White goods shipments in Japan in March plunged 10.4 pct from a year earlier to 218.9 billion yen, down for the sixth consecutive month, the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association said Monday.
Category Archives: Manufacturing
Electrolux: 23% of the total products sold in 2019 were the most energy and water-efficient ones
Electrolux has released its 2019 Sustainability Report (www.electroluxgroup.com/sustainabilityreports/2019), where the company reports the most important actions undertook and results obtained in this important area. Last year, the Group reached a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions from its operations since 2005. To reflect Electrolux new commitment to become climate neutral across the supply chain by 2050, and its increasingly holistic approach to sustainability, the overall sustainability framework has also been updated.
The Report also underlines that last year the most energy and water-efficient products accounted for 23% of the total products sold.
Moreover, at the 2019 UN General’s Climate Action Summit, Electrolux joined a global movement of business leaders working towards limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Through a further UN initiative, Cool Coalition, Electrolux has committed to remove global warming gases from products by 2023 which also ties into the overall framework.
To celebrate the Electrolux centenary in 2019, The Better Living Program (BLP) was launched. This is an action plan to enable better and more sustainable living for consumers around the world through 2030. The BLP is now also fully integrated in the overall sustainability framework.
Other key initiatives and achievements include 20 times more recycled plastic used in products and 44% less energy used per manufactured product.
But sustainability is not only focused on environment. There are other initiatives that show the social responsibility of the Group, starting from the 30,000 children that have learned about sustainable eating through Electrolux Food Foundation’s Food Heroes program.
Moreover, a green bond framework was introduced as a new way to fund Electrolux sustainability initiatives. Proceeds will be used to finance, or refinance projects covered by the environmental areas of the Electrolux sustainability framework, For the Better.
Four iF Products Design for Miele domestic and commercial products
Four iF Product Design Awards has been assigned to Miele’s products, including which of the commercial division of the company with two lab washer series and the compact washing machines from the Little Giants series. The prize-winning products also include the elegant Aura 3.0 cooker hood for domestic kitchens.
Every year, the awards are handed out by the world’s oldest independent design institution, the iF International Forum Design GmbH in Hanover. In this case, a 78-strong international jury of experts selected from 7298 submissions from 56 countries.
When it comes to commercial washing machines from the Performance Plus range, it is obvious that these are not domestic machines simply by looking at the high-quality stainless-steel fascia. The underlying technology was designed to cater for much higher levels of strain. This is accompanied by extremely short cycles, high-level efficiency and choice materials for excellent product longevity. These models are available for load capacities of 6, 7 or 8 kg and are operated using a touch display with texts in up to 32 languages.
Miele’s new large-capacity lab washers from the PLW 86 series reduce the burden of work, thanks to an intuitive touch display and three-colour lighting in the chamber, allowing the machine status to be easily visible from a distance through the all-glass door. Innovative components, such as a variable-speed circulation pump which reduces consumption and the new EasyLoad system ensuring particularly fast and convenient loading, are instrumental in achieving this.
Slim on the outside, flexible on the inside just about sums up the free-standing lab washers from the SlimLine series, offering ample space in the chamber in a product which is only 65 cm wide. Optimum use of the chamber is facilitated by up to three sets of telescopic runners which can be used at four different positions. This creates additional loading flexibility and allows the cleaning of large-volume laboratory vessels with a capacity of up to 50 l.
The design of Miele’s Aura 3.0 island cooker hood, finally, is an elegant and efficient product. Its brilliant white canopy with a diameter of 70 cm is reminiscent of a flat cupola. Virtually invisible controls and a power supply via the delicate wires suspending the canopy unit round off its elegant appeal. Dimmable LED lighting (A-rated energy efficiency) and automatic Con@ctivity were further reasons for granting the iF Product Design Award.
Hisense Gorenje extends production shutdown
Hisense Gorenje extends production shutdown
Hisense Gorenje says that it is extending its production shutdown at all its factories in Europe for another week.
The management of Hisense Gorenje has decided, in the light of the current situation due to the coronavirus epidemic across Europe, to extend the shutdown of all its European factories for another week, from 6 April to 10 April 2020.
Production at the Velenje factories will resume on Tuesday, 14 April 2020, except for the Laundry production, which will start again on Friday, 10 April. The Mora plant in the Czech Republic will also start work on Tuesday, April 14. The factory in Valjevo, Serbia, will start operating on Monday, April 13, 2020.
SEB group Chinese Factories back up and running
Samsung and LG close factories
Samsung Electronics Co. will shut down its manufacturing plant in Campinas, Sao Paulo, in southeastern Brazil for two weeks from March 30 to April 12.It already closed its plant in Manaus in northern Brazil. It initially planned to keep it closed from Tuesday to Sunday this week but has decided to extend the shutdown period to April 12.Its factories in Brazil produce smartphones, TVs and home appliances.Its office employees in Brazil and other regions in Central and South Americas began remote working on Monday. The company’s retail stores and service centers in Brazil have stayed closed since Tuesday.In India, the electronics giant has shut down its smartphone factory at Noida and home appliance factory in Chennai this week. The company plans to extend the shutdown to next week.It also has announced to suspend TV factory in Slovakia for a week, and halting TV production in Hungary due to supply issues caused by the virus outbreak.LG Electronics, another big home appliance maker, is also suspending overseas production.The company on Thursday said it will close washing machine factory in Tennessee, in the U.S. from March 30 until April 12. The Tennessee produces 100,000 units a month and has around 600 workers.LG Electronics also shuttered its smartphone and home appliance plants in India. They will be kept closed until April 14.ZKW, the company’s automotive light maker subsidiary in Austria recently decided to scale down output after its finished car making client shuttered production lines temporarily.Rechargeable battery markers are also closing factories due to widespread virus.LG Chem stopped operating its battery plant in Michigan, the U.S. on Wednesday after Michigan state government issued an administrative order, directing all residents to “stay at home.” The plant will be closed until April 13.Its rival Samsung SDI is also closing its two battery pack plants in Michigan until April 13
Electrolux closes factory in northwestern Romania
Electrolux has temporarily closed its gas oven factory in Satu Mare, northwestern Romania, where it has 850 employees, due to lack of orders, Ziarul Financiar reported.
