany, regulations dictate that only 800w can be fed into the grid to safeguard it. However, this doesn't mean that only 800w can be generated. Therefore, we developed a product capable of supporting over 2,000w. Our goal was to enhance the self-consumption rate for our clients, enabling them to save money during periods of high electricity costs while simultaneously reducing the load on the grid.
What do you see as the differences between balcony and home energy storage systems? Do you think your successful experience with balcony products can be replicated in the B2B household storage market?
Let’s start with what is the same rather than what is different. Our clients, whether they're setting up a balcony or a home energy system, are all committed to going green while saving on bills.
While the underlying motivation is the same, there are indeed differences that set these systems apart. Home energy storage systems are characterized by their greater capacity, higher output and higher voltage capabilities. These attributes necessitate a more substantial financial investment and a more complex installation process that has to be carried out by a qualified electrician, so we need to collaborate with installers and establish a robust network of partners. It demands a different channel strategy and organizational approach, which is where Anker's strength in channel management and partnership development comes into play.
As a company, we’re good at managing channels and partnerships, a fact proven by our products being available across a wide range of stores and distributors in markets including Germany and the US.
What future trends and innovations do you see for the residential solar and storage market?
The residential solar and storage market is booming, with many players having entered the market. We at Anker believe that this is still just the beginning, however, with a number of areas about to undergo change.
Currently, residential systems are often treated as industrial products. Most of the products, the systems and the apps, don’t feel like they’re for your home; they feel more like they’re for the industry side. We foresee that in the next five to ten years consumers will pay more attention to which system they invest in. They will be brand and product-aware, which will drive significant changes in the industry.
Firstly, product design will need to evolve to be more visually appealing, with aesthetics playing a key role in consumer decisions. Secondly, products will need to be intelligent, integrating seamlessly with the grid and offering a user-friendly app for control and monitoring. After all, customers are installing these systems to cut down on their electricity bills, so they need a system that operates in a smart way.
Lastly, we believe that, at the end of the day, it will all come down to a ‘system’. We have observed that customers who buy balcony storage may later invest in a residential power storage solution, and then perhaps a portable power station for their outdoor activities. All these are forms of battery storage, of course, and the challenge becomes one of how to utilise all these batteries most efficiently. If we can develop a system that works in harmony, we can save more power and avoid wasting resources. Someone – and I want it to be Anker – can then help customers manage the whole house and their power supply effectively.
There are already many PV and residential storage products in Europe, and the competition is very intense. What are the unique advantages of Anker SOLIX on entering this market? What new impetus will it bring to the industry?
I have previously explained how we go the extra mile in order to understand customer requirements and how we are developing a comprehensive system. However, let's delve into more specifics. Take our X1 system, for example. It is an all-in-one solution that seamlessly integrates a hybrid inverter, battery and AC backup box into a sleek, unified package. It seamlessly fits into your home without the clutter of multiple boxes.
It’s also a genuine modular design. A lot of companies in Europe claim to produce modular designs, but they're really just stacking different battery packs. What we’ve done differently is to introduce an optimiser into every battery pack. So, instead of just connecting it all together, whereby a functioning battery will be affected by one that isn’t in a good condition, we can make each battery work independently. That means customers can start with one pack and expand at their own pace, whether that's this year, next year, or even five years down the line. We are giving them the flexibility to configure the system to their specific needs.
Our system is also built to be reliable and can adapt to different environments. We’ve installed units in Northern Europe where the temperature can reach minus 20 degrees, and they've held up just fine. They can also cope with up to 55 degrees. We have also passed IP65 and Ocean tests, so if you are setting up in a coastal area, you can expect a system that will last for 10-20 years without any problems. Most other systems won’t last anywhere near as long in such a salty environment.
How does Anker SOLIX ensure safety and reliability?
Over the last 13 years, we have built a solid reputation and, honestly, that brand reputation is what we cherish the most at Anker. That is why safety and reliability are at the very top of our priorities.
We have a very strong R&D team, and quality control is always our number one focus. Five years ago, we introduced the IDP scheme—the integrated development process—into the company. It’s a process that you both love and hate: it takes months, even years, to develop a single product. However, it's worth it because it means we can pass the quality gauge with flying colours. And we never cut corners on components, only using premium ones - for example, our balcony power storage product uses a 6,000 cycle battery cell from a tier-1 vendor. The best components mean we can deliver the best system.
After-sales service is another key consideration. Although our return rate is extremely low, we have still established a customer support centre and we train with our partners to make sure that, if customers run into any issues, we will be the first ones to support and help them. With all this, we are confident that Anker will continue to be a company that takes responsibility and serves its customers better.
What are the future development goals for Anker SOLIX in Germany and Europe as a whole?
It’s all about our vision and mission, not figures. I think home energy and balcony systems are still expensive for most people. Our mission is to make green power accessible to everyone. With the balcony system, even if you don’t have a huge house, you can still generate green power. Moving forward, we are going to keep developing products of this type - not only eco-friendly and user-friendly, but also products which will contribute to a greener future.
