KITCHEN LIFESTYLE At The
KITCHEN LIFESTYLE At The Forefront in Product Quality Liebherr underlines excellence in materials and workmanship Steffen Nagel Managing Director, Sales and Marketing, Liebherr-Hausgeräte All smartdevicecapable Liebherr refrigerator and freezer appliances are equipped for networking and control from mobile devices. Steffen Nagel - Managing Director, Sales and Marketing at Liebherr-Hausgeräte – talks to IFA International about this year’s product innovations on show at IFA. Liebherr’s ‘BluPerformance’ appliance range introduces a new series of particularly efficient and future-oriented refrigerator and freezer appliances at the IFA 2015 in Berlin. BluPerformance represents a new dimension in freshness quality. The appliances with the innovative BioFresh technology offer considerably more usable capacity for storing fresh foods in perfect conditions. The new BluPerformance appliance range is characterised by high quality materials, perfect workmanship down to the last detail, intuitive use and precise touchscreen electronics. The refrigeration technology is compactly integrated in the appliance’s plinth, and thus allows more room for food storage. Specially mounted compressors in conjunction with the new refrigeration technology integrated into the appliance plinth contribute to these appliances being particularly quiet in operation. Liebherr is also very active when it comes to connectivity. All smartdevice-capable Liebherr refrigerator and freezer appliances are equipped for networking and control from mobile devices. Using the SmartDeviceBox, appliances can be integrated into ‘smart homes’ simply and easily via Wi-Fi – for convenient remote control of refrigerator and freezer appliances from in and outside the home using smartphones, tablets or other remote devices. What are the key differentiation points of Liebherr refrigeration products in the market? With the largest range of energy-efficient appliances Liebherr is once again setting new benchmarks when it comes to economy and sustainability. All 66 BluPerformance appliances belong to the A+++ or A+++/-20% energy efficiency class, those in the latter group being a further 20% more economical than the threshold value for the current highest energy efficiency class of A+++. You can see from this that we never take our eye off the ball when it comes to the environment. When it comes to product quality, we stand right at the forefront. This has been demonstrated by the latest tests by the German Consumer Association Stiftung Warentest, which saw three Liebherr appliances impressively taking top spots in their classes. The test comprised of 25 chest freezers, freestanding freezers and small freezers. The Liebherr freestanding freezer GNP 3666 received a score of 1.9 to become one of the winners in its class. The GTP 2356 took the top honours with a score of 1.8 in the chest freezer grouping. In the small freezer category, the built-in model IGN 1654 came away with an impressive, class leading ‘Good’. Hall 2.1 Stand 201 Franjo Bobinac President of the Management Board and CEO, Gorenje Expanding the Portfolio Gorenje growing in all product categories In the field of home appliances, Gorenje has an excellent brand and product portfolio covering all segments and particularly the niches. We asked Franjo Bobinac, President of the Management Board and CEO, to tell us more about the roadmap for Gorenje on a European and global level. We’re increasing our share of premium brand sales and developing sales in selected markets outside Europe. The digital transformation of the company fully supports this strategy. We are developing our global presence with our two brands, Asko in the premium and Gorenje in the mid segment. Which key product sectors are you growing in and why? We are growing in all product categories, actually. Within individual product categories, the group is increasing its sales of appliances with innovative functionalities, which are more user-friendly and energy-efficient, as well as sales under premium brands Asko, Atag and Gorenje designer lines. Your company recently announced it was expanding its strategic alliance with Panasonic. Could you please tell us more about the partnership and where it’s going? The cooperation with Panasonic has already brought many positive effects to both partners. In the beginning of July, we’ve agreed to expand it to several new business segments, such as purchase of materials and components, manufacturing innovation, consumer (after sales) services, logistics, quality assurance, and distribution of large and small household appliances in selected markets. How important is IFA as part of your marketing strategy and how do your teams leverage the show? Since IFA opened its doors to the home appliance industry in 2008, it has grown into the most important business and media event. Gorenje has been a part of the trade show every year and for us it is a great opportunity to meet business partners, consumers and journalists from all over the world, to present our latest product innovations, and of course, to do business. What are your star products at this year’s show? It’s the star collection Gorenje by Starck that was born in co-operation with the internationally renowned designer Philippe Starck. However, IFA visitors can also admire several appliances from the Gorenje and Asko portfolio that stand out with smart technology and wellthought-out design such as the highlights from the new generation of built-in kitchen appliances, IQcook smart induction hob, and oven with steam cooking feature ProCook. Hall 1.1 Stand 201 www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Tuesday 8 th September 2015 25
