Scythe robotics, the most advanced and sustainable autonomous Technology Company, has announced that it has exceeded 5,000 reservations for its fully electric, entirely-autonomous mower – Scythe M.52.
Scythe also announced the appointments of Brian Merkel, formerly a head of manufacturing and production for SpaceX Starlink, as its head of manufacturing, and Jen Mongeois, a former Magic Leap lead recruiter, as their head of talent acquisition to meet this significant demand.
Scythe M.52 can double landscaping crew productivity while eliminating mowing emissions — a major benefit provided that using a gas-powered mower for one hour is equivalent to driving a car over 300 miles. Scythe M.52 comes with a suite of sensors that allow it to operate safely in dynamic environments by detecting and reacting to the presence of humans, animals, and other potential obstacles. It captures property and mower performance data at the same time, which helps landscape contractors improve workflow, identify up-selling opportunities, schedule more efficiently, and manage labor costs.
Brian Merkel, Scythe’s head of manufacturing, brings extensive experience scaling manufacturing for SpaceX Starlink to his role as head of manufacturing. During his time at SpaceX, he established and scaled a manufacturing organization of over 200 production associates, maintenance personnel, and support personnel that produced 5,000-10,000 dishes per week in its first year of operation. Brian was also in charge of test engineering for the crew and cargo Dragon capsules, the Merlin rocket engines, Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, and the Falcon 9.
Jen Mongeois, Scythe’s head of talent acquisition, brings over 20 years of recruiting experience for technical and non-technical roles in hardware, software, and field operations. Her addition strengthens Scythe’s cross-functional culture and collaborative product design approach. Jen previously worked as the lead recruiter at Magic Leap, an enterprise AR technology company, where she hired over 500 people in five years.
Scythe, founded in 2018, is transforming the $115 billion commercial landscaping industry, which remained plagued for years by painful labor shortages and has not seen significant technological innovation in decades. Last year, Scythe launched an autonomous grass mowing robot.
Scythe has a strong demand for M.52, with over 5,000 reservations from a diverse customer base spanning coast to coast, with annual revenue ranging from $1 million to $100 million, including some of the industry’s largest and fastest-growing businesses.
