“Siri, open all the windows.”
That prompt is all it took to start the soft buzz and slow release of air from the windows and skylights lining a Marvin “smart home” in Eagan, where the Warroad-based manufacturer tests its latest product line. etched window film
On Monday, Marvin announced its new Marvin Connected Home product line, which includes programmable voice and app-activated skylights, windows, and doors.
The company began developing the products two years ago, senior director of Marvin’s transformation management office Lindsay Schroeder told TCB during a tour of Marvin’s Connected Home innovation lab in Eagan. Marvin’s product team was mulling ways to improve life indoors, where, by some accounts, people spend as much as 90% of their time.
“We thought how can we bring a more natural light? How can we bring in more fresh air?” Schroeder said. “And as we started digging into it, people said, ‘No, I like to open my windows, it’s just a lot of work. I gotta go open the shades, and then I gotta crank up on the window, and then I gotta remember to close it.’ So we asked, how can we help people bring in fresh air, make it more convenient for them, and give them time back?”
The products serve customers in whatever way is most comfortable to them, director of digital product and engineering Jim Flaherty said. The windows and doors can still be manually opened. There is also a switch on a wall, similar to a light switch, to open the doors and windows. If it’s raining outside, a sensor will close the window. The sensor technology in the product can also stop a window or door from closing if someone passes through or has a hand outside. Additionally, product users can pre-program their windows and skylights to meet climate conditions, setting their homes to whatever temperature they prefer.
Flaherty thinks Marvin’s new product line fills a gap in the quickly growing “smart home” market. Some developers order similar products from companies in Europe, but these overseas companies often don’t offer styles that match architectural design in the United States, he said. Their instructions might not be in English, either.
Through the development of this product line, Marvin has built new partnerships with other smart home businesses. “Those are the guys going into the home that are, I always say, creating the home of the Jetsons. It’s smart shades, it’s TV integration and sound integration–whatever you can dream up, they’re the ones that do it,” Flaherty.
These new smart windows and doors are built to be installed in new developments and major remodels. Monday marked a limited release of the products in four regions including Minnesota, the northeast region from Boston to Long Island, the Pacific Northwest, and a region around Denver.
Marvin has been looking to automation beyond its new product line for a while now. Last year, Marvin CEO Paul Marvin told TCB that automation and technology upgrades are central to a five-year business strategy, which includes automation in pricing, financial, and production scheduling.
Winter Keefer is associate editor at Twin Cities Business.
MSP Communications, 953 Westgate Drive, Suite 107, St. Paul, MN, 55114 © 2024 Key Enterprises LLC All rights reserved.
window tint bedroom Website by Web Publisher PRO