High-Pressure Washer Industry Analysis: New Opportunities Amid Consumption Upgrades—From Commercial to Household Use

High-pressure washers: Practical tools gradually gaining traction from Europe and the U.S. into China.

Practical tool, suitable for home, commercial, and industrial use.

A high-pressure washer is a device that uses a power unit to drive a high-pressure plunger pump, generating high-pressure water to clean the surfaces of objects. It is currently recognized worldwide as one of the most environmentally friendly, economical, and scientifically sound cleaning methods. The working principle of a high-pressure washer is as follows: The power unit transmits power to rotate the high-pressure plunger pump. At normal pressure, water is drawn into the pump and then compressed by the reciprocating motion of the plunger inside the pump, forming high-pressure water that is delivered to the end of the spray gun (the nozzle). From there, the high-pressure water stream is ejected, exerting a physical impact on the surface of the object. When the impact force of the water stream exceeds the adhesion between the dirt and the object’s surface, the dirt, grease, and rust are quickly loosened and washed away, achieving highly effective cleaning without damaging the object’s surface.

During operation, high-pressure washers can be adjusted to deliver either a fan-shaped water spray or a direct-water-jet stream, depending on the cleaning requirements of various surfaces. This flexibility ensures that surfaces remain undamaged while still achieving the desired cleaning effect. Thanks to their advantages—such as zero environmental pollution, non-corrosiveness, reduced labor input, high efficiency, and water conservation—high-pressure washers are widely used in applications ranging from vehicle and municipal road cleaning, exterior wall cleaning of buildings, cleaning of food processing plant sites and livestock farms, cleaning of factory equipment, production lines, and pipelines, and even restoring the original appearance of ancient architectural structures. In recent years, the range of applications for high-pressure washers has continued to expand.

High-pressure washers can be categorized by application area into household high-pressure washers, commercial high-pressure washers, and industrial high-pressure washers. By power source, they can be divided into motor-driven high-pressure washers, gasoline-engine-driven high-pressure washers, and diesel-engine-driven high-pressure washers.

Household high-pressure washers have relatively low requirements for pressure and flow rate. They are water-efficient and cost-effective, lightweight and easy to carry, highly mobile, and simple to operate. They are primarily used for light- and medium-duty cleaning of residential courtyards, rooftops, walls, balconies, windows, swimming pools, or private vehicles. As residents’ disposable incomes rise, people in Europe and the U.S. are placing greater emphasis on the aesthetic appeal and cleanliness of their home gardens. Gardening has become not only a recreational pastime but also an activity that promotes physical and mental well-being. Well-maintained gardens continually enrich people’s aesthetic enjoyment. High-pressure washers, which can be used for garden irrigation as well as for cleaning lawns, fences, roads, walls, swimming pools, balconies, and vehicles, thus meet growing market demand. In addition to DIY cleaning at home, the increasing number of dual-income households has also spurred the growth of the professional cleaning services market. According to a research report by Arizton, more than 2 million British households rely on professional cleaning service companies to carry out their cleaning tasks. Professional cleaning service providers typically choose specialized cleaning equipment such as high-pressure washers.

Commercial high-pressure washers have stricter requirements for pressure and flow parameters and are used more frequently, thus demanding a longer service life. They are typically employed in professional car cleaning and detailing, building cleaning, urban road maintenance, and the cleaning of public facilities (such as medical institutions, entertainment venues, and sports facilities) as well as food processing plants. These machines can effectively remove dirt, oil stains, and other stubborn surface deposits from car surfaces, buildings, green spaces, roadbeds, pipelines, and processing workshops, achieving the goals of descaling, disinfection, and environmental protection. According to a research report released by Arizton, in 2019, the automotive industry was the primary application sector for commercial high-pressure washers, accounting for 25.1%. The construction industry followed closely behind at 15.4%, while the public municipal sector came in third at 12.4%. Together, these three sectors accounted for over 50% of the total market share.

Industrial high-pressure washers, in addition to higher performance specifications, often come with specialized technical requirements—such as special features like waterjet cutting. With the advancement of high-pressure water jet technology both domestically and internationally, high-pressure washer technology is evolving toward ultra-high pressure, greater power, and increased specialization. This trend is reflected in the growing adoption of modular, factory-based equipment sets and the expanding use of intelligent robots. As a result, the industrial cleaning sector holds tremendous market potential for the future. Moreover, as demands for energy conservation and environmental protection in manufacturing continue to deepen, efficient, low-energy-consumption, water-saving, eco-friendly, dead-corner-free, and non-harmful industrial cleaning methods will become the mainstream approach.

