EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WE
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WE UNDERSTAND THE VALUES AND NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE RETAIL SEGMENT VERY WELL. Marcin Kubacki Director of Strategy & Business Development, TelForceOne POLISH TELCO MANUFACTURER EXPANDS ON GLOBAL STAGE Exclusive Interview: Marcin Kubacki, Director of Strategy & Business Development, TelForce One - Poland In the fast-growing electronics market, the need for a flexible business partner is constantly on the rise. Marcin Kubacki - Director of Strategy & Business Development - TelForceOne – explains that the company fits the bill in many ways. We asked him to tell us more: Trading with over 50 countries TelForceOne S.A. is a company that started its business in Wrocław in Poland. The significant and fast developing part of the company’s activity are solutions dedicated to the retail chain, like dedicated in-house brands. The first one, myPhone, offers mobile phones and smartphones, whereas Forever focuses on providing a wide range of GSM accessories and consumer electronics. Moreover, the company is an authorised distributor of global brands of GSM accessories: Huawei, LG, JBL, Samsung. Our private label products are distributed in the biggest global grocery, DIY and electronic retail chains. What are your ambitions for TelForceOne on the global stage? We are currently one of the largest manufacturers of consumer electronics and accessories in Central and Eastern Europe. Over a dozen years, we have established a structure of over 500 specialists, thanks to which we currently serve over 50 countries. We focus our activities mainly on Europe and North Africa, where we primarily stress cooperation with retail chain stores. Our objective is close cooperation specifically with the retail sector, with which we are jointly managing our mobile accessories sales policy. What would you say are the three “key selling points” that differentiate TelForceOne and its products in the market? For close to 20 years, we have been cooperating with the largest retail chains in Europe, so we understand the values and needs of the entire retail segment very well. Annually, over 20 million our products reach end users. Full knowledge lets us construct efficient business concepts for our retail partners. Close relationships and close cooperation both with customers as well as suppliers let us create a product portfolio based on real needs and appropriate product quality, understood as functionality, too. You have announced the new “Hammer” smartphone. Can you tell us more about this device please? At IFA, we previewed the HAMMER EXPLORER. It’s a 5.7-inch, armoured smartphone, designed in Poland by the team of HAMMER brand experts, people who have many years of experience in production of rugged phones. Apart from its reinforced construction and high, IP69 certified level of water and dust protection, HAMMER EXPLORER has a unique feature of module connectivity. The performance of this armoured phone will be supported by accessories joined to the phone in a quick and easy way through special pins - designed to withstand difficult conditions. EXPLORER is also equipped with a laser pointer and a leash hook, which are additional advantages and practical improvements. This model also has 3 fully waterproof open inputs: USB C port, a headphone jack input and an easy-to-open SIM card slot. Its official premiere will take place in the fourth quarter of this year. Soon, also HAMMER EXPLORER PRO will be available with the best HAMMER features and even better technical specifications. In many ways, those phones are breakthrough products in our offer and in the rugged smartphone category 22
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WMF GROUP CONTINUES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION Dr Reinhard Zinkann Executive Director and Co-Proprietor, Miele Martin Ludwig, Senior Vice President Consumer Goods, International Strategy & Product Creation, WMF says quality, function and design are in the company’s DNA. We started by asking him to tell us more about WMF and its product philosophy The WMF brand has stood for high-quality products that provide enjoyable moments both in everyday life and on special occasions since 1853. The long tradition and knowledge – stretching back for more than 160 years – are tangible in each product: from kitchen gadgets to kitchen knives, cutlery, cookware, frying pans and dining accessories to small domestic appliances (SDA). They all contain the WMF’s DNA triad: quality, function and design. What do you see as a trend this year in the field of home appliances? Convenience and on-the-go as well as healthy & sustainable lifestyles and space-saving solutions. These trends are still highly relevant and if products meet one or more of these requirements, people are keener to use them. Martin Ludwig Senior Vice President Consumer Goods, International Strategy & Product Creation, WMF Group Do you have international expansion plans? Since 2018 we have been expanding the WMF brand to many countries. With the successful store roll out in China between May 2018 and January 2019, we have reached a first milestone of our internationalisation plan for the WMF brand. All 16 concept stores were opened on time as planned. And with the implementation of our expansion strategy in the core markets of Spain, France, Russia, South Korea and the Nordic countries, we are entering the next phase. Which series and product lines did you focus on during IFA? In general, design and quality are crucial to WMF. We expanded our successful Ambient and Lumero product ranges at IFA MIELE HERALDS PERFORMANCE AT IFA One of the longest-established in the home appliances business, Germany’s Miele was at IFA with the largest product launch programme in its 120-year history. We started by asking Dr Reinhard Zinkann, Miele’s Executive Director and Co-Proprietor about key industry trends. The mega trend, undoubtedly, is the issue of connectivity as more and more domestic appliances are communication-enabled. We have already reached the stage where more than half of Miele’s new builtin appliances are connectivityenabled. What were the Miele highlights at IFA? Products launched at IFA by Miele included Generation 7000, our new built-in series, which is the biggest product launch in the company’s history and the TriFlex vacuum cleaner. We are due to start producing the TriFlex in October and 80% of the forecast that we had in mind to give German retailers – for the October to December period – was sold by the end of the first day of IFA. What are the key technologies used in Generation 7000? All our plants were involved in Generation 7000; it was four or five year process and there are a huge number of products in the range. Feedback on Generation 7000 has been very positive, not only for special highlights like the camera in the oven, the door that opens automatically and the finishing programme that means you don’t overcook, but it’s got many other details. Miele is the only manufacturer on the market with a camera in a pyrolytic oven. What are your thoughts on this year’s IFA? IFA has strengthened its position as the world’s most significant trade show for home appliances and made a positive contribution to the market development www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 23 September 2019 23
