Arçelik, Named in Top Three Companies at Real Leaders Eco Innovation Awards

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This week, Real Leaders® launched the inaugural Eco Innovation Awards to its global community of social impact executives. Arçelik, parent company to 12 leading home appliance brands including Beko and Grundig, has been ranked 3rd in the Top 50 list for its world first integrated FiberCatcher® technology washing machine.

Real Leaders® Eco Innovation Awards recognizes products, projects, and initiatives that are actively contributing to a healthier planet and celebrates achievement in making an environmental impact. Entries were judged on their creativity, innovation, originality, and measurable impact, as well as their ability to help solve an environmental challenge.

One key issue is synthetic microfibers which are the most prevalent type of microplastics found in water, contributing to around 33% of microplastics in the ocean1. To combat the growing tide of microplastic waste, Arçelik developed the innovative FiberCatcher® technology. The washing machines with FiberCatcher® technology include the world’s first integrated synthetic microfiber filtering system that catches up to 90% of synthetic fibers released from garments, which helps protect waterways, oceans, and marine life. Additionally, each FiberCatcher® washing machine produced with a recycled PET tub contains up to 60 recycled bottles to reduce plastic waste.

“We are honored to have our innovation recognized by Real Leaders and pleased to be in the company of our fellow award winners,” said Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arçelik. “The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our day, and we need creative, innovative solutions as well as collaborative action to ensure a sustainable future. Our FiberCatcher® technology is a world-first innovation in preventing synthetic fiber waste leaking into waterways and demonstrates our commitment to develop effective and concrete solutions to some of our biggest environmental challenges as well as to encourage others to live a more sustainable lifestyle.”

About Arçelik

With over 40,000 employees throughout the world, Arçelik’s global operations include subsidiaries in 52 countries, and 28 production facilities in 9 countries and 12 brands (Arçelik, Beko, Grundig, Blomberg, ElektraBregenz, Arctic, Leisure, Flavel, Defy, Altus, Dawlance, Voltas Beko). As Europe’s second-largest white goods company by market share (based on volumes), Arçelik reached a consolidated turnover of 6.5 billion Euros in 2021. Arçelik’s 28 R&D and Design Centers & Offices across the globe, are home to over 2,200 researchers and hold more than 3,000 international patent applications to date. In 2021, Arçelik achieved the highest score in the DHP Household Durables category for the 3rd year in a row in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Through its leadership position in sustainability and credible decarbonization roadmap for achieving net zero, Arçelik became the first and only company from its industry to receive the Terra Carta Seal by HRH Prince of Wales. Arçelik’s mission is ‘Respecting the World, Respected Worldwide

Currys posts rise in profit but warns of ‘uncertain’ outlook

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Currys has posted an increase in full-year earnings but cautioned that “the outlook for consumer spending is uncertain” as the cost-of-living crisis mounts.

The electricals giant registered a 19% uplift in adjusted pre-tax profit to £186m in the year to April 30. Adjusted EBIT climbed 5% to £274m in what it called “a year of significant change, uncertainty and disruption”.