Thanks to their advantages such as environmental friendliness, high efficiency, and water conservation, the application fields of high-pressure washers are continually expanding.

The high-pressure water jet technology underlying pressure washers is a new type of physical cleaning technique that emerged internationally in the 1970s. It achieves cleaning by combining the effects of high-pressure water jets—including impact, fragmentation, penetration, and detachment—to effectively remove dirt. Compared with traditional manual chemical cleaning methods, high-pressure water jet technology primarily uses clean water as its medium and can be applied to clean objects of various shapes and structures that are covered with different types of contaminants. It boasts advantages such as high efficiency, energy savings, zero environmental pollution, no corrosive effects on cleaned objects, highly versatile equipment, and low cleaning costs. Taking the automotive industry as an example, car washing consumes large amounts of water. By contrast with traditional manual washing methods, the efficient and energy-saving high-pressure washing approach can save up to 60% of water consumption while also reducing labor requirements.

In developed countries in Europe and the U.S., high-pressure water jetting technology has become the mainstream cleaning method, whereas in China’s cleaning industry, chemical cleaning still dominates. The large amounts of acidic and alkaline chemical solvents discharged during chemical cleaning can easily cause environmental pollution and equipment corrosion. Thanks to its numerous advantages—such as being environmentally friendly and energy-efficient—high-pressure water jetting cleaning holds tremendous potential for broad market applications.

Compared to developed countries abroad, which mastered high-pressure cleaning technology relatively early, China’s high-pressure cleaning industry got off to a later start. High-pressure cleaning equipment was introduced to China in the 1980s, and currently, its market application is still in the nurturing stage. Over the past 30 years, China has experienced rapid economic growth, leading to a substantial increase in residents’ disposable incomes. As a result, basic living needs—such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation—have undergone significant changes, particularly with the rapid proliferation of automobiles. In recent years, as the country has promoted the development of a “green economy” and environmental protection industries, and as residents’ demands for quality of life and living environments have continued to rise, high-pressure cleaning machines—being both economically efficient, environmentally friendly, and highly versatile cleaning equipment—will soon enjoy broad market potential.

Household high-pressure cleaning equipment is relatively affordable and generally within the budget of most families. Under the broader trend of consumption upgrading, it is poised to play an even more important role in households. Take Lvtian as an example: in 2018 and 2019, its revenue growth from household high-pressure cleaners was 95% and 108% respectively, significantly higher than that of commercial high-pressure cleaners.

Meanwhile, as a green and environmentally friendly cleaning device, high-pressure washers are undergoing continuous specialization and diversification in their niche application areas during their rapid development, thereby better meeting market demands and enhancing user experience. With the convergence of new energy sources—such as lithium batteries—and next-generation information technologies—including automation and smart chip control—high-pressure washers will also innovate toward greater integration and intelligence. For instance, cordless handheld high-pressure washers will cater to the needs of household users in high-rise residential buildings for vehicle cleaning. Meanwhile, unmanned, intelligent, shared high-pressure washers can automatically scan and analyze the shape and dimensions of vehicles, intelligently adjusting the pressure, position, and spray angle of nozzles and brushes to achieve optimal cleaning results. These machines also automatically collect wastewater, treat it, and recycle it, thus reducing water consumption and minimizing environmental damage. Under the trend of the “green economy” development philosophy, high-pressure washers are poised to enjoy a broad market outlook.

The global market is heating up year by year, with Europe and the U.S. dominating, while the Chinese market is steadily growing stronger.

In recent years, benefiting from favorable macroeconomic conditions, the global high-pressure washer market has experienced rapid growth in sales volume. According to statistics from Frost & Sullivan, global high-pressure washer sales increased from approximately US$2.59 billion in 2016 to about US$3.36 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.8%. In 2020, due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, China and countries in Europe and the U.S. widely implemented home isolation policies, boosting demand for household cleaning. This factor became one of the key drivers behind the expansion of the global high-pressure washer market. In 2020, global high-pressure washer sales grew by roughly 5.8%. It is projected that from 2021 to 2025, the global high-pressure washer market will continue to show a sustained growth trend.

