Author Archives: whitegoodsnow

Xeros tie up with Midea

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Xeros Technology Group PLC said Wednesday it has signed a joint deMideavelopment agreement with Wuxi Little Swan Co Ltd, a Chinese washing machine maker.
Rotherham-based Xeros

shares were trading up 19% at 22.37 pence each on Wednesday morning.

Wuxi is a subsidiary of Midea Group, one of the largest manufacturer of washing machines worldwide.

The non-exclusive deal is for developing and designing a prototype utilising Xeros’ technologies. If successful, the agreement allows for both parties to enter into commercial discussions.

Xeros Chief Executive Mark Nichols said: “Our strategy is to license our technologies to major original equipment manufacturers who have significant market presence around the world.

“Following our agreement last July to license our commercial washing machine technology in China, this deal represents a major step forward for Xeros in the domestic washing machine market.”

Technology Group plc has taken another step towards commercialisation by signing an agreement with a prominent Chinese manufacturer to develop and design a prototype.

Miele experience in Spain

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Miele, the benchmark brand of premium appliances has just opened a new Miele Experience Center (MEC) in Bilbao, which joins the other three of those that the brand already has in Spain, located between Madrid and Barcelona. The opening of this space, which coincides with the 120th anniversary of the German brand based in Guterslöh, is a clear sign of the bet that the company is making for our market and adds to the almost 100 stores that it already has spread all over the world.

During the opening ceremony of the MEC in Bilbao, it was possible to count on the presence of the top executives of the brand worldwide, Dr. Zinkann and Dr. Miele, who highlighted: “our parents founded Miele Spain in 1966, as a tenth subsidiary of the brand. This bet has been growing until today, that we inaugurated our fourth point of sale. We are very pleased to be able to be closer and closer to the Spanish consumer and their needs . ” In addition, it was also possible to count on the presence of Axel Kniehl, the world director of Marketing and sales.

For his part, the director of Miele Iberia, Ditmar Vierbuchen, stressed that “This opening is very important for us given the relevance that Bilbao has globally at a strategic and economic level, and it is our first bet outside of Madrid and Barcelona

A new space in the heart of Bilbao
Miele’s new MEC in Spain is located in a privileged location, in line with the rest of the showrooms that the brand has spread around the world. It is located in Plaza Euskadi nº3, very close to the Iberdrola Tower and a few meters from the Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao.

It has a total of 190 square meters of exhibition and houses more than 100 appliances, most of them active, so that customers or visitors of the space can see them, touch them and experience the quality of the products. In addition, and in line with the commitment to technological innovation of the brand, it has the latest solutions for interaction with the customer such as: several touch screens to interactively know the features of the products, special headphones with which to test how is the sound of the extractor hoods or a digital scanner to learn how to use brand detergents and consumables.

The Miele Centers Experience, places with their own philosophy
The design, innovation and maximum quality are the hallmarks of the brand of Miele premium appliances, values that are also very present the Miele Experience Centers that the brand has spread around the world from New York to Shanghai.

These exclusive spaces, endowed with an avant-garde and innovative environment, allow customers, brand fans or design professionals to get to know the latest Miele news, experiment and buy their products directly or participate in interesting events, such as their already recognized courses of cooking or your live master classes with prestigious local chefs. In them a total of 7,000 events a year are made and in 2017 they received almost 7000 visitors who could live a Miele experience live.

June Life

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June Life Inc., the manufacturer of the June Smart Oven. The company markets its product as seven appliances in one (convection oven, air fryer, dehydrator, slow cooker, broiler, toaster and warmer) that also features interconnectedness via an app or Amazon Inc.’s Alexa voice activation platform.

June Life recently expanded its relationship with Amazon by adding foods sold at Whole Foods Market to the Smart Oven’s custom cook program. Now owners of the oven may purchase more than 30 365 Everyday Value products from the retailer and use a Whole Foods icon on the oven’s user interface to prepare the product.

Whirlpool

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For Whirlpool, the commitment in CSR and sustainability – says Karim Bruneo , corporate responsibility and government relations manager, Whirlpool EMEA – aims to create a virtuous system through initiatives to guarantee the wellbeing and the needs of the environment and the communities of the territories where the company operates. A commitment that translates daily into the creation of innovative technological solutions with low environmental impact and efficient management of production and distribution processes ».

