Category Archives: Manufacturing

Velenje protests as Gorenje moves HQ to Ljubljana

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The mayor of Velenje has appealed to Prime Minister Marjan Šarec to prevent the head office of the household appliances maker Gorenje being moved to Ljubljana as planned by its new Chinese owners.

Mayor Bojan Kontič sees the plans, announced by Gorenje in late October, as yet another step to centralisation, which he says is one of Slovenia’s key problems.

A press release from the Velenje city said that the mayor’s letter of protest had been forwarded to Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Wang Shunqing, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Boštjan Gorjup and the media.

The reaction comes after Gorenje announced it would split up into two companies as part of its integration a year after it was taken over by Hisense.

The management and administration was to move to Hisense Europe, headquartered in Ljubljana, which was to provide corporate support services for all Hisense companies in Europe.

Production was to remain based in Velenje, now Slovenia’s sixth largest city where Gorenje has been operating since its inception in 1950.

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The release from the city administration expressed concern over the latest activities and plans in what has been the pillar of the local economy for seven decades and one of Slovenia’s largest exporters.

“The current situation at the company, the new management’s plans and the mood among the employees are far from the promises and commitments the new owners made upon the takeover,” reads the release.

The local government met Gorenje chief managing director Chao Liu and representatives of the staff and their trade union in recent days over what it described in today’s release as a critical situation.

The employees are worried and scared because of conflicting information about the company’s plans and future, which they do not get until after they have become facts, say the city authorities.

“Due to substantial pressure on stepping up the work tempo, sickness absences are getting longer, increasingly many qualified staff is leaving, employees, including those with disabilities are being made redundant, and discontent among the employees is growing by the day.”

Arguing that moving highly-qualified staff to Ljubljana does not augur well, the city authorities say they believe the Gorenje management can run the company as well as it stays in Velenje.

The local authorities are also concerned about Gorenje’s plan to move its call centre to Serbia, saying it suggests the management was planning to keep only production at minimum possible costs in Velenje.

In response to the mayor’s letter, Gorenje said that calls on the prime minister to interfere in business decisions of a fully privately-owned company were unjustified and illegitimate.

The company is planning to accept the invitation to join the December session of the city council in order to present Hisense’s plans in detail.

Gorenje expressed understanding for the local community’s concerns, while it also said that it fund the local community’s support and cooperation exceptionally important.

The company said that Slovenia would gain from the creation of Hisense management hub for the whole Europe in Ljubljana.

The owner is organising the company in such a way as to integrate it into the Hisense corporation’s business environment, while also restructuring operations in order to preserve the company and to allow it to grow in the long run, Gorenje said.

It added that this should be in the interest of the municipality in which Gorenje with more than 4,000 employees was becoming Hisense’s central production location for the entire Europe.

Samsung Electronics celebrates its 50th anniversary

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This is a very significant year for Samsung Electronics that arrives to its 50th anniversary since it was founded. The occasion was celebrated with an event at Samsung Digital City, the Company’s headquarters in Suwon. More than 400 employees were present to commemorate the milestone, together with the Company’s executive team including Kinam Kim, Vice Chairman & CEO of Device Solutions (DS) Division, Hyunsuk Kim, President & CEO of Consumer Electronics (CE) Division, Dongjin Koh, President & CEO of IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division.
Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, through a video message, extended his gratitude to all Samsung employees for their dedication over the past 50 years and emphasized the Company’s commitment to build upon its legacy and become a Centennial company.

«The past 50 years were only possible – said Vice Chairman Lee – thanks to the dedication and hard work of each and every one of you. Looking to the next 50 years, let’s free our imaginations and dream of an extraordinary future. Applying our new technologies, let’s build a healthier and happier future. By sharing and growing together we will become the very best in the world.»
Kinam Kim, Vice Chairman & CEO of DS Division, shared three key goals towards Samsung’s continued growth in the next chapter of the Company’s life.
«Unpredictable change, driven by material shifts in demographics and consumer behavior, – he noted – will be a hallmark of the next era of the technology industry. So to ensure our survival in the new era, we must pursue relentless self-innovation. We must never cease to learn, be bold and fearless in our pursuits and execute thoroughly when undertaking all our tasks.
By staying ahead of their needs and expectations and by finding ways to thrive in evolving markets, we can continue to ensure that customers are at the center of our business. Finally, Let us all work together to help Samsung continue to evolve into a company that contributes to a better world and stay a respected and beloved company for future generations. I ask that all of us not forget our responsibilities as good corporate citizens in the journey.»

