Falmec UK

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Falmec, Italian manufacturer of kitchen hoods, has started the new year with an important news: the opening of a Limited branch in the United Kingdom. The choice derives from the success of the brands products in this market, that Falmec considers “one of the most satisfactory in terms of turnover and constantly increasing”. To consolidate its presence in the United Kingdom, the Vittorio Veneto company has therefore decided to officially opening, starting from January 2020, the Falmec UK Limited branch, which is led by Sean Drumm, responsible of ‘Showtime’, Falmec’s distributor for the Ireland since 2007. Together with Drumm in this new adventure there is Ron Blount (ex Blanco & Inventum) who covers the role of Head of Business Development and an efficient team of Sales Managers. «Having being working closely with Falmec for over 10 years, I am convinced of the immense potential of this brand – Sean Drumm affirms – With excellent after-sales service back up & PR expertise, our aim will be to focus 100% on the growing market share so that Falmec receives the recognition it deserves». Falmec UK Limited will be present for the first time at the next edition of KBB 2020, an event to be held in Birmingham from March 1-4.

Tecnoinox obtained the SASO Quality Mark

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Italian company Tecnoinox, that since 1984 has been designing and manufacturing equipment for the professional kitchen is the first Italian manufacturer in its sector to obtain the Quality Mark certification by SASO (Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization , government certification body of Saudi Arabia). Thanks to this certification the company’s models can enter to the Saudi Arabia, enforcing its presence and dedication in the Middle Eastern market. All the over 200 products selected from the Tecnoinox catalog and subjected to analysis have been approved. «During 2019 – Riccardo Giacomini, Tecnoinox Technical Director said – the government technical body of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom, SASO, introduced the Quality Mark certification obligation to regulate the entry of gas equipment into the country. It was a complex, extremely rigorous certification process that Tecnoinox has fully passed, standing out first in the national panorama for quality and ability to respond to the needs of markets that are changing and evolving.»
Martina Giacomini, Commercial Director of Tecnoinox, also expresses her satisfaction: «we are already present in many markets in the Middle East and it is strategic for us to complete consolidate the commercial relationships in Saudi Arabia. The high quality of the processes, products and staff has allowed Tecnoinox to obtain certification before any other Italian manufacturer and therefore, from today, is the only Italian manufacturer of professional gas cooking equipment authorized to export to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.»
The new version of Erika by ARAN Cucine will be displayed at EuroCucina 2020
The Erika kitchen, a best seller of ARAN Cucine, has been restyled for the next edition of EuroCucina. The brand has followed the the latest furnishing trends, that suggest functional and versatile solutions, clean and reassuring lines, neutral and elegant colors. To meet all tastes and respond to different market needs, ARAN Cucine offers customizable models, capable of adapting to any living context. Erika catalog, in fact, is enriched with new elements, transforming the model into a real ‘furniture system’, with modular solutions and over 41 finishes.
A composition designed to facilitate the movements of those who live it and ensure maximum space optimization without sacrificing design, provides a large multipurpose island, columns and shoulder system. To create a game of full and empty volumes, the large and capacious storage elements alternate with open, decorative and immediately accessible modules. The Jhon doors in black aluminum with gray smoked glass visually lighten the structure of the island block, equipped with the new Move-it snack: a mobile top that slides along the diagonal and that can be a dining table and then be brought back flush with the island, limiting its size.
But the big news is the introduction of elements with soft and circular lines. The more sinuous version of Erika is in fact characterized by creative and ergonomic solutions: the rigorous design of the columns – with the new vertical handle – and the wall units combined with the Fill bookcase harmonize with the curved peninsula.

Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, parent company to KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Hotpoint and Indesit, has appointed Lee Collett to Kitchen Channel Director.

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Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, parent company to KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Hotpoint and Indesit, has appointed Lee Collett to Kitchen Channel Director.

Lee joined Whirlpool in 2011 and has excelled in several roles within the business, including National Account Manager and Channel Controller. As National Account Manager, Lee was responsible for building and maintaining relationships with major eCommerce retailers including AO and Amazon. Lee also played an important part in the acquisition of Indesit Company by Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd, taking the lead within the Whirlpool sales team. Lee then took on the role of Field Sales Manager, responsible for sales and distribution of the Whirlpool, Hotpoint and Indesit brands within the Independent Channel.