Karim Bruneo, corporate responsibility and government relations manager, Whirlpool EMEA. Photo credits: Alessandro Imbriaco, #PlacesthatMatter 2017
Karim Bruneo, corporate responsibility and government relations manager, Whirlpool EMEA. Photo credits: Alessandro Imbriaco, #PlacesthatMatter 2017

But what do these purposes translate into the concrete? “I n particular, in 2017, three years ahead of schedule – explains Bruneo – Whirlpool has achieved the goals, set in 2015, of reducing energy and water consumption by 15% compared to 2014. After obtaining these important results, the company has set new reduction targets by 2025, compared to 2005, of 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions deriving from production processes and products».

From the standpoint of sustainable design, the company is committed to creating increasingly eco-efficient models for both energy and water resources and raw materials, reusing or minimizing waste.
« Furthermore – concludes Bruneo – today, home appliances are designed to be recycled for recycling ».

Gorenje & Hisense @ CES

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During the latest edition of CES, recently held in Las Vegas, Gorenje Group participated for the first time, appearing under the auspices of the Hisense Group. The brand central new feature that is already a result of Gorenje’s successful integration into the Hisense Group, is the new ConnectLife platform that will allow communication between connectible products by all Hisense Group companies. At the exhibition, Gorenje Group presented its connectible major domestic appliances made in Slovenia, under its new owner, the Hisense Group. Among them, there are connectible ovens, dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerators that can communicate through the innovative ConnectLife platform both among them and with other Hisense Group appliances and devices. It namely includes advanced digital services and solutions suitable for new connected and non-connected Hisense Group appliances from all product categories. Thus, Gorenje and Hisense presented at the CES tradeshow the first results of combining their experience and integrating the two companies’ know-how, while collaboration on new product development is resulting in an all-around offer of products for the smart home. The ConnectLife platform is also integrated with Gorenje Group’s digital assistants, as well as services and products offered by third-party partners. It is also connected with digital personal assistants such as Alexa, Google, Siri etc. Gorenje will launch the ConnectLife platform and its line of connected appliances in the markets in this year.

Toshiba

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Toshiba domestic appliances a money-loser in 2016 is now showing signs of a comeback under Midea Group as it leverages its new Chinese parent’s sales channels across Asia.

The Toshiba appliance business “is an important component in the globalization of Midea. We want to grow it into a world-leading appliance maker,” said Fang Hongbo, chairman and president of Midea.

Toshiba appliances disappeared from Chinese shelves in 2015 due to sluggish sales. They returned a year later via the retail network of Midea, which acquired Toshiba’s appliance business, Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services.

“This is a popular product that uses Toshiba’s advanced technology,” says a saleswoman at a Midea appliance shop in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Amid the shelves of Midea products stand Toshiba-brand microwaves, of which the most expensive costs 12,999 yuan ($1,922) — around twice the price of its Midea equivalent.

The multifunctional Toshiba microwave can be used to make a variety of dishes, such as employing high-temperature steam to broil fish. “It’s also very durable,” the saleswoman said. “Those who enjoy cooking hold it in high regard.”

Midea is a big presence in the appliance market, generating sales of around 240 billion yuan in fiscal 2017. But its core lineup consists of inexpensive products limited to basic features. The company is working to move upmarket and has positioned the Toshiba brand as its top of the line.

Under Midea, Toshiba Lifestyle is accelerating its overseas expansion. Midea plans to open a new plant in western India as early as 2020 and will locally produce and market such Toshiba-brand products as washing machines and microwave ovens, marking the brand’s return to the market after a 2012 exit. Depending on demand, other items like refrigerators may be added to the mix. Investment of more than $1.8 billion is expected over the next five years.

Toshiba Lifestyle is also cultivating the entire Southeast Asian market, including places like Cambodia and Myanmar. Besides using its own factories in Thailand and China, Toshiba Lifestyle is procuring products from Midea under an original equipment manufacturer arrangement.

In the second half of 2018, Toshiba put more than 30 new items on sale in Thailand, including refrigerators where the freezer is on one side, a type little seen in Japan.

When Toshiba Lifestyle was under Toshiba, it was never more than one division of a larger engineering company. When earnings faltered at the parent, it did not receive sufficient money for product development, falling into a cycle where it became less competitive.

