An extraordinary bonus was given to all the De’Longhi’s employees and collaborators for the positive results achieved during 2021. The Group’s Board of Directors approved the allocation of a bonus for a total amount of about 11 million euro, which will be paid within the first quarter of 2022.
«The excellent results obtained over the last few quarters – commented Massimo Garavaglia, Chief Executive Officer – are the result of the persistent commitment and extraordinary dedication of the employees in overcoming the challenges in a year of many complexities. The distribution of this bonus is meant to be a recognition of the support and strong spirit of belonging shown by our people towards the Group».
For the current year, as previously communicated, the De’Longhi Group expects to record revenues growing, at constant exchange rates, at a rate that is in the upper end of the 28% – 33% range and an adjusted Ebitda improving vs. last year both in value and as a percentage of revenues. Furthermore, the consolidation of Eversys will bring about a further 2 percentage points of revenues’ growth and an adjusted Ebitda, as a percentage of revenues, in line with the rest of the Group.
GE $118 Investment
Roper Corp., a subsidiary of GE Appliances and Walker County’s largest employer, will invest $118 million to expand its manufacturing operations, creating an additional 600 jobs in LaFayette. Roper Corp. currently employs 2,000 people in the surrounding region.
Electrolux Sustainable eating: The role of food preservation
Developing technologies to help consumers along the way to delicious, healthy, and sustainable meals – this is Elena Breda’s focus as she heads up Global Food Preservation at Electrolux.
Electrolux works hard towards its ambition to make sustainable eating the preferred choice by 2030. So what does sustainable eating mean when it comes to food preservation?
“We know that one-third of all food is currently wasted. So first of all, it means helping consumers protect food quality, maintaining taste, texture, color and nutrition levels for longer,” explains Breda. Some Electrolux refrigerators have sealed crispers with automatic humidity controls and filters that help fruits and vegetables keep their vitamin content for up to 14 days. There are also chillers to keep meat and fish fresh for up to three times longer than in regular fridge compartments.
But the work of the food preservation team – alongside the food preparation team – goes beyond that to promote sustainable eating, Breda says. “We look at the overall process: starting from the ingredients you buy, how you choose them, how you preserve them, how you process them, how you cook them, and, after you enjoy your meal, if there is any left over, how you preserve the food for later consumption, keeping the maximum quality. Connected appliances will play an important role.” she explains
With approximately 80% of environmental impact coming from the product use phase, Breda explains plans to tackle that. “We’ve made great strides in recent years in reducing energy use. For example, with refrigerators, we’re shifting more and more to ‘variable speed compressors’. They not only reduce energy use – they also reduce noise AND improve temperature stability, helping keep food fresh. That’s a win-win transition.”
Going beyond that, the team is committed to the Electrolux target of using 50% recycled plastics in its appliances by 2030.
With all the work her team does, consumer experience is always top of mind. “We want to offer consumers the full experience they expect. You may not be as emotionally attached to your fridge as you are to your steam oven, for example, but we will ensure you have fantastic ingredients preserved in the optimal way in your fridge to help you on your way to a fantastic meal.
Top tip from Elena:
“When you need to preserve meat or fish for longer, chill them at a constant temperature of -2 degrees Celsius, either in the chillers or in the convertible compartments in our refrigerators to guarantee taste, texture, juiciness and protein content for up to 3 times longer than in regular fridge compartments. If you need to freeze meat, sous-vide it before freezing, for a delicious meal later on.”
Cats responsible for 107 house fires in Seoul in past 3 yrs
In a total of 107 house fires that occurred in Seoul between January 2019
and November this year, the culprit is believed to be cats, the city’s fire department said Thursday.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters, cats are believed to have started the blaze by turning on the electric stove in the kitchen with their paws. Nearly half of the cases, or 52, occurred while the owners were out.
Electric induction cookers often come with touch-sensitive buttons, which can be switched on by the paw of an animal.
“Cat-started fires are continuing to be reported these days. We advise pet owners to pay extra attention to fire risks,” Chung Gyo-chul, an official at the agency said.
By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
Liebherr
Since 1954, Liebherr have been manufacturing high-quality refrigerators and freezers and selling them worldwide. However, Theyare still a family business at heart and rooted in Germany. This is where they still develop our products, in addition to our locations in Austria, Bulgaria, Malaysia, and India.
Liebherr Corporate Global YouTube Channel the company share many how-to videos about various product features, as well as little factory tours of some of our production sites. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoc3Z76Rxg_gkVMlReQ0GLg
BSH products that were ahead of their time
Sometimes we have to take a look at the past to plan the future. When it comes to home appliances, BSH has always demonstrated a profound spirit of innovation, continually refining its innovative technologies and products.