China’s three leading home-appliance giants Midea Group, Gree Electric, and Haier Electronics all reported third-quarter profit rises

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China’s three leading home-appliance giants Midea Group, Gree Electric, and Haier Electronics all reported third-quarter profit rises in a series of Thursday stock filings, but the results present a mixed picture as the country’s economic slowdown exerts downward pressure on the domestic market.Shenzhen-listed Midea reported net profits of 6.04 billion yuan ($858.5 million) in the three months through September, representing a 23.5% increase year-on-year. Its revenue hit 67 billion yuan in the three months through September, 6.4% higher than last year.Over at Gree, whose business mainly focuses on air conditioners, growth was more sluggish. The Shenzhen-listed company posted 8 billion yuan in net profit — a rise of 0.66% year-on-year — and generated 57 billion yuan in revenue, a rise of just 0.03%.Meanwhile, Shanghai-listed Haier, which is staking its future on developing “smart home” technologies, turned a net profit of 2.6 billion yuan, more than double the equivalent figure from last year, and also reported a 7.7% rise in revenue to 148 billion yuan. The figures come after Haier jettisoned its logistics arm — bringing 4.6% revenue growth, according to the company — and earned 144 billion yuan from a stock selloff.Domestic sales of home appliances hit 174.5 billion yuan in the third quarter, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%, according to the China Testing & Inspection Institute for Household Electric Appliances, an organization affiliated to the country’s State Council.

Whirlpool drops plan to shut plant in southern Italy

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U.S.-listed white goods maker Whirlpool Corp has dropped plans to shut down a production site in the southern Italian city of Naples after two weeks of workers’ protests, the company said on Wednesday.

Whirlpool announced on Oct. 15 that it planned to shut down and sell the site, which it said was no longer profitable, prompting union protests and disappointing the Italian government after months of talks aimed at saving the plant.

Workers had reacted fiercely to the decision and metalworkers union FIOM-CGIL had called for work stoppages and protests at the group’s other plants in Italy.

On Wednesday, Whirlpool announced a change of course, saying it was “ready to withdraw the sale procedure … not to proceed with the layoffs in Naples and to continue the production of washing machines.”

In a video posted on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Industry Minister Stefano Patuanelli said the decision would open the way to finding a long term solution for the site.

“It is a first step towards restarting the talks with the aim of definitively resolving the site’s problems,” he said.

Whirlpool, which employs around 5,500 people in Italy had said the closure was necessary because the production of high-end washing machines in Naples was no longer profitable. The factory employs 400 workers in a region with some of the highest unemployment levels in the country.

In June, the Italian government threatened to scrap all incentives it had granted to the company to keep investing in Italy, estimated at some 50 million euros since 2014.

Miele is a winner

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Miele is not only in the premium class with its devices, but also in customer service. This is the result of the current Kundenmonitor Deutschland, where Miele was once again crowned the winner. The evaluation is based on 1,626 interviews conducted throughout Germany with users of customer services for large household appliances (conducted in the period October 2018, January, April and July 2019).

In the survey, the respondents were able to submit their rating on a scale of 5, whereby the rating “1” corresponded to the top grade. Miele’s rating of customer satisfaction is 1.91, well above the industry average of 2.1. Miele is also above the industry average when it comes to customer service re-election intent (1.77) and customer service recommending (1.96). The average for the industry is 1.97 and 2.17, respectively.