But after it was bought by Midea, Toshiba Lifestyle began receiving enough funds to develop products that met the needs of the marketplace, company executives say. The goal now is to use Midea’s marketing network to increase the portion of overseas sales at Toshiba Lifestyle to 50% from the current level of around 30% by 2020.

Earnings are recovering as Toshiba Lifestyle’s revenue jumped more than 50% from fiscal 2015 to 250 billion yen ($2.3 billion) in calendar 2017. The company probably moved back into the black last year even without restructuring measures like layoffs. Cost-cutting moves such as production at Midea’s Chinese plants and joint parts procurement seem to have had a positive impact.

Other Japanese brands revived under Chinese parents include the white goods business of Sanyo Electric, which returned to profitability several years after being sold to Haier Group in 2012.

Grundig FRIDGE HAS A NOSE FOR MEAT QUALITY.

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FRESHMETER
NOW YOUR FRIDGE HAS A NOSE FOR MEAT QUALITY.
As a valuable commodity with a variable shelf life, raw meat needs special attention. For your own wellbeing, our FreshMeter keeps an eye on your fresh meat products. The sensor integrated into a special meat compartment responds to gas emissions and indicates the freshness of stored meat by means of a traffic light display on the fridge: green means everything is fine, yellow indicates the meat should be used, and red shows that it should not be eaten.

Grundig’s Gourmet Chef Smart Oven

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Grundig’s Gourmet Chef Smart Oven is equipped with advanced connected technologies and sensors allowing users to precisely control the temperature of their food as it cooks to ensure the best results. This includes a moisture and oxygen sensor, a temperature control sensor and BLDC motor, an integrated camera and a multipoint meat probe. The Gourmet Chef oven also features a 7” Touch TFT Display that lets users control these in-oven smart functions, allowing for easy monitoring and adjustments to the cooking process.

In addition to these smart functions, Grundig’s Steam Assist technology allows users to easily cook poultry, meat and fish to the perfect level of tenderness, as well as bread and pastries to rival an artisan bakery. The secret ingredient is multiple bursts of steam released throughout the cooking cycle at predetermined times based on the selected automatic cooking programme. This ensures that baked goods retain up to 7% more moisture, and develop a rise 14% higher than they would in a traditional oven, as well as a crisp and shiny crust. Full steam cooking is also an ideal cooking method for users looking to maintain a healthy diet, as it removes the need to cook using oil. This cooking process also allows the food to retain a higher quantity of vitamins and minerals. The Gourmet Chef Smart Oven offers full steam and combination steam cooking programmes, and can also be used as a conventional oven.

The intuitive innovation doesn’t stop there. Dealing with the aftermath of a spitting joint of meat is no longer a problem thanks to Grundig’s advanced automatic self-cleaning with water, which cleans the whole oven at the touch of a button. And to ensure that users’ cleaning practices remain sustainable, quick cleaning functions start at off-peak electricity hours

Sharp Turns Home Cooks into Culinary Champions with Dynamic Oven Series

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Whatever the size of your kitchen, whatever the scope of your culinary know-how, you can cook like a champion with Sharp 45cm-60cm built-in ovens. Bringing some serious cooking style to your everyday kitchen experience, this range will put an end to your daily mealtime slog. No more anxiety, no more cooking set-backs. Designed with speciality functions as well as mealtime trouble-shooter features, Sharp ovens will clear the way to culinary success.

Steam-assisted Oven with Air Curtain

Designed to fulfil great culinary ambition, this extra-large 75-litre capacity oven promises to raise your game in the kitchen. Perfectly grilling and browning your food, it comes with 10 cooking functions enabling you to find exactly the right cooking conditions for every dish.

Any time you think you might need a little extra help, you can always count on Sharp oven’s steam-assisted power. If your meat looks in danger of becoming a little tough, or your vegetables a little dried out, then simply add a puff of steam with the manual steam option. One quick steam injection can change the course of your cooking, ensuring mouth-wateringly delicious results every time. steam-assisted functionality is also great for baking. Rather than fall flat or dry up, your pastries will rise, and anything you cook will stay crispy on the outside and mouth-wateringly juicy on the inside. Best of all, thanks to the steam, your cooking is likely to be more nutritious, as more of your dish’s vitamins and nutrients can be preserved with this cooking method.

When the pressure is on, you can always cheat your way to culinary success. With 150 bang-on-trend autocooking recipes, including 20 that are for steam-assisted cooking, this oven is always there to support you, automatically setting the ideal programme, temperature and cooking duration for every dish you can imagine.