Company officials say this is a short-term measure.
“This is a short-term measure, which allows us to adjust our production schedules according to the sales expected in the near future. After the fine tuning of the stocks of resources in line with the smooth operation of the factory and the volume of orders, we will relaunch the production,” company’s officials said.
Danby Appliances
Danby is currently working with other local companies to design and manufacture ventilators to help support our healthcare system, which is currently in short supply. At Danby we have devoted most of our engineers and designers to this project. We, along with many others, are simply trying to do the right thing.
“We have no ego here – we are trying to do what’s right. So we are working with a consortium of companies to try to come up with solutions. We are going down parallel paths. Design our own. Use open source. License someone else. Whatever it takes” – Jim Estill, CEO of Danby
Arctic company donates to the Romanian Red Cross 50 washers and dryers and 25 refrigerators to support the fight against Coronavirus
Arctic Company, the leader of the Romanian home appliance market, supports the fight against the crisis generated by Coronavirus and donates 50 washers and dryers and 25 refrigerators to hospitals in Romania and to first line medical staff.
One of the situations faced by the medical personnel in the country is the cleaning of the medical uniforms in safe conditions, without this becoming a source of infection for them and their families. The washers and dryers and the refrigerators offered by the Arctic company will go to the Romanian Red Cross, who will distribute them to hospitals in Bucharest and in the country, helping doctors protect themselves against Coronavirus epidemic.The transport of the products to the Romanian Red Cross was made in complete safety conditions, using hygienic cars, from the company’s own fleet, and the drivers who operated these transports were equipped with gloves and protective masks during this time.Being a major player in the home appliance market, Arctic Company is actively involved in the communities in which it operates. The solidarity and the responsibility for the safety of the employees, partners, clients and all the members of the community are one of the company’s top priority. Arctic Company is following the official recommendations made by the Romanian local health authorities and is adapting constantly required changes to its internal policies and actions plans through the Crisis Management team.***About ArcticArctic, the leader of the Romanian household appliances market, is one of the strongest companies in Romania and at the same time one of the most important employers and exporters of Romania. With approximately 4,300 employees, the company exports 83% of the total production to over 85 countries.With a history of almost half a century, Arctic has been part of the Arçelik group since 2002, a period in which both its turnover and production capacity increased significantly.The company owns the largest home appliance factory in continental Europe, with the Gaesti unit producing up to 36 million refrigerators to date. It also owns the only Industry 4.0 factory in Romania and one of the few in Europe, the factory in Ulmi, Dambovita, with a production capacity of 2.2 million units per year after the end of the investment.About ArçelikFounded in 1955, Arçelik is one of the leading players in the electronics and home appliances industry. The company is present in 146 countries, has 30,000 employees, 23 production units in 9 countries (Turkey, Romania, Russia, China, South Africa, Thailand, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) and 35 sales and marketing offices worldwide.The company owns 12 brands (Arçelik, Beko, Grundig, Blomberg, ElektraBregenz, Arctic, Leisure, Flavel, Defy, Dawlance, Voltas Beko, Altus) and is listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.www.arcelikglobal.com.
Merging US Factories Tempers Electrolux Profit Expectations
Electrolux AB, the Swedish maker of Frigidaire appliances, has announced that it’ll incur a bigger-than-expected financial hit from merging fridge and freezer factories within the U.S. amid delivery disruptions. This plant reorganization, combined with accounting adjustments and destocking at a key U.S. client, cut $70 million off fourth-quarter 2019 operating income, compared with a previous estimate of $25 million. Savings targeted for this year also will take until 2021 to materialize, with just a fraction coming in 2020.
Electrolux sees a price reduction of 200 million Swedish kronor ($21 million) next year, down from a previous estimate of about 800 million kronor. The savings are a part of a much bigger decide to revamp the factory setup, an attempt that has shutting a plant for cooking products in Memphis, moving U.S. refrigerator-production to a replacement site in Anderson, SC, and outsourcing production of vacuum cleaners in Hungary. the corporate still expects the measures to yield about 3.5 billion kronor in annual savings by 2024.
DNB analyst Christer Magnergard says the postponement of savings will cut about 8 percent from this year’s operating profit, which the issues Electrolux has encountered within the U.S. increase the danger of further disruptions to the efficiency plan. He said it’s “alarming” that the corporate was unaware of issues earlier which there’s a “clear risk” that the weak performance will still impact earnings through the primary half this year.
Electrolux is investing $250 million in automation and digitization of the plant in Anderson to exchange one nearby, and another slated for closure in St. Cloud, MN. The transition led to temporary capacity constraints that affected deliveries to some customers, which are expected to be resolved within the half , it said.
Europe’s largest appliance maker, Electrolux has been working to offset higher costs and currency moves by increasing prices and selling more higher-margin appliances. At an equivalent time, it’s investing heavily in new and more efficient manufacturing facilities with increased automation. within the third quarter of 2019, Electrolux took a charge of 1.6 billion kronor to finance cost-cutting measures that include almost 1,700 job cuts.
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