EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WE
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WE HAVE DECIDED UPON A MACROSCOPIC GOAL TO BECOME A TOTAL HOME APPLIANCE SOLUTION COMPANY. Jong-Boo Kim CEO, NUC Electronics NUC outlines plans to grow product lines and go global Jong-Boo Kim, CEO, NUC Electronics, says the company plans an ambitious roadmap for coming years Founded in 1978, NUC’s mission is to “provide health to every home”. We started by asking Jong-Boo Kim, CEO, NUC Electronics, how the business has developed, with small kitchen appliances related to health always being the main focus. It began with the slow juicer in the 1980s. We introduced the food processor in the 1900s and the yogurt maker in 2000s. Our main products today, the Whole Slow Juicer and the Vacuum Blender, were launched in 2010. Recently, we launched MOTIV1, a juicer with IoT technology. Paired with a body composition analyser, it is able to measure the condition of one’s body and provide users with customised juice recipes and exercise programmes via a mobile app. What does the future look like for NUC? We continue to develop and apply new ideas to take care of the health of our customers for our main products – juicers and blenders. NUC is at a major turning point. Based on the technical knowledge of products that have been produced and supplied through 40 years of our company’s history, we have decided upon a macroscopic goal to become a total home appliance solution company, with the initial launch of more than 100 small appliances, household appliances, health appliances and beauty products over the next five years. Tell us more about these new products? Among the newly developed products, we will select and differentiate the products that meet the market conditions of each country and work with major distribution networks. Each year, we plan to launch our latest products through new and existing distribution channels to increase market coverage. Of course, this new business concept must be established on the basic assumption that the current juicers and blenders must be successful as the leading brand in the relevant market. As part of this plan, IFA and CE China are increasingly important venues for introducing our new products in Europe and Asia. NUC Electronics received a Red Dot Design Award in 2019 for its Smart Juicer. What did it mean to win the award? We won the Red Dot Design Award in Germany for the Smart Juicer in the Product Design category. NUC Electronics has been sweeping design awards every year internationally, which has included the Red Dot Award, Germany’s iF Design Award and IDEA, from the US. We have participated in international exhibitions and gained global attention for our innovative products. We will become a global kitchen appliance company by releasing innovative products continuously to spread health culture NUC SIGNS WITH SUNING Earlier this year, NUC Electronics signed an exclusive dealership contract with Suning Electronics, the biggest retail group in China, to distribute its products into on and offline retail channels in China. Through this strategic alliance, NUC Electronics has being supplied IoT smart juicer which recommends the customised juice recipes based on the body composition as well as the vacuum blender which removes the air from the container to maintain nutrition and taste of ingredients. From the second half of 2019, starting with a multi-grill, NUC Electronics and Suning has come to an agreement to introduce new small appliances in China within the next five years, which will result in Korean brand NUC becoming a leading lifestyle brand in China. 6
TRADE TALK It’s all about customer experience A. Dennis Sary Marketing Director, Passfeed An American in Guangzhou Vishal Mewani Managing Director, Kohinoor Electronics A. Dennis Sary, Marketing Director of the e-Commerce platform Passfeed, has travelled from New York to Guangzhou specifically to attend CE China. We asked him to tell us a little about his company. Kohinoor Electronics is a retail chain based in Mumbai, and its Managing Director Vishal Mewani is at CE China for the first time, to track the latest trends in the industry. We started by asking him to tell us more about his business. We consider the customer experience to be the most important feature of our retailing business. Our high standards in customer experience insulate our retailing company from the vagaries of the market fluctuations and probable economic downturn. High-end customers and millennials comprise the bulk of our customers, so the latest technology products are always on the wish-list for our stores. Is this the first time you will be attending CE China? If so, what has attracted you to the event? This is my first visit to CE China. My quest is to experience technology has been the driving force behind attending CE China. I’m keen to find out about how the area of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things and robotics technology is progressing, along with the latest power saving technology in appliances. This experience will help us shape our efforts for retailing in our stores in the near future. My main objectives of the CE China visit are to check, experience, visualise and plan, keeping the future retail scenario of India in mind. Having heard so much about the excellent organisation, magnitude and technology centricity of this event, I was attracted enough to attend this time. I would also like to explore tie-ups with exciting IN THE FUTURE, I WOULD LIKE TO MARK OUT CE CHINA IN MY ANNUAL CALENDAR AS A MUST-VISIT EVENT and upcoming brands, which are technology driven. Having attended many such events all over the world in the past, I respect the IFA pedigree attached to this event and my expectation and excitement is very high. In the future, I would like to mark out CE China in my annual calendar as a must-visit event Passfeed is reinventing online shopping. Our Fintech/ eCommerce experience combines the best features of social shopping and banking. Consumers can shop, store and send money, share gift certificates and even take advantage of our Paylater service. Passfeed provides an exciting shopping experience uniquely paired with a robust digital wallet. Users are able to choose from over 1.5 million of the trendiest fashions, incredible household gifts and even electronics. Building on the social nature of online shopping, consumers can shop, save and earn Rewards and iPoints just sharing with friends and relatives – all within the user-friendly App. It’s basically a place where people can not only shop, but can also get the financial services normally restricted to banks. What kind of products are you looking for at CE China? We are looking for the best new products in the fields of consumer electronics and small appliances. Many of the manufacturers here at CE China have made some amazing technological advancements to take a wellconnected home to the next level. When these new technologies enter the market, they will ensure the daily life of Americans will get easier. Passfeed is excited to bring MANY OF THE MANUFACTURERS HERE AT CE CHINA HAVE MADE SOME AMAZING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS TO TAKE A WELL- CONNECTED HOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL all these products to its platform and enhancing the way that people live. I am here looking for suppliers for new equipment that we can put on the front page of our app! We are always looking for new shiny things, and this show has plenty! What are your thoughts on the move by IFA organisers to put the show on here? I really think it is a smart decision. You know China is a giant global market and it keeps developing ahead of other countries. I am sure CE China will help grow further business relationships between Chinese manufacturers and foreign customers. Navigating this show is very easy. It is structured with a very nice flow and is very professional CE China Daily • Friday 20 September 2019 7