Currys’ core UK and Ireland business delivered a 21% improvement in adjusted EBIT to £111m, while earnings from its international operations contracted 4% to £163mAlex Baldock, Group Chief Executive
“These strong results show the vital role that technology plays in millions of lives, and that more and more
customers are turning to Currys to help them enjoy that technology to the full.
We owe this performance to our thousands of capable and committed colleagues, who’ve built a stronger Currys.
They’ve loved seeing customers returning to our stores in droves, and helping them with face-to-face expert advice
and the full range of our services that ensure customers stick with us. Stores, in tandem with online, give our
customers the omnichannel best of both worlds they clearly prefer.
A stronger business allows us to help customers through the cost of living crisis. Our well-established price promise
means customers “won’t get it cheaper. Full stop” on all products and today we’re going even further with “2021
Price Lock”, our new price freeze on dozens of great products. We’re investing in our energy-efficient “Go Greener”
range. We’re doing more to help customers spread the cost, announcing “12 month Pay Delay” on every purchase
over £99. And we’re doubling down on giving longer life to the technology customers already have; as leaders in
protection, repair, trade-in and recycling, we’re uniquely placed to do so.
Our scale as an international market leader, our grip on costs and our strong relationships with suppliers will allow
us to manage inflationary headwinds and keep amazing technology within reach of everyone, even now. That’s
what Currys exists to do, and it’s never mattered more.”
Key Highlights
 Strong operational and financial performance; adjusted EBIT margins improved to 2.7% (2020/21: 2.5%)
 Record highs in colleague engagement and customer satisfaction
 Group store sales up +24% (UK&I +61%), higher than expected as customers rediscovered the benefits of stores
 International: Generated 46% of sales and 59% of adjusted profits; entered new market with two stores in Cyprus
 UK&I: Returned to market share growth; sustainable in-year cost savings of £69m
 Repaired over 1.7m pieces of tech during the year
 Ended year with good availability and prudent stock levels
Financial Performance
 Group LFL (3)% (Yo2Y +10%); Revenue (2)% (Yo2Y flat)
 Group adjusted PBT £186m included a level of unexpected network debtor revaluations and settlements (2020/21:
£156m)
 Group Profit before tax £126m (2020/21: £33m)
 Free cash flow £72m inc £(88)m working capital outflow (2020/21: £438m inc £454m working capital inflow)
 Year-end net cash £44m (2020/21: £169m) with average net cash £290m, compared to average borrowings of over
£350m two years ago
 IAS 19 Pension liability reduced to £(257)m (2020/21: £(482)m)
 £78m returned to shareholders in dividends and buybacks, proposed final dividend of 2.15p to take full year
dividend to 3.15p, +5% YoY and remainder of buyback to be executed
All figures are year-on-year unless stated. There are a number of non-GAAP measures and alternative profit measures “APMs” discussed within this announcement.
Adjusted results are consistent with how business performance is measured internally and presented to aid comparability of performance. Refer to the glossary and
definitions section set out at the end of this report for further details on definition, purpose, and reconciliation to nearest statutory measure

Aham

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Aham, the North American Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, has named Kelly Mariotti, executive director of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association as Aham president & CEO. On July 18, she will succeed Joseph McGuire, Aham’s leader for the past 23 years, who announced his retirement last November.

New Whirlpool UK MD

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Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, the home of Hotpoint, has announced the appointment of Lena Henry as Managing Director, UK and Ireland.

Lena is a highly experienced Managing Director with expertise in leading complex business initiatives across a multitude of markets, both mature and emerging. Beginning her career at McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy firm, Lena advised several leading and internationally recognised businesses on commercial and operational matters across a variety of product categories, with a focus on consumer and retail industries.

Lena then joined Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optics, where she worked her way through the ranks until taking on her most recent role with the company as Managing Director, Essilor France. During her time at Essilor, Lena oversaw corporate strategy, including the implementation of commercial initiatives, in addition to leading greenfield e-commerce launches on a global scale.

Combining a wealth of knowledge across a variety of markets, with experience across both consultancy and client-focused roles, Lena also brings a strong educational background to her new role at Whirlpool UK. In addition to receiving Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering and Structural Engineering and Mechanics of Materials, Lena obtained an MBA in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Lena Henry, Managing Director, UK and Ireland, Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited says: “I’m incredibly proud to be embarking on and extending my career with Whirlpool UK, a company with an extremely strong heritage and an excellent portfolio of brands that are recognised across the world. My experience will enable me to build upon the tremendous work that the team is already undertaking, whilst furthering our commitment to consistently delivering outstanding customer care, as well as innovative new products that use resources sustainably. It’s a very exciting time ahead for Whirlpool UK and I look forward to leading the company’s plans for growth and continued success.”

Samsung and LG Slowdown

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Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are set to announce falling sales of home appliances and TVs in the second quarter as people have been spending more time outside rather than staying home,
“Demand for home appliances and TVs continued to slow down in the second quarter, as the global economic downturn and inflation intensified. This is expected to have adversely affected the profitability of product makers,” an official from a local home appliance company said on condition of anonymity.

“Home appliance makers focused on selling premium models and new models during the second quarter due to the expected drop in demand in the market. They also have started to enhance profitability by expanding the global market for their products,” another industry official said, asking not to be named.


The two home appliance makers will announce their preliminary earnings for the April-June period on July 7. According to the consensus among local brokerage houses, Samsung is expected to announce sales of 77.22 trillion won ($59.46 billion) and 14.79 trillion won in operating profit in the second quarter, up 21 percent and 18 percent, respectively, from a year ago.

Though the figures have improved from the same period in 2021, the numbers are lower than the forecast made in May. At that time, the consensus showed Samsung would post 78.68 trillion won in sales and 15.29 trillion won in operating profit.

“Samsung Electronics’ second-quarter earnings are expected to fall below expectations due to a decrease in demand for set businesses such as smartphones, TVs and home appliances,” Kim Dong-won, a researcher at KB Securities, said.