Here’s a brief and selective look at the past decades in the history of home appliances that have improved the everyday lives of countless people around the world.
1926: Serving up the first electric oven
Whether it’s cakes, bread, or Sunday roasts, many a dish – sweet as well as savory – owes its success to having the right ingredients, which include an electric oven, the right recipe, and a little bit of practice. And of course, life is even better if the cook can get the meal on the table in the shortest time possible. Can you imagine having to gather wood, stack coal, or start a fire before you could pop your dish into the oven?
Up until the mid-1920s, these time-consuming steps were a normal part of everyday life in most households. In 1926, Siemens produced the first electric oven, offering a safer alternative to wood and coal. It was suddenly a lot easier and faster to prepare a wide variety of foods.
The electric oven was definitely a hot item when it came to convenience in the kitchen.
1973: A self-cleaning oven
After electric ovens became common in many households in the 1950s, housewives spent a lot of time removing burned-on food by applying aggressive detergents and considerable elbow grease. So it’s no wonder that BSH really cleaned up in the 1970s with the launch of its electric oven with a pyrolytic self-cleaning feature.
Just like oven cleaning today, the process involved three steps: First, the oven was heated to 290°C in order to make the dried-on residue even dryer. This residue was then broken down at around 500°C. Finally, the temperature was lowered, and the ash that remained was then a cinch to remove. Tedious scrubbing became a thing of the past, because the cleaning process was practically automatic.
As far as ovens go, it was a very bright idea.
1985: Worry-free dish washing
Speaking of bright and shiny, ovens weren’t the only appliance that were catching on at that time. In the late 1960s, dishwashers were also making their way into modern households. Once loaded, they washed the dishes nearly on their own, eliminating one of the routine chores.
The only drawback was that the user had to monitor the machine and manually stop the inflow of water after every wash cycle in order for insurances to pay for possible water damage. It wasn’t until BSH launched its AquaStop system in 1985 that dishwasher owners were finally able to sit back and truly enjoy some extra leisure time while the dishwasher ran on its own.
It’s no surprise that the sales figures for the first year exceeded the production capacity.
1997: Fresh, fresher, VitaFresh
Is your freezer too cold and your refrigerator too warm? That could happen. After all, the optimal temperature setting for keeping perishable foods crisp and fresh is around 0°C, but commercially available refrigerators in the 1980s only offered a temperature range from 2°C to 8°C.
This led BSH to introduce its revolutionary 0°C refrigeration technology, the precursor to VitaFresh technology, in 1988. Since 1997, VitaFresh has been delivering even greater freshness, in two separate temperature zones. With separate drawers for meat and fish as well as for fruits and vegetables, it also offers exactly the right humidity level to meet the different requirements of perishable foods.
And with the latest generation, VitaFresh Pro, BSH refrigerators keep foods fresh three times longer. How cool is that?
2004: A TV that can also chill your beer
Who says a refrigerator can’t be informative?
Owners of the coolMedia model could enjoy their breakfast while watching the latest news on the LCD TV integrated into their refrigerator door. And on the day of the big game, the tiltable 15-inch flat-screen allowed them to keep their eye on the ball while enjoying their favorite beverages.
It’s hard to believe that BSH was already offering this smart appliance in 2004, three whole years before the smartphone took the market by storm.
Can you imagine reading a book while ironing shirts?
That’s exactly what BSH was aiming for in 2004, when it revolutionized ironing with its dressman. This shirt presser for home use automatically ironed and dried any spun-dry shirts and blouses made of non-stretchable fabric.
You just put the shirt on the inflatable dummy, and hot air did the rest. According to the ads, consumers were now able to read a book while ironing. Unfortunately, this BSH innovation quickly ran out of steam on the market and did not become an economic success.
2008: It doesn’t get any drier
Do your glasses fog up when you open the dishwasher or do you have to hand-dry some of the dishes to remove spots?
Once BSH harnessed the benefits of zeolith silicate for drying dishes in the dishwasher, these scenarios, as well as problems with excess water, vanished into thin air. When silicate comes into contact with water, it emits heat. Due to its porous structure, it’s also able to absorb up to 30 percent of its weight in liquid.
Thanks to these properties, even plastic dishes come out super-dry, and the dishwasher consumes much less power – an energy-efficient innovation that makes dishwashing even easier.
2010: Precision washing
How much detergent does your washing machine actually need?