According to statistics from Frost & Sullivan, in 2020, the European region accounted for the largest share of global sales in the high-pressure washer market, followed by the United States. Together, these two regions contributed more than 80% of global sales. Founded in 1906, the Danish Lely Group offers a wide range of products, including vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers, sweepers, wash-and-sweep machines, industrial vacuum cleaners, high-pressure washers, and outdoor sweepers. From the perspective of Lely Group’s revenue from high-pressure washers, Europe and the Americas also represent significant sources of income. (Report source: Future Think Tank)

The Chinese high-pressure washer market is still in the growth stage. Benefiting from favorable economic conditions and the positive impact of consumption upgrading, China’s middle-income group continues to expand, and people’s living standards keep improving. As a result, consumers are increasingly demanding greater comfort, convenience, and personalization in cleaning tools, which bodes well for a rapid increase in the popularity of high-pressure washers in China. According to statistics from Frost & Sullivan, from 2016 to 2020, China’s market sales showed overall growth, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 8.6%, reaching about RMB 2.247 billion in 2020. It is projected that from 2020 to 2025, China’s market sales will continue to grow rapidly, at a compound annual growth rate of around 7.5%.

In recent years, thanks to the rapid development of China’s internet and mobile internet, the online market for high-pressure washers in China has shown a trend of rapid growth. Looking ahead, as China’s economy continues to develop steadily and 5G adoption expands, the penetration rates of both the internet and mobile internet in China will further increase, and e-commerce shopping will become one of the mainstream shopping methods. The rapid growth of China’s e-commerce market will enable more consumers—from diverse age groups, geographic regions, and professions and with varying cleaning needs—to easily learn about, compare, and purchase high-pressure washer products. It is expected that China’s online high-pressure washer market will benefit from the country’s internet development, and its sales volume is poised for rapid growth.

Domestic enterprises are rapidly developing, and their own brands are gradually gaining momentum.

Globally, foreign investment still holds a relatively high market share.

Developed countries and regions such as Europe and the U.S. have a high level of acceptance toward pressure washers. Pressure washers have been part of residents' daily lives in these developed areas for a long time, enjoying high market recognition. Enterprises in developed regions enjoy distinct advantages in product design, sales channels, and brand influence. In developed countries like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, many well-known pressure washer and vacuum cleaner brands are owned by prominent tool manufacturers and specialized cleaning product makers from these regions. Thanks to their long-term brand-building efforts, cleaning tool brands in developed countries primarily rely on large-scale retailers as their main sales channels, while some have gradually expanded into e-commerce channels, maintaining relatively stable market shares overseas. Well-known pressure washer brands in the North American market include SUN JOE, RYOBI, and STANLEY; in the European market, they include KARCHER, NILFISK, BOSCH, and BLUE CLEAN; and in the Japanese market, they include KYOCERA, MAKITA, and HITACHI.

Overall, in the global high-pressure washer market, Kärcher ranked first in 2020 with a market share of 37.1%; Lavor ranked second with a market share of 12.80%. LAVOR, SUN JOE, and BLUE CLEAN all hold certain market shares globally.

The major brands in China’s high-pressure washer consumer market include Yili, Morgana, Kärcher KRCHER, Panda, and Black Cat. Among these, the Yili brand ranks first, capturing a 14.80% share of China’s consumer market in 2020.

With its production advantages, Chinese manufacturing has already earned a certain reputation worldwide.

In China’s high-pressure washer industry, enterprises primarily operate under three business models: OBM, ODM, and OEM. In recent years, due to the high cost of labor, most manufacturing companies in developed countries in Europe and the U.S. have shifted their business focus from product manufacturing to brand building, thereby transforming themselves into brand owners. Increasingly, these companies that own high-pressure washer brands are relocating their manufacturing operations to developing countries—often by establishing multinational corporations or partnering with manufacturing enterprises in developing countries and adopting business models such as OEM and ODM for production.

Currently, the primary consumer markets for high-pressure washers are in regions such as North America and Europe. Manufacturing enterprises are mainly located in China, Southeast Asia, and South America, with China’s production concentrated primarily in provinces like Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Luqiao District in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, has been awarded the title of “China’s Capital of Plant Protection and Cleaning Machinery” by the China Agricultural Machinery Industry Association. In 2015, manufacturers of complete plant protection and cleaning machinery accounted for approximately 25% of the nation’s total complete machinery producers, while component-part processing plants accounted for about 60% of the country’s total component-manufacturing enterprises, demonstrating a strong cluster effect.