“Considering macro-economic uncertainties such as inflation, disruption of parts supply chains and the Russia issue, it is unlikely that demand for smartphones and PCs will be offset by demand for memory in servers and displays for iPhones alone,” the researcher added.

Market consensus also showed that LG Electronics, where home appliances account for a larger portion of sales than Samsung, is expected to post 19.39 trillion won in sales and 866.4 billion won in operating profit. The latter figure is a sharp drop from the second quarter of 2021 when it posted 1.11 trillion won in operating profit.

The KB Securities researcher said that LG’s second-quarter operating profit is expected to decrease, but the company’s Vehicle component Solutions Division will offset the falling earnings as the division, which mainly sells infotainment systems for vehicles, is expected to shift a surplus.

CHiQ washing machine

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CHiQ Chinese home appliance manufacturer Changhong launch its new washing machines in the Philippines. The two series of washing machines, the impeller and drum models, made their first appearance in the market through the Shopee platform.

The CHiQ washing machine’s 487 mm-deep chamber allows for a space-saving ultra-thin body. The unit is easy to install and, with its slim and elegant design, snugly fits into any décor, facilitating placement virtually anywhere in the home.

The drum’s 530 mm inner diameter means lots of room for the wash. Its powerful washing force significantly increases the amount of clothing that can be handled in one cycle, meeting the needs of large families who may need to wash many articles of clothing at once. The machine’s inverter motor assures a smooth and quiet cleaning cycle. The inner drum incorporates the unique water drop wheel and seamless welding technology to prevent damage to clothing fibers.

The intelligent one-key washing and control eliminates the complicated decision-making process when setting up a load to be washed. A wide range of smart features includes, among others, automated weighing of the load and setting of water level and temperature. With 15 washing cycles to choose from, including the 15-minute fast wash, in combination with high-temperature drum cleaning, convenience is maximized for users.

Backed by its dedicated R&D team and washing machine smart industrial park that spans 180,000 square meters, CHiQ plans to continue the progression towards inverter-based, intelligent, noise-free, energy- and water-efficient equipment to benefit more consumers. In 2018, CHiQ made significant investments to establish this industrial park, the park is equipped with international first-class and industry-leading automated production equipment, as well as highly efficient, high-quality, intelligent production lines, ensuring excellent quality and exquisite craftsmanship in the production of the brand’s washing machinesCHiQ launched its new washing machines in the Philippines. The two series of washing machines, the impeller and drum models, made their first appearance in the market through the Shopee platform.

The CHiQ washing machine’s 487 mm-deep chamber allows for a space-saving ultra-thin body. The unit is easy to install and, with its slim and elegant design, snugly fits into any décor, facilitating placement virtually anywhere in the home.

The intelligent one-key washing and control eliminates the complicated decision-making process when setting up a load to be washed. A wide range of smart features includes, among others, automated weighing of the load and setting of water level and temperature. With 15 washing cycles to choose from, including the 15-minute fast wash, in combination with high-temperature drum cleaning, convenience is maximized for users.

Backed by its dedicated R&D team and washing machine smart industrial park that spans 180,000 square meters, CHiQ plans to continue the progression towards inverter-based, intelligent, noise-free, energy- and water-efficient equipment to benefit more consumers. In 2018, CHiQ made significant investments to establish this industrial park, the park is equipped with international first-class and industry-leading automated production equipment, as well as highly efficient, high-quality, intelligent production lines, ensuring excellent quality and exquisite craftsmanship in the production of the brand’s washing machines.

CHiQ entered the Philippines in early 2021 with placements on the country’s leading e-commerce platforms, Lazada and Shopee, starting with its TV and refrigerator product lineups. After nearly two years of development, CHiQ is already a mainstay on the Philippines leading commerce platforms and widely accepted by partners and shoppers throughout the country. CHiQ has been recognized as the top-selling TV brand on the Shopee platform multiple times. In 2021, it won the Lazada Annual Best Brand Nomination Award.

