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 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 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
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.
AO likely to face pressure of clarifying cashflow position It faced a cut in credit cover by Atradius, the credit insurance division of Grupo Catalana Occidente
AO recently issued its third profit warning in three months at the end of April.
Hitachi has unveiled a new range of premium refrigerators, available exclusively through Euronics retailers across the UK.
From standard 600mm wide fridge-freezers to the top of the range 4-door kitchen centrepiece model, the range offers stylish coloured glass door fronts (coming in black, grey, white and gradation grey), the latest cooling technologies, and class-leading energy efficiencies throughout.
The new range contain five models covering a traditional two-door fridge freezer with the freezer at the bottom, and a three-door side-by-side model with dedicated high-capacity vegetable compartment. The top of the range trio are four-door models packed with features including Selectable Zone cooling, touch opening doors, automatic ice makers and Hitachi’s Vacuum Compartment (depending on model).
Food is not only the single most critical factor in human health. The current food system has also severely damaged the climate and our ecosystems. How we eat, cook, and shop thus needs to be transformed to sustain our planet. Through a collection of modular solutions powered by advanced sensors and AI, based on behavioural science and the planetary health diet from the EAT-Lancet report, Electrolux has created what it terms “a vision of a better tomorrow”, with GRO. The EAT-Lancet Report is described as the first full scientific review of what constitutes a healthy diet from a sustainable food system, and which actions can support and speed up food system transformation. The report was prepared by EAT and is an adapted summary of the Commission Food in The Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems. The entire Commission report can be found online at thelancet.com/commissions/EAT.
Electrolux has set the ambition to make healthy and sustainable eating the preferred choice by 2030, and GRO is our testament to that. By challenging conventional thinking of what a kitchen is, we have rethought everything from the start – aiming to help change behaviours by making planet-friendly eating effortless and enjoyable through groundbreaking design,” says Tove Chevalley, Head of Electrolux Innovation Hub.
In an official statement, Electolux explains, “The GRO concept is entirely built on data and behavioural science, which has been the foundation for every design decision and product feature within the kitchen system. It’s also about exploring how kitchen products can contribute to eating more sustainably. Inspired by experts, chefs, early adopters and thousands of consumers, GRO empowers people to act on key recommendations in the renowned EAT-Lancet report, designed to support people’s personal needs to move towards a more sustainable diet.” The way we currently produce food to feed the planet is tragically at the expense of the planet itself. Research shows, one important action we can take to change this is to dramatically reduce consumption of animal source foods in places where they are currently over-consumed. This will help ensure enough healthy food can be produced for every person on the planet without destroying it. Food must be elevated as a key solution by anyone serious about tackling climate change and restoring nature,” says Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist at WWF. Previously, Brent worked for EAT, where he was a lead author on the EAT-Lancet report.
With this in mind, Electrolux created the “jewellery box,” a storage solution within the GRO kitchen system, nudging people to eat less but better meat and explore new and diverse sources of protein.
There is also a global trend in the plant-forward world of reinventing new dishes by mixing techniques and flavours to enhance the taste experience. Specific techniques previously used to prepare meat dishes are now part of the plant-forward world. GRO’s “nordic smoker” enables people to smoke their ingredients at home, inspiring them to combine different flavours.
The concept’s digital platform will help to visualise the user’s eating habits and planetary impact, providing personal goal setting, guidance, and progress measurement over time. For example, tips on recipes, local produce and sustainable ingredients based on personalised taste, nutritional needs and what is in the fridge, is also a service that GRO can provide.The insights from GRO form the basis for Electrolux product development with the aim that future products will be even better at supporting more sustainable living.
“GRO is our vision of what a kitchen could look like. A vision that will inspire and guide our company’s innovations going forward, whilst pushing us forward to meet our sustainability goals,” Chevalley adds.
