Green Page Grundig Flourishes In Major Market Energy-efficiency and convenience are the company’s hallmarks SMART METERING IMPLEMENTATION IN EUROPE: ARE WE ON TRACK? The EU’s ambitious 20-20- 20 goals to reconfigure the European electricity grid into a “smart grid” depends upon a change in consumer behavior— and, in turn, changing consumer behavior will depend very much on smart metering. Smart metering combined with direct consumer feedback increases energy efficiency by 5-15%, and in some cases even up to 20%: that clearly demonstrates the importance of smart metering as an enabler of energy efficiency and savings. At IFA, manufacturers of products for the smart home work closely with makers of smart meters to ensure consumers will be able to maximize the use of their smart devices while minimizing the energy costs. Murat Sahin, Managing Director Grundig Intermedia, spoke to IFAInternational about the company’s move into the major appliances market. What is your strategy for this market? When we started researching the market in 2011, we were very positively surprised that 84% of consumers asked mentioned that Grundig had major appliances. Our strategy, and our USP, is that we raise the bar in the fields of energy-efficiency and consumer convenience. What products have you brought to IFA? We are presenting a range of more than 70 new Grundig white goods products for the Jean-Franck Badalian Haier's General Marketing Manager, White Goods, Europe kitchen, bathroom and other living areas. Our six Eco- Champs are winning products in the areas of cooling, washing, cooking or drying, with maximum energy efficiency. Our new Grundig major domestic appliances complete our smart living offer alongside our core products that include TVs and audio gadgets. And – last but not least – we have here in Berlin our range of stylish small electronic products for the kitchen and bathroom. Which territories are you targeting? Our roots are in Germany so that is our Nº1 market for 2013. Our sales roll-out will then be carried out stepby-step throughout Europe – starting with the Scandinavian countries, because they are our indicators where quality and design are concerned. What differentiates your products from other brands? Energy-efficiency, convenience to the consumer, user friendliness, and also design. And the high-quality that characterises our Grundig products throughout all segments. How important is IFA as a platform to develop new sales channels and contacts? IFA the biggest fair in the electrical appliances industry, targeting both professionals as well as end-users. IFA is will always be our favourite place to meet the thousands of our customers who come here. We get real feedback on our products, which helps our developers constantly to improve. We also meet all our partners and dealers in Berlin. It is also a great place to celebrate our successes. We are very pleased to be part of this great business and the IFA family. Green Machine Intelius washing machine on show at IFA reduces energy consumption by 50% Chinese manufacturer Haier has brought its latest washing machine, the Intelius 600, which features A+++ -50% energy consumption, to IFA. “This machine is the result of several years of gathering knowledge about the European market and implementing what we learned at our R&D facility in Germany,” said Jean-Franck Badalian, Haier's General Marketing Manager, White Goods, Europe. “And it is a continuation of the strategy that we adopted ten years ago when we started in Europe. At that time we had to be very humble, prove that we were a good generalist manufacturer, and show both retail and customers that we had the products they wanted. So we developed a European range that featured good, better and best categories, in order to demonstrate our legitimacy across all price points. We started with the good products, then started rolling out the better ones, and now, with the Intelius 600, we are delivering a high-end machine that offers best-in-class energy consumption, as well as sophisticated, but user-friendly, features.” Haier's underlying objective is to use the machine to change perceptions of the Hall 23 Stand 101 “with the Intelius 600, we are delivering a high-end machine” Hall 3.1 Murat Sahin Managing Director Grundig Intermedia brand: “In Europe Haier is seen as a challenger, but in Asia it's a premium brand, and we are now attempting to change that,” Badalian says. “In fact with the Intelius, it's a case of the product carrying the brand, rather than the other way round which is more usually the case. I have no doubt that it is among the very best washing machines currently on the market, which is something that we will be proving several times a day at IFA where the washing machine will be running exclusively on a 15-minute programme and, despite such a short wash, will be removing tough stains such as coffee, tomato and even blood.” Stand 103 58
Stand of The Day Beko - Hall 7.1A / 101 Get Inspired… by BEKO solutions for the “smart generation” EVENT MANAGER DEGER DEMIRCAN Retail and Fair Designer, Beko “The theme behind the stand this year is “Inspired by the smart generation”. In our fast-changing world, there is a new generation of people that is becoming more aware of its environment, and the impact that everything they do has on it. They believe in sharing, and in using their creativity to make a positive impact. This is the smart generation, and they are our inspiration. We want to make a true connection with them.” Inspired by nature special LEDs help create the effect of clouds and blue sky. Beko’s stand also features a number of trees, which will be donated to the city of Berlin after IFA 2013. “We are inspired by nature and trying to be a part of nature,” says Demircan. “We are very sensitive to recycling and the type of materials that we use in our products, as well as the energy consumption of our products.” Inspiring Designer: Patricia Urquiola BEKO partners with well-known designer Patricia Urquiola for its dedicated “BEKO CAST” line of ovens, hoods and hobs. Patricia Urquiola has also designed the booth displayfor this dedicated zone. As the name suggests, this part of Beko’s stand is devoted to products with an ecological ethos. “We call them ‘the Energy Heroes’,” says Demircan. “We have numerous minimum energy consumer products but the set of products here really emphasises our ecological sensibilities.” Inspired by Ocean: Beko’s new washing machines combine functional design and smart features, like SilentTech, BabyProtect+, AquaFusion and much more. Visitors can get a detailed insight into these unique features at the stand. Inspiration Earns Awards In a special area, BEKO shows the number of design, eco and other prestigious awards won over the past year. www.ifa-international.org IFAInternational • Saturday 7 th & Sunday 8 th September 2013 59