Take Nilfisk, the world’s second-largest player in the industry, as an example: In 2018, it closed its Suzhou factory and further outsourced its high-pressure washer business to Chinese manufacturers. Both Lvtian and Yili have taken over part of Nilfisk’s OEM production. A rough estimate suggests that the products manufactured by Lvtian and Yili for Nilfisk account for 30% to 40% of Nilfisk’s total output. (Due to the lack of relevant data, our calculation used Nilfisk’s revenue from its high-pressure washer business multiplied by the exchange rate and the composite gross margin. Moreover, the cost figure includes not only the purchase cost of the products but also manufacturing overheads and transportation expenses—thus, the denominator is somewhat overstated and should be taken as a rough estimate only.)

In addition, based solely on publicly available data, Lvtian also provides OEM services for Bosch. Yili’s OEM clients also include SNOW JOE LLC (whose brand is SUN JOE), ANNOVI REVERBERI S.P.A., and others.

Overall, Chinese high-pressure washer companies are primarily export-oriented. According to the “Global High-Pressure Cleaning Equipment Market Study” released by Frost & Sullivan, in 2019, China’s leading high-pressure washer exporters included Yili Electromechanical, Zhejiang Anlu, Lutian Machinery, and Greebo, among others.

Self-owned brands are gradually gaining momentum and are poised to break through the industry's new landscape.

An Original Brand Manufacturer (OBM) is a producer that manufactures products under its own brand and sells them under that brand. An Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), on the other hand, designs and manufactures products for other brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers and sells them under those brands. Therefore, the proportion of OBM and ODM activities better reflects a company’s technological strength. In recent years, domestic enterprises have been steadily developing their own brands. Take Lvtian as an example: in 2020, the OBM share accounted for approximately 31% of total sales, while the combined OBM and ODM share approached 90% (based on total revenue, including general power equipment). The increase in the OEM share after 2018 was mainly due to the addition of new contract manufacturing clients, including Likqi.

Yili is also continuously developing its own brand. According to data from Frost & Sullivan, in 2020, the Yili-branded high-pressure washer achieved a market share of approximately 14.8% in China’s sales market, ranking first nationwide. In terms of the domestic e-commerce market, data from Business Advisor and JD Commerce Intelligence show that from 2019 to 2020, the Yili-brand car washers ranked first in the industry for two consecutive years—24 months—in both the transaction index on the Tmall platform and the transaction amount index on the JD platform.

Rising stars are gradually stepping up their efforts, and the industry landscape may undergo a major shift.

Yili vs. Lvtian: A Leading Domestic Manufacturer of High-Pressure Washers

Yili started earlier than Lvtian, and currently both are leading manufacturers of high-pressure washers in China.

Yili: Its subsidiary, Shanghai Yili, primarily engages in the R&D and sales of high-pressure washers and vacuum cleaners. It was established in 1999.

Lutian: Founded in 2002, the company specializes in the R&D, production, and sales of general-purpose power machinery products and high-pressure washers. In 2005, it independently developed its own high-pressure washer. Its brand is LUTIAN.

From an income perspective, the gap between Yili, Lvtian, and Likqi has further narrowed. In 2018, calculated at the exchange rate of euros to RMB, Likqi’s revenue from high-pressure washers was 1.307 billion yuan; in 2020, affected by the pandemic, this figure dropped to 981 million yuan. Meanwhile, Yili and Lvtian saw steady growth in their high-pressure washer revenues from 2018 to 2020. Starting in 2019, Yili’s revenue surpassed that of Likqi, and the revenue gap between Lvtian and Likqi continued to narrow. Lvtian’s share of Likqi’s revenue rose from 23.50% in 2018 to 63.97% in 2020.

Looking at the business performance of Lvtian and Yili from 2018 to 2020, both companies maintained steady year-on-year revenue growth. At the end of 2018, Lvtian secured contract manufacturing for Likqi products, and as a result, its revenue growth rate experienced some fluctuations in 2019 and 2020. However, Lvtian’s compound growth rate was faster than Yili’s. In terms of unit sales prices, Lvtian’s prices were slightly higher than Yili’s. In 2020, Lvtian’s sales volume of high-pressure washers increased by 39.79% compared to 2019. Nevertheless, due to a decline in the proportion of higher-priced Likqi household high-pressure washers sold, the average unit price fell by 14.3% year-on-year.

The rising stars are gradually catching up, and the gap between the industry leaders is steadily narrowing.