It’s often difficult to tell. Since 2010, BSH’s solution to this problem has been the iDOS automatic dosing system. Just fill the chambers with detergent and fabric softener – and wash up to 20 loads. Sensors automatically detect the load size, type of fabric, and soil level. Taking into account the hardness of the water, this enables the washing machine to dispense exactly the right amount of detergent and water.
On average, this enables consumers to use up to 38 percent less detergent and up to ten liters less water per wash cycle. Life just got easier!
2011: Unlimited flexibility on the cooktop
Does a modern cooktop have to have defined cooking zones or are there more flexible solutions?
BSH developers answered this question in 2011 with the world’s first full-surface induction cooktop. With this technology, 48 small inductors transform the entire cooktop into one big cooking zone. The cooktop detects the number, size, and shape of your cookware and automatically adapts. Move a pot to the right, to the left, or to the rear and the cooking zone follows.
Consumers can heat up to six pots and pans at once, for the ultimate in flexibility!
2015: The first alternative to dry cleaning – at home
Can you remove odors without washing or dry cleaning?
It’s no problem if you have a BSH washing machine with the sensoFresh program. The technology permeates fabrics with a cool fog of active oxygen, which draws the odor molecules out of the fabric, breaks them down, and transports them to a carbon filter where they’re neutralized. All that remains is freshness!
And sensoFresh even freshens fabrics that are labeled dry clean only, like cashmere, wool, and silk crepe de chine – gently, without chemicals, and without a single drop of water.
2020: Design and technological finesse
Can a single appliance be both aesthetically and functionally pleasing?
In 2020, BSH developed the GlassDraftAir downdraft extractor solution with customized lighting for consumers who are passionate about design. The powerful downdraft extractor located behind the cooktop quietly suctions off all fumes. Thanks to innovative guided-air technology, a curtain of air forms behind the glass panel, which optimizes the air stream and extracts fumes directly from the more distant cooking zones.
A built-in air quality sensor also detects the volume of vapors and automatically adjusts the extraction rate as needed. An additional highlight: At the press of a button on the countertop, the glass panel disappears into the counter when not in use, leaving an unobstructed view of your open kitchen.
It’s ingenuity with style!
These 11 home appliances are just a small sample of the many innovative solutions that the BSH developer team has been producing since 1967, fueled by great ideas, a good measure of curiosity, and even more persistence.
Their ingenuity has shaped the history of BSH products and improved the everyday lives of many consumers – from technological firsts like the patented AquaStop, which is now integrated into dishwashers and washing machines worldwide, to experimental solutions like coolMedia, which may have been just a little too far ahead of its time.
Since 2014, BSH has been offering Home Connect, a platform that enables consumers to connect their home appliances with a digital ecosystem. This enables them to take advantage of many new services and functions that make household chores a lot easier, such as controlling home appliances by voice, downloading cooking recipes or automatically re-ordering dishwasher tabs.
The long-standing innovative spirit of BSH’s product developers forms the basis for these new solutions, which pave the way for the company to move into the digital future.
Gorenje’s Boštjan Pečnik talks Hisense alliance
Boštjan Pečnik, Executive Vice President of manufacturer Gorenje discusses the companies alliance with Hisense and the key developments of the home appliances market ahead of 2022.How has Europe’s major appliance industry fared amid the pandemic?
Following the first half of 2021, there was a positive development in all the European markets. Market demand is still strong in the second half of the year and above our expectations. We expect it to continue during the Christmas period. On the cost side, like all industries, major appliances are also facing a raw material price increase and the growth of logistics and energy costs. Consequently, this is also driving a price increase for the end users. There’s also the challenge of shortages of some materials and components like microprocessors. But I think this price increase will be done step by step and it will not immediately affect performance over the Christmas period.
Which of your recent products have been the most game changing?
In this Covid period, end consumers are searching for appliances that improve convenience. They are looking for appliances that are more environmentally friendly. Therefore, the most interesting ones are those that allow connectivity with smart functions and automation, and also energy efficiency, hygiene and function support. Supporting healthy lifestyles like steam cooking is very interesting. In general sustainability is becoming more and more interesting and important. Legislation in some areas, let’s say it is supporting the launch of sustainable products. But we are also seeing our end consumers really starting to care about sustainability in a positive way. And of course, this is good for our environment.
How have your product lines evolved during the collaboration between Hisense and Gorenje? Has the integration been easy?