Recently, Lee’s role of Channel Controller provided an insight and experience in managing the distribution of the premium brand, KitchenAid. His new role as Kitchen Channel Director will see Lee take on further responsibility across all four of the Whirlpool UK brands, working with kitchen distributors, kitchen studios, builder’s merchants, housebuilders, the contract market and national DIY and kitchen retailers.

Kitchen Aid Espresso

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New product from Kitchen Aid espresso machine. «It’s a semi-automatic espresso machine paired with a grinder – – This product allows our customers to make an authentic espresso at home.»
What makes this machine stand out is a first to market dual sensor system that takes temperature readings at the point of initial water intake as well as when the water is output. This helps to assure the perfect temps for great espresso.

China’s Haier to build EUR 50 mln refrigerator factory in Romania

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Chinese group Haier, one of the largest manufacturers of household appliances in the world, will invest over EUR 50 million in a refrigerator factory in the town of Ariceştii Rahtivani in Prahova county, north of Bucharest, Ziarul Financiar reported.

This production unit will create over 500 jobs and will have a maximum production capacity of 600,000 refrigerators per year.

By comparison, the Arctic factory in Găeşti, Dâmboviţa, owned by Turkish group Arcelik, has a capacity of 2.6 million units per year, being the largest refrigerator factory in Continental Europe.

Whirlpool Brands Win Six Prestigious iF Awards For Design Excellence

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New products and product suites from KitchenAid, Whirlpool, and Bauknecht have received six distinguished awards at one of the world’s top competitions for design excellence, the iF DESIGN AWARD 2020. Coveted iF Labels were awarded to 14 of the brands’ products, including the Whirlpool W Collection Black Fiber 4 Door Fridge Freezer, the KitchenAid Built-In Black Collection, Whirlpool’s W Collection Black Fiber Built-In Suite, the Bauknecht Class 9 Built-In Suite, the Whirlpool W Collection Venthob and the Whirlpool Essential Washing Machine

Samsung Electronics created an in-house technology platform unit and named a new chief for its home appliance business in the company’s latest reshuffle,

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Samsung Electronics created an in-house technology platform unit and named a new chief for its home appliance business in the company’s latest reshuffle, corporate sources said here on Thursday.

Samsung combined its in-house tech units related with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and big data solutions to set up a new tech group, tentatively named “next-generation platform centre,” Yonhap news agency reported, citing company officials.

The centre will be headed by Chung Eui-suk, an executive vice president who is best known for leading the development of Samsung’s AI-based digital assistant, Bixby. The South Korean tech giant also appointed Lee Jae-seung, former Consumer Electronics (CE) business division development team leader, to head its home appliance business.

Previously, Kim Hyun-suk, President and CEO of Samsung’s CE business division, co-held the title as home appliance business chief. It was revealed in Samsung’s senior executive reshuffle on Monday that Kim no longer heads the company’s home appliances business, although he retains his CEO position for Samsung’s CE business division.

Samsung
Samsung Electronics created an in-house technology platform unit and named a new chief for its home appliance business in the company’s latest reshuffle. Wikimedia Commons
Lee Won-jin, an executive vice president who leads the service business team at Samsung’s visual display unit, will serve the same job for the company’s mobile business unit. The move will allow Lee, former managing director at Google Korea, to focus on developing contents services for both mobile phones and TVs.

The latest reshuffle follows changes to leadership at Samsung on Monday. Earlier the company named a new mobile business chief, and promoted 162 executives.

A new way to access the cooker oven

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With the designer Wesley Mendez, Whirlpool redesigns the way the oven door opens on the company’s new freestanding range platform: not downward but to the side. What resulted is an optional side-swing door on a new 30-inch freestanding range. Mendez, who is based at Whirlpool Corporation’s Global Consumer Design Offices in Mexico, said the distinctive feature evolved after seeing data indicating a shift in consumer buying behavior in Latin American countries. In response to growing interest in using the oven on a freestanding range and meeting consumers’ changing needs, Mendez said he and his team created a new solution to make the oven cavity more inviting for consumers. “We thought it would be more approachable if we changed the way the door opens – Mendez explained -. Like a refrigerator, when you open the door, it’s a welcome for the consumer. You can get really close and you can have complete control of what happens in the rack”. The challenge of redesigning the oven door was then posed to Whirlpool Corporation’s Global Product Development team. “We had to translate a high-level concept to a manufacturable design”, said Ramiro Ruthes, Whirlpool Corporation System Integrator Leader for Freestanding Ranges. He led fellow engineers in the construction of a new door that is able to swing more than 100 degrees from the opening of the cavity. He explained the door also includes a step on the hinge to hold it clear of consumers while they’re accessing the oven. “One of the main requirements was to develop the side-swing door using the same product platform and most of the parts of the current drop-down door”, Ruthes said. Reengineering the oven door wasn’t the only focus for the Whirlpool teams behind the new freestanding range. They also improved the ergonomics and finishes of the handles and knobs. The burners are more efficient and the grates have been strengthened. Whirlpool introduced the side-swing feature to markets in Mexico in the third quarter 2019. Additional rollout is planned in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia as well as markets in Central America and the Caribbean in the first quarter 2020.