Although domestic enterprises started their development slightly later than their overseas counterparts, after years of growth, their technology has become relatively mature, and they have gradually embarked on a path to catch up. Thanks to Lichi’s OEM manufacturing services, Lvtian’s visibility has further increased. In 2020, Lvtian established cooperative relationships with well-known clients such as Bosch (China) Co., Ltd. and HANSI ANHAI FAR EAST LIMITED, resulting in rapid growth in its production capacity and output.

From the perspective of production capacity, Lvtian’s capacity has been growing rapidly in recent years. In 2020, its high-pressure washer capacity reached 1.6 million units, accounting for 32% of Yili’s total capacity—a significant increase from 18% in 2018. Lvtian’s planned IPO fundraising will add a capacity of 1.8 million units, bringing its post-completion designed capacity to 3.4 million units. Meanwhile, Yili plans to go public with a fundraising capacity of 3 million units, and its post-completion designed capacity is expected to reach 8.411 million units. As a result, Lvtian’s share of Yili’s total capacity has further risen to approximately 40%.

From the perspective of profitability, domestic high-pressure washer manufacturers today remain primarily focused on the manufacturing end, differing from brand-name companies whose business models feature high gross margins and high expense ratios. From 2018 to 2020, both Yili and Lvtian maintained gross profit margins of around 20%. Among them, thanks to the realization of scale effects, Lvtian’s gross profit margin has gradually improved in recent years, rising from 18.36% in 2018 to 22.71% in 2020. In 2020, Lvtian’s high-pressure washer gross profit margin even surpassed that of Yili (22.08%).

Looking at them separately, the proportion of Greenfield’s own-brand products may be higher than that of Yili. Take Yili as an example:

Direct Sales Model: Under the direct sales model, the company’s primary clients are manufacturers of internationally renowned tool brands or cleaning product brands, such as ANNOVI REVERBERI, SNOW JOE, Lichi, Techtronic Industries, Stanley Black & Decker, and others. Based on customer needs, the company provides a full-service manufacturing cycle that includes independently developed products, design, prototype production, and OEM/ODM contract manufacturing for mass production. In addition, the company also operates its own brand (OBM) retail business in the domestic market through online flagship stores and offline factory outlets. (Source: Future Think Tank)

Distribution Model: The distribution model refers to a scenario in which distributors purchase products from the company on a buyout basis and independently develop their sales markets within an agreed-upon sales territory, selling products through channels such as e-commerce platforms and distributor-owned stores.

Consignment Sales Model: The consignment sales model refers to a partnership between a company and e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, where the e-commerce platform is responsible for promoting, selling, and collecting payment for the products. Products ordered by end consumers on the e-commerce platform’s own retail platform are primarily delivered through the platform’s logistics system, and the company provides after-sales services via the e-commerce platform’s after-sales support system.

In 2020, among all of Yili’s businesses, the direct-sales proportion was approximately 88%, while the distribution proportion was 8.44%. Among all of Lvtian’s businesses, the direct-sales proportion was about 15.06%, and the distribution proportion was 83.72%.

Although Greenfield started its business relatively late, thanks to years of technological accumulation, it has gradually gained recognition from internationally renowned brands. In the contract manufacturing business for Ricoh, which ranks second in global sales, Greenfield outperforms Yili. In 2020, Greenfield established cooperative relationships with well-known clients such as Bosch (China) Co., Ltd. and HANSI ANHAI FAR EAST LIMITED, and the number of new customers is expected to increase steadily.

Currently, the technological development of domestic enterprises is steadily improving. Take Lvtian as an example: the company has fully mastered core technologies such as high-pressure pump fluid control technology, water-cooled core technology, energy-saving and highly efficient control technology, combined technology for no-load start-up and gun-off/shut-down operations, easy-disassembly connection technology, and intelligent control technology. Moreover, Lvtian has established internationally standardized quality-testing laboratories—including a durability lab, a waterproofing lab, a temperature-rise lab, a hot-and-cold-water alternating lab, a high- and low-temperature lab, a motor lab, an accessories lab, and a comprehensive lab for internal-combustion-engine-powered high-pressure washers—ensuring that the R&D and design of new products can reach advanced industry standards in terms of service life, waterproofing, overall machine efficiency, and pressure resistance. In 2019, Lvtian Machinery participated as a drafting unit in the formulation of the national standard “Safety Specifications for Small Electric High-Pressure Washers” (GB/T37916-2019), marking a further enhancement of domestic enterprises’ influence and voice in the high-pressure washer industry.

(This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice from us. If you wish to use the relevant information, please refer to the original report.)

Selected report source: [Future Think Tank].