We are constantly improving our product competitiveness by adding new products and new product platforms to our product range. We are of course also using product synergies inside Hisense Group, especially in the field of refrigeration and laundry appliances. In 2021 all our main product lines have been growing, which is a good sign. We are aware that good products are key to succeeding on the market and therefore we are increasing investment in R&D. The majority of our integration activities were done in 2019. On the sales side, there’s been the consolidation of sales business units on the European markets, in R&D and product management areas, the implementation of global organisation, and the responsibilities for product development. On the production side, the biggest benefit of this integration has been the integration of global sourcingSo global sourcing has been the main strength of your alliance with Hisense?
It is definitely one of our main strengths. In this time of Covid it has been even more important. In terms of branding, sourcing has been very important. R&D capability is also definitely one of our main strengths, particularly the development of electronics and connectivity. In the field of products, I would also mention our big sized refrigerators, especially for the Gorenje brand, and kitchen appliances for the Hisense brand, because they complement each other’s ranges. On a global scale, we also have new market access and the synergies that come out of that. There’s also our marketing resources and sponsorship of big sporting events like the UEFA Euro 2020 and FIFA World Cup 2022. In terms of branding, we have a clear strategy for the brand portfolio on the global market, and in the field of major domestic appliances, we will further develop Hisense, Gorenje’s brand, and in the premium segment, the ASKO brand.
Are you launching any new products in preparation for the holiday season?
Yes, we are launching a lot of new products. If I start with refrigeration, we will be launching our new wi-fi combi and a retro style combi, our flagship product. Our new laundry products with a refreshed look and improved performance are also important. The biggest novelties are a totally new plug for built-in ovens for the Hisense and Gorenje brands we call Celsius cooking. It’s a premium induction smart cooking ecosystem. That brand will also be launched during this period, and many others will follow in the first quarter of 2022.
Finally, what are your mid-to-long term goals in Europe?
We are improving our position in all product categories and we will continue to strengthen our market position. Our goal is to become one of the leading manufacturers of major appliances and solutions in the global market. And as I mentioned we will further develop our brands Hisense, Gorenje and ASKO.
For more information on Gorenje, click here. Listen to Mr Pečnik’s full IFA Tech Talk, the Official IFA Podcast interview here and also available on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Electrolux recognised for climate leadership by CDP
CDP, a non-profit organisation helping companies disclose their environmental impact, has recognised Electrolux for its climate leadership, just as the company signed a new €1bn credit line linked to its sustainability aims.
For the second year in a row, the Swedish home appliance manufacturer has earned a place on CDP’s elite “A List” for tackling water security. The non-profit runs a global system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions, and each year thousands of companies submit their annual climate disclosures for independent assessment against its scoring methodology.Electrolux was among just 118 companies to make the CDP’s shortlist for 2021, picked from more than 3,000 leaders in the market. CDP also awarded it an “A-” score for its climate change work.
Otto Wilde Grillers first flagship store
Otto Wilde Grillers inaugurated its first flagship store on Düsseldorf’s ‘Kö’ boulevard, a sales floor covering around 130 m². The young Düsseldorf company, which has been in the majority ownership of the Miele Group since earlier this year, is an innovative specialist in the field of ambitious outdoor grilling.
Directly above Miele’s brand store and opened at the same time, Otto Wilde presents its range of grills, outdoor kitchen modules, accessories and premium cuts of meat, and stages its show cooking events. Founded in 2015 in Düsseldorf, Otto Wilde now employs a workforce of 40 and is above all known among barbecue fans for its versatile and adjustable O.F.B top-heat grill. Plans for the future include the launch of a modular outdoor kitchen which can be configured and extended to cater for customer preferences. The heart and soul of this outdoor kitchen is the connectivity-enabled G32 Connected Gas Grill.
Moreover, for perfect grilling results, the outdoor kitchen can be planned and configured individually to include for example the G32 Connected Plus premium gas grill with top heat, a powerful gas cooker and modules providing storage space. In addition to this, the Otto Wilde store offers high-quality
AHAM President and CEO Joseph M. McGuire as its 2022 Association Executive of the Ye
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, headquartered in Washington) has communicated that Association Trends has named AHAM President and CEO Joseph M. McGuire as its 2022 Association Executive of the Year. The award, presented annually, recognizes a CEO who has made vital contributions to the leadership of a well-recognized association and whose leadership serves as an example in the association industry. The award will be presented March 11 during the Association Trends Salute to Association Excellence in Washington, D.C. “During McGuire’s time as CEO, AHAM has secured high-profile legislative accomplishments and gained a reputation as an influential and pragmatic voice for its members, both in Washington, D.C. and in state legislatures
WHITEGOODSNOW 