Whatever you decide to make, you’ll aways stay cool thanks to the oven’s Air Curtain feature. Using an air stream, Air Curtain prevents any hot air from escaping the inside of the cavity whenever the oven door is opened.

For the dreaded post-meal oven clean, you can also count on more support. The oven’s VapClean+ function uses steam to dislodge grease and grime, leaving you nothing to do but gently wipe clean the inside of the oven.

45cm Compact Series: Small but Mighty

Discover your inner masterchef with our dynamic compact series. Comprising of a sleek 45cm oven and matching warming drawer, this range is designed to take you to new culinary heights. Small but mighty, both the oven and the warming drawer are the ideal fit for even tight kitchen spaces, enabling you to install both products as part of a drop down wall formation.

Designed with one of the largest capacities for a 45cm model, our 50-litre oven not only enables you to cook, grill and brown your food, but also to ensure extra special cooking results, even when you might have started to over-heat your dish a little. Thanks to its steam-assisted power, it not only gives you the power to bake more professionally, but also to refresh your dish with a quick puff of steam during the cooking process.

Bringing you more culinary adventure, it also comes with 20 autocooking functions and the VapClean+ function to take care of the post-meal oven clean-up.

Matching Warming Drawer

So much more than just a place to keep your dishes warm,Sharp matching warming drawer doubles up as an additional cooking support, offering a place for you to defrost food, warm up soups and pastries, and prove bread.

Thanks to its gentle push door mechanic, you can also open and close it without having to worry that the motion will cause any stored dishes to spill or capsize.

The PerFector 60cm Oven

Meet the PerFector, a game-changing oven that will correct and perfect your dishes. Why waste time putting on your oven gloves and re-positioning your oven tray when, simply by touching a button, you can automatically move your dish to one of five shelf levels? Compensating for any minor cooking oversights, this meal-time hero is made to keep your dish on track. If you find yourself short on cooking time, move your tray from the bottom to nearer the top of the oven to speed up the heating process and ensure a perfectly browned surface for your dish. If your food is beginning to look a little too crisp on top, then simply move it down a level or two for more gentle heating.

Sharp supermodel also comes with a whole host of other features, offering a series of 10 programmes, which include a pizza function for baking as well as a grill and turnspit cycle to make the perfect roast. For the post-meal oven clean, you can count on PerFector’s VapClean function, which dislodges and breaks down the toughest grease and grime using the steam generated from a water-filled tray.

AirStream Oven

Break all culinary rules and discover multi-dish cooking. Saving you more time in the kitchen, AirStream is the first ever oven to let you cook dishes across five shelf levels. In just one cooking session, you can make up to 5 pizzas or 100 cupcakes. What’s more, you can also be sure of perfectly even cooking results. Thanks to its double-fan structure and additional side air vents, this oven is capable of distributing hot air evenly, whatever the shelf level, whatever the shelf position.

With AirStream, you can also cater to individual dish requests, helping to keep the whole family happy at mealtimes. Instead of having to run separate cooking cycles for each requested meal, you’re free to cook 3 entirely different dishes together without ever having to worry about any cross-contamination of flavour or odours.

European Sales and Marketing Director, Alberico Lissoni, comments, “Designed for real life, our ovens support you through the good times and the bad, offering quick fix remedies for minor cooking mishaps. For us, cooking should be a passion for everyday life, giving cooks of all abilities more opportunity to experiment with recipes and to concoct dishes, all without having to worry about tweaking temperature settings, or moving the oven tray

Ecovacs

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Ecovacs has presented its first Deebot controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) in CES 2019. It is the Deebot OZMO 960 model. Using the new technology AIVI (Artificial Intelligence and Visual Interpretation), the robot vacuum cleaner not only recognizes its environment to create a plan cleaning, but also detects many obstacles, such as cables or socks, and can avoid them efficiently. So far, AIVI can recognize around 500 objects and is constantly learning new things. The robot does not yet have a release date.

Ecovacs has also presented Smart Home technologies and the award-winning Winbot X, the first wireless window cleaning robot developed by the company, designed for people who want to enjoy a better view from their windows without having to clean themselves.

In addition to these two products, Ecovacs has also shown the functionality of its most important technologies at CES: the Smart Navi 3.0 map and navigation system, and the Ecovacs OZMO cleaning system.