Miele also leads the industry when it comes to the question of image. A total of 53 percent agreed with the statement “I trust this customer service. The average rating is ten percentage points lower (43 percent). At 48 percent, Miele also sets itself a similar distance from the industry average (41 percent) with regard to the statement “I value myself as a customer in this customer service.”

“The continuity with which Miele is always first on the customer monitor is something we are a little proud of. However, this result proves that we succeeded in the interaction of qualified service and respectful dealings with our customers, “explains Guido Geller, Head of Miele Customer Service in Germany, adding:” However, this does not just include the customer’s performance but the back office area also counts – from the order acceptance over the appointment allocation up to the appropriate spare part supply. “

Gorenje to be split into two companies

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The household appliances maker Gorenje will be split into two companies as part of group integration a year after it was taken over by Chinese conglomerate Hisense, with the management becoming a separate company. Hisense Europe will be headquartered in Ljubljana and provide corporate support services for all Hisense companies in Europe. Meanwhile Gorenje will comprise the production company in Velenje and the Gorenje group’s subsidiaries. The company said in a press release that adaptation to new business environment demanded a further boosting of efficiency and streamlined organisation of the Gorenje group.

Haier Russian Laundry factory

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Haier, China’s largest consumer electronics and home appliance producer, announces the launch of production at the Haier Russian Industrial Park and Laundry Appliances Plant in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia. The new Haier plant, connecting the customer to the factory throughout the manufacturing process, is estimated to be able to produce laundry appliances for up to 200 million users across Russia and other countries in Central Asia and Europe.

“The laundry appliance plant is the first of its kind, as no other Chinese firm has established such a plant in Europe before. We are proud to be the pioneer firm,” Guiwei Sun, General Manager of Russian Laundry Appliance Interconnected Plant, said. “We hope this plant can enhance the supply capacity and meet the increasing demands for laundry appliances in the Russian market.”

Haier to Develop Complete Industry Chain, Aiming to Further Drive Russian Home Appliance Market

Along with the already-existent refrigerator manufacturing plant, the new laundry appliances plant can drive synergistic effects, as Haier is also planning production lines for its other appliances, including air-conditioners and water heaters, in the area. This will eventually culminate in the establishment of an integrated ecological production chain.

“The synergistic effects will benefit not only the local area but also Haier, in that it will reduce cost disadvantages greatly thanks to local production and increased efficiency of distribution,” added Sun.

“Trinity” Localization Model with Focus on Russian Market Requirements and Expectations

The new laundry appliances plant follows Haier’s regional model of international growth. Haier calls this model the “Trinity” localization model of R&D, manufacturing and marketing.

With such a strategy, Haier aims to develop a complete product supply chain when expanding the local market. In this case, Haier has hired local R&D researchers to provide insights of Russian users, including their habits and customs. All these efforts enable Haier to better adapt to the local market and create advantages. Furthermore, the regional economy and employment rate can be boosted with the further development of Haier’s localization.

One of the primary reasons that Haier’s laundry machines are popular amongst Russian users is that Haier can tailor their products to meet the practical needs of local users.

The launch of Haier’s laundry appliances plant in the region also brings confidence to local Haier sales personnel. With the plant, Haier will grow into a long-term, stable strategic partner that local sales personnel can depend on.

In the future, eight Haier manufacturing plants in different categories will be launched in the Russian Industry Park. At that time, this integrated industry park that incorporates home appliance production lines and accommodation, medical, logistics and cultural centers will bring comprehensive benefits to the locals.

Designed using Haier’s innovative 5+7+N concept, the Haier Smart Cloud Solution links seven (7) home solutions in air, water, security, clothes care, entertainment, health and information across five (5) living scenarios — the smart living room, smart kitchen, smart bathroom, smart laundry room and smart bedroom — with customizations based on variable user needs (N) for a comprehensive and intuitive smart home ecosystem.