In addition to Philippines, CHiQ washing machines are available in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Later on, it will be made available in more countries throughout Southeast Asia. To give consumers in the region better home appliances and services, CHiQ plans to keep extending its product lines, diversifying the product categories, while improving the product quality and services. CHiQ will also focus on maximizing user value in its expansion by continuously enhancing CHiQ smart home product solutions, to meet the personalized needs of consumers worldwide with better products and services

Just in time for its 60th anniversary: Miele plant in Bürmoos has successfully repositioned itself

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After four years of reconstruction, the future of the site is sustainably secured

Eight million euros invested in state-of-the-art production and logistics

Position as supplier of high-quality stainless steel components further strengthened

The Miele plant in Bürmoos near Salzburg has completely repositioned itself over the past four years – as a supplier of high-quality stainless steel components for almost all appliance plants in the Miele Group as well as for the Italian subsidiary Steelco Group. In addition, the new Miele subsidiary Otto Wilde Grillers has recently had its most established product range produced in Bürmoos. “Hardly a stone has been left unturned in our production halls,” says plant manager Dr. Hendrik Wermers. The necessary investments were made, for example, in a new cutting centre with laser processing and a fully automated high-bay warehouse, as well as in state-of-the-art production technology for surface processing When Miele set up its plant in Bürmoos in 1962, it was the first production site outside Germany. This step was originally intended to give Miele access to the EFTA free trade zone, which at the time existed parallel to the EU’s predecessor organisation, the EEC, and to which Austria also belonged. Initially, small-room washing machines, spin dryers, and waste compactors were produced, before the factory specialised more and more in the processing of stainless steel sheets and wires. From 2012 onwards, the production of sterilisers and so-called container washing systems was added, in which, for example, instrument trolleys or entire hospital beds are disinfected.

The next turning point followed in 2017, when Miele acquired a majority stake in the Italian medical technology specialist Steelco Group and bundled its entire hospital project business there. This was done to strengthen competitiveness in what was then, as now, a fiercely competitive market worldwide – and it also affected the manufacturing of the appliances produced in Bürmoos. Now the challenge was to compensate for this and at the same time further improve the cost structures. “A time frame of four years was defined for this, which our team used with great commitment and, above all, successfully,” says Hendrik Wermers. In the process, production on the 40,000 square metre site was largely dismantled and rebuilt, and the processes were completely restructured. What has remained is the focus on high-quality stainless steel components, which are now distributed among these three product segments:

Fascias and panels for washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, for example, as well for other built-in kitchen appliances from Miele (domestic and commercial),

baskets and inserts used in washer-disinfectors, disinfectors and sterilisers for medical facilities and laboratories

as well as complex assemblies for medical and laboratory technology, which are supplied in particular as large-scale appliance accessories to Miele’s subsidiary Steelco.
In the past four years alone, Miele has invested eight million euros in Bürmoos, for example in a high-bay warehouse for the fully automated supply of production with sheet metal blanks as well as for the storage of finished parts which were previously cut or punched by laser. Another major investment concerns the production of front panels for Miele appliances, which the Bürmoos plant now produces more than twice as fast as before. This is ensured by a highly efficient automatic front panel machine, which brings together the stainless steel and plastic components and finally also applies the model- and country-specific printing.completely new manufacturing process for Miele in Bürmoos is surface treatment by means of so-called electropolishing. This refers to a multi-stage electrochemical process for the best possible smoothing of the surface to prevent the adhesion of viruses and bacteria. This is particularly important for baskets and inserts and other components for use in medical and laboratory technology.

“Unfortunately, about 80 jobs had to be eliminated in the course of the realignment,” reports plant manager Wermers, “but all colleagues who were affected at the time have for the most part found new jobs seamlessly, not least thanks to our good contacts with other companies.” In the meantime, Miele is expanding again in Bürmoos and currently employs around 220 people. “They have all done a great job over the past few years, for which I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of them,” says Hendrik Wermers, “and I would also like to thank the experts at the Miele Professional plants in Bielefeld and Lehrte, which are connected to us, for their support.”

The latest addition to Miele’s product portfolio in Bürmoos is the O.F.B. range from Miele’s new subsidiary Otto Wilde Grillers in Düsseldorf. This is a top-heat grill which, depending on the model, is heated with gas or electricity, operates at very high temperatures, and is largely made of high-quality stainless steel. This is why Hendrik Wermers had initially wanted to bring his factory into the game as a supplier of components, but then also won the final assembly for Bürmoos. “We have the expertise, the capacities and the flexibility for that.” A deal was quickly reached with the new customer: “We are counting on a long-term partnership, because the Bürmoos plant helps us to take the next steps in quality, scalability and further product optimisation, even for our most established product,” says Otto Wilde production manager Dr. Achim Schade. Furthermore, despite enormous cost pressures, the company is pleased to have found a partner in Bürmoos in the heart of Europe.