Today we were scheduled to visit the Yantian Port at Shenzhen where an average of a half dozen containers filled with iRobot product are loaded on cargo vessels each day for shipment around the world. Typhoon Kalmaegi, however, had other plans for us. Although it did not directly hit Hong Kong, it passed close enough to trigger a T8 warning (gale force winds in excess of 100 mph).  The port was closed, all ships were sent out to sea, and most companies ask their employees to remain at home.  As a result our visit was cancelled and our transportation to Hong Kong was delayed by several hours. When we did reach the city, I capture a very rare photo of the port without a single ship in it.  The remainder of our day was spent in the Langham Hotel where we rode out the storm before a business dinner with management from our second largest contract manufacturer.

My day was spent in Machong and Dongguan meeting with management and touring factory locations of the company we use to manufacture our gear boxes (used in wheel module assemblies and cleaning heads).  The evening was reserved for a meeting and dinner celebration with all iRobot employees based in our Guangzhou office.  I gave a presentation covering the R&D organization and our recent initiative to more fully embrace agile development methods.

It is considered a great honor in Chinese culture to be photographed with top management.  We took the time to create a portrait with each member of our Chinese contingent and will have prints framed and presented as gifts.

This morning we were briefed on our distribution and sales strategy for China followed by visits to four different local retailers to see how our products are merchandized.  The China market is poised to take off for iRobot and it was very interesting to learn about the challenges of doing business in this part of the world.

The 1,969-foot-tall Canton Tower was our destination for a little evening sightseeing. Completed in 2010, the hyperboloid design is illuminated in a changing sea of color throughout the night. We enjoyed views from the top but I liked the view from the bottom even more.

The timing of our visit to China is centered around the dedication of a new building at one of our contract manufacturers built exclusively for the production of iRobot products. Dignitaries from both companies participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony which included performances by traditional Chinese drummers and a pair of dragons.

In this factory we employ about 3,000 workers and produce 10,000 robots per day.  We toured the new facility and learned about many of the improvements that have been made to our production process.

A weeks worth of finished goods inventory takes up a huge amount of space.  Shipping containers are filled daily and taken to the Hong Kong port where they are loaded on cargo ships and set off for distribution centers around the world.

Until Cathay Pacific begins non-stop service from Boston to Hong Kong next May, transit time is 20 hours.  I am traveling with Alison Dean, iRobot’s CFO on this trip.  We touched down (love that you can watch the outside camera from your passenger seat) at 2PM which represents a 12 hour time zone shift.  After getting settled in the Langham Hotel in Kowloon and connecting with several other colleagues, we travelled by car to the Four Seasons where we met up with our CEO and then joined our entire Hong Kong based team for dinner at the French Window Brasserie and Bar, a short walk from the hotel.

Unable to find a taxi willing to take us back to Kowloon, we walked to the Star Ferry Terminal and boarded the Solar Star (built in 1958, the same year I was born) for a quick traverse of Victoria Harbor.

The views of the nighttime skyline from the water are some of my favorites in Hong Kong.

I leave today for a week-long excursion to Hong Kong and China.  On previous visits, I was not able to access or update my website.  Hard to imagine why the Chinese government finds it necessary to block my blog.  If the situation has changed, I will try to post from the road.  If not, I will update when I return next Thursday.  It has not escaped my attention that I am flying on the morning of September 11th from Boston to New York on American Airlines.  Probably the safest day of the year to fly out of Logan but rest assured I will be doing my own security screening of fellow passengers.

Rarely these days does Maya seek my fashion advice. Tomorrow, however, her soccer team will be dressing in safari attire as part of a pre-game psych (the logic here is not at all clear to me but I am always delighted when I can spend quality time with Maya).  Needless to say, I was in a position to provide virtually everything she needed, if in overly large sizes.  She opted against my National Geographic buff and mosquito head net which may well have been over the top but nevertheless valid fashion accessories for the theme.

Maya did not bother to tell me that she had been voted co-captain of the team by her peers earlier in the day. This I had to learn from Jeanine.

Colleagues of mine horsing around at work. Caught up in the spirit of renovation (iRobot’s facility is getting a facelift), Scott decided to secretly “decorate” Marlene’s office.  Not shown is the lava lamp providing additional ambiance on the inside of her office.  It must be said, for the benefit of non-iRobot employees, that Marlene is not exactly the fru fru type, adding to the improbability and humor of this scene.

Jeanine enjoys dining on our three-season sun porch above all other options (dining room, breakfast area, kitchen island).  This preference is rarely influenced by the outside temperature.  Maya and I opted for winter coats so that we could enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Kyle on this unseasonably cold evening.

This weekend I completed a matching bench using left over materials from last year’s deck project.  I am really pleased with the way it turned out but also with the fact that I put the scraps to good use rather than sending them to a landfill.

My fall soccer season opened with a game in Ludlow (90m drive each way).  With a half dozen new additions to our team moving up from the over-40 squad we have not yet found our rhythm and walked away with a 0-2 defeat.  The score did not fully reflect action on the pitch (they had three shots on goal and 2 went in – we had a dozen opportunities but could not find the back of the net).  I started a right midi and felt I played reasonably well.  More importantly, I did not re-injure my back and now will have almost two weeks for a full recovery as I will be traveling to China later this week.

Kyle’s girlfriend, Isabela, has been visiting us for the past week. Her first time in Boston, Kyle has been showing her the sights and I have had little time to get to know her.  This evening, Jeanine and I joined them for dinner at Legal Seafoods after attending Maya’s first JV soccer match.  Severe thunderstorms and lightning caused the game to be stopped well before halftime.  With some time to spare before our reservation time, we returned home for some portraiture.  This is my favorite shot of the pair.

The iRobot facility in Bedford has been undergoing a massive physical transformation for the past several month in an effort to modernize both the interior and exterior.  Although it has been a massive inconvenience, the results are beginning to take shape and I am enjoying the changes a lot more than I anticipated I would.  The common space below features wall high, backlit images of some of our more important patents.  Located just off our Boardroom, it is a great place for relaxing.

 Dyson announced a robotic vacuum today.  They reported that it took 12 years and $46M to develop.  At iRobot we have been anticipating this move for years and it comes as no surprise.  It appears to be a very capable machine in some regards but also has significant design flaws that are immediately apparent to me. While Dyson is a serious competitor, their entry into robotic floor care only further serves to validate the category and will expand the market.  It is said to begin shipping next year and by then we will have a new model of our own.  iRobot stock closed up on the day.

We live a stone’s throw from several large fields.  The one directly behind our house is currently used to produce hay.  The one down the street, a favorite destination for dogs and their owners, is being used to grow sunflowers and one other crop that I do not recognize.  The tiny structures on these plants are simply fascinating.