Glem Gas, sixty years at the top

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Glem Gas group established in 1959 in Modena, in the heart of Emilia and of this territory it proudly carries on the culinary excellence, the artistic tradition, the passion for the land, the spirit of innovation and the craftsmanship of its people. The technological and aesthetic content of our products represents our absolute value, a rigorous and emblematic image of Made in Italy.
GLEM VALUES Authenticity, Quality and Pragmatism
Over fifty years of experience in the production of home appliances for cooking, years distinguished by a constant, uncompromising commitment to ideals that Glem Gas has continued to pursue with unflagging vigor. Authenticity, Quality, Pragmatism are our main core values inspiring Design principles, Product touchpoints, Brand Communication that constantly guide our quest to create highly specialized products in terms of performance, reliability and safety, products boasting an approach to design that is aesthetically pleasing, functional and ergonomic.

Authenticity for us means going back to the roots of products picking up from the emotional memory, redesigning traditional shapes through a contemporary language and turning the beauty of handcraft into the industrial process.

Quality is synonymous with generating and implementing new and different ideas, knowing materials, technologies and processes, focusing on harmony between shapes and materials.

Pragmatism leads our research for leveraging on the value of product usefulness, thinking of what is essential to the people, making a variety of options available.
HISTORY
a brief timeline
Glem Gas was born in 1959 at Modena. As in the best post-war Italian tradition the company was founded by 3 old friends who had the intuition to start producing small gas operated heaters and chimneys. Later on their desire to enlarge the range led to the creation of the first freestanding Glem Gas cooker. A determined passion, hard work and much R&D have been necessary to realize modern cookers ahead of their time.

1965 Launch of the new high range models establishes Glem Gas as a successful player in the domestic market
1975 Launch of the new maxi oven cookers brings Glem Gas to market leadership in the Middle East
1985 “Admiral” model introduces on the market a new cooker style: the semi-professional
1989 Glem Gas enlarges its presence worldwide and develop a new plant near Modena
1990 High industrial product development (new mechanical department)
2000 New opening of branches in France, Portugal and Australia
2002 Glem Gas is the first company to introduce multifunction gas oven with fan
2006 Lean production concepts introduced in the manufactuing process
2008 New line for assemblying and welding of built-in ovens. Acquisition of a new welding plant
2009 Glem Gas becomes market leader in Italy for free-standing cookers under the Glem Brand
2011 Glem Gas is awarded with the Honorable Mention by the Compasso d’Oro Design Association for design and quality excellence
2013 Glem Gas products are distributed in over 50 countries worldwide

Beko U.S. received the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

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Beko U.S. received the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award in the product brand owner category for a third consecutive year having demonstrated energy efficiency best practices and proved organization-wide energy savings. Beko also was recognized as ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, the highest honor bestowed to partners that have won consecutive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year awards.
The award was assigned to the company, thanks to key energy efficiency innovations introduced last year. Beko dishwasher models were transitioned to a new platform designed to meet ENERGY STAR’s Most Efficient criteria, a measure of total energy savings that products must meet to be recognized as the most efficient ENERGY STAR products. As a result, its dishwasher platform managed to increase the number of place settings while maintaining water and energy consumption. Some dishwashers were designed to decrease decibel noise levels by 1-2dBA, while others exceeded Most Efficient criteria by 67 percent through implementing a compact and modular hydraulic system with a brushless DC circulation pump motor that integrates with the heater.
Beko clothes washers met the 2018 Most Efficient criteria for 1.6 cubic feet capacities or more. In addition, the company introduced a series of redesigned models with additional wash cycles designed to improve cleaning performance by 10 percent. This new series of washers also added a new check valve, designed to reduce detergent loss in the wash cycle.
The brand four-door French freestanding refrigerator being introduced in 2019, instead, offers a multi-zone convertible compartment using a R600a refrigerant to reduce the environmental impact and improve the thermodynamic performance.
«Our products are not bound simply by design, but engineered to meet the most stringent energy efficiency requirements for a more sustainable future – said Sazi Bugay, product director, Beko U.S., Inc. -. With this strict level of commitment, we are able to offer smart eco-friendly solutions to preserve energy, water and time that enrich the lives of consumers who are conscious about their environmental impact.»