Mexican Fridge Maker Mabe to Phase Out HFCs in 2020

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Mabe, a home-appliance manufacturer based in Mexico City, Mexico, has announced a complete phase out of all HFCs from its refrigerator production plants by the end of 2020.

The announcement came at a meeting held the week of February 3 in Mexico City, hosted by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) and Iniciativa Climatica de Mexico (ICM), to discuss approaches for advancing efficient, climate-friendly cooling in Mexico.

Mabe is also committed to improving the efficiency of its refrigerators between 10% and 25%. “With K-CEP funding, Mabe has completed the design, manufacture and testing protocols for energy-efficient compressors that will be used in all refrigerators in Latin America,” said Pablo Moreno, Head of Corporate Affairs at Mabe, in a statement. “This monumental commitment of Mabe with both efficiency and climate-friendly substances sets an example in the region and globally.”

The company, he added, is “providing a success story that highlights to policymakers that low-GWP transitions coupled with improvements in energy efficiency can occur rapidly and at scale in order to ratify and exceed international agreements.”

Also at the conference, MGM Innova Group — a climate finance group that specializes in developing and financing sustainable energy and efficient cooling projects in Latin America — announced that, with support from K-CEP, it is working on a large-scale residential and commercial refrigerator replacement program that supports the transition to low-GWP refrigerants and high-efficiency appliances in Colombia; the group is working to structure a similar program in Mexico.

“Commitments from Mabe show how both industry and government can lead by example to unlock transformative solutions that scale efficient, climate-friendly cooling in order to fight climate change, reduce pressure on government subsidies and improve economic well-being for citizens,”said Alfredo Nicastro, SVP Operations and Sales at MGM Innova.

“Over the coming decades, Mexico’s cooling demand is forecasted to drive over 25% of the country’s total increase in carbon emissions, the highest share projected for any country in the world,” said Jessica Brown, K-CEP Director. “This is why K-CEP has made Mexico a priority and why we are tackling the issue from all angles – through policy, finance, industry, and non-regulatory programs.

Mabe is a Mexican company which has been manufacturing domestic appliances for over 70 years . The company had 19,000 employees in 2017, having grown to be one of Mexico’s biggest employers. Mabe is the market leader in domestic appliances in Latin America and North America. It is now one of the largest manufacturers of large domestic appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and cookers which can be found in stores from Argentina to Canada. The factory in Mexico is located in a region which is enjoying rapid economic growth and where many high-tech manufacturers are based. A large number of USA companies have established their high-tech production in this region. In 1987 Mabe signed a strategic alliance with General Electric Appliances (GE Appliances) to work together on the development and production of major domestic appliances.

The two companies opened a factory together in Celaya in Mexico in 2000. Since then virtually all ‘No Frost’ refrigerators – such as side-byside, bottom freezers and top freezers – for the US, European and the Middle East markets have been manufactured in Mexico.

South Korean companies resuming op

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Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and other Korean companies are sche-duled to restart their plants in China as businesses resume work after mandatory closures due to the deadly outbreak of Covid-19.

Automakers such as Hyundai, Kia, SsangYong and Renault Samsung, which had stopped their assembly lines in Korea due to a shortage of China-sourced auto parts, will also restart their operations.

However, The Korea Times said Korean businesses had only “partially” restarted and were unsure if operations would fully resume as the virus continues to spread.

Samsung’s home appliance manufacturing plants in Suzhou, China resumed work last Monday, while its Tianjin factory is set to reopen next week.

“Our business could have been disrupted if the Suzhou plant remained suspended,” a Samsung official said.

Although the Tianjin plant will restart its operations later than the Suzhou plant, any potentially negative consequences will be minimised as the plant is producing products only for consumers in the domestic Chinese market.