In order to pave the way for further growth, Miele announced in March that it would be setting up an additional production facility in the USA. The exact location has now been finalised: the German family-owned company’s first plant on the American continent will be built in Opelika in the State of Alabama. Production is scheduled to start by the end of 2024. In the first phase, 150 employees shall come on board.

«There are several good reasons for the decision to also produce in the USA in the future – the company explains –. The United States, where Miele has been represented by a sales and service company for 40 years, is the largest market outside Germany. At the same time, the company still sees a lot of potential here. The new site will enable Miele to produce the ovens and range cookers specifically designed for the USA, Canada and Mexico close to the market. Later, the matching Cooker hoods will also be produced here. This reduces the delivery time from up to ten weeks today to just a few days in a customer-friendly way and also reduces the impact on the climate».

Today, the Cooking business unit’s production is distributed as follows: Hobs and steam ovens as well as warming drawers come from the Bünde plant (approx. 730 employees), Cooker hoods from Arnsberg (approx. 250 employees) and cookers, ovens and Dialogue ovens from Oelde (approx. 670 employees). The steam ovens, i.e., ovens and steam cookers in one appliance, are produced in Bünde or Oelde, depending on the model. «The new site will give all three plants the capacity for future increases in production volumes for the other model ranges» – says Senior Vice President BU Cooking Brunkhorst.

Including the new plant, the Miele Group’s international production network will include a total of 16 locations, eight of which are in Germany and one each in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and the USA. In addition, there are the two plants of the Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco Group.

Arçelik obtained, for the fifth consecutive year, the highest score in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI), in the sector of household durable goods companies, with the result of 86/100 in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.  This is the main global reference point on the sustainability front: based on the results obtained, companies are selected to appear in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, which evaluates and rewards best performing companies in terms of sustainable attitude, based on economic, environmental and social criteria.

«In a difficult year like 2023 – commented Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arçelik – our intent was to remain faithful to our vision of sustainability, despite the headwinds. Our dedication to building a more aware and responsible world is the underlying theme of all our activities. This prestigious recognition is a new confirmation of our leadership in sustainability and rewards our commitment».

Looking at the future Bulgurlu also added: «We continuously innovate, experimenting with environmentally friendly and energy-efficient products that have a substantial impact on reducing carbon emissions around the world. Not only that: we are committed to creating a sustainable and responsible supply chain. Let’s keep going, I’m confident we will reach new heights on our journey towards a net-zero future».

Electrolux reported itds third quarter 2023 results. The company’s net sales amounted to SEK 33,427 million, recording an organic sales decline of 7.9%, mainly driven by continued weak market demand and consumers shifting to lower price points. Mix was positive, supported by the innovative product offering, despite this market shift. Price was negative year-over-year as promotional activity has returned to high levels this year.

«Organic sales declined by 7.9% in the third quarter – commented Electrolux president and CEO Jonas Samuelson –. Like in the previous quarter, volumes declined significantly and as expected, net price was negative. We continued to execute well on the Group-wide cost reduction and North America turnaround program. However, the challenging market environment with demand mainly driven by forced replacements, consumers shifting to lower price points and high promotional activity, offset most of the SEK 2.4bn cost savings. Underlying operating income increased to SEK 314m compared to break-even in the third quarter of 2022. Operating cash flow after investments was SEK 1.1bn».

«With today’s announcement – the president continued – we are stepping up our cost reduction efforts significantly. This also means that we focus our growth efforts on selected mid- and premium categories under our three main brands and drive even more targeted portfolio management and simplification enabling faster cost reductions. Hence, the cost reduction target for 2024 vs 2022 is increased to SEK 10-11bn, compared to the previous target of over SEK 7bn. The new target comprises net cost reductions from cost efficiency and investments in innovation and marketing, combined. For 2023 the target is to reach cost reductions of approximately SEK 6bn, year-over-year, compared to the previous target of at least SEK 5bn. Given the time lag before the actions now put in place will have full earnings impact, we do not expect sequential improvement of underlying operating income in the fourth quarter.»

Miele has received the German Sustainability Award 2023 for the second time since 2014. Jury recognized the long-lasting products and resource-saving production of the comapny, as well as lived responsibility towards supply chains and employees and measures aimed at saving CO2.

«This new and significant award confirms our intensive pursuit of a holistic sustainability strategy and our efforts to push our commitment with consistency – says Rebecca Steinhage, responsible as executive director for Human Resources and Corporate Affairs which includes sustainability at Miele -. The comapny won its first German Sustainability Award in 2014 for ‘high-level continuity in sustainable corporate governance’. Now the company is focused on climate protection and the conservation of resources with the goal of setting up a circular value chain for domestic appliances. We aim to achieve a situation in which all materials used in our appliances are returned to the material cycle at the end of their life». Steinhage will receive the award at the ceremony in Düsseldorf on November 23.

«Our appliances are not only very good when run in the Eco programme but also prove to be energy-saving across all programmes in daily use – explains Christoph Wendker, Vice President Corporate Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs and responsible for the company’s sustainability strategy -. A glance at Miele’s CO2 balance reveals just how important this is. Around 83 per cent of this is attributed to machines during their usage phase. This is not least so high because Miele appliances are particularly long-lasting. They are tested to the equivalent of up to 20 years’ service life. The excellent repair-friendliness of Miele appliances (and not only since this has been demanded by EU legislation) contributes towards prolonged usage. In addition to this, Miele stocks just under 90,000 different functional spare parts for a period of at least 15 years after the discontinuation of production – very special in this branch of industry».

Stefan Koss is the new president and CEO Region North America of BSH Home Appliances Corporation where he is responsible for driving the company’s growth and managing business operations. Koss most recently served as VP Controlling, M&A and Risk Management, Corporate, at Global Headquarters Robert Bosch GmbH, parent company of BSH Home Appliances Group. He began his career in the management program at BSH Home Appliances’ corporate office in Munich gaining cross-functional commercial training and exposure across various divisions and sites. His BSH tenure also includes a variety of strategic leadership and business administration roles in several regions including Europe, China, and North America.

Koss’ previous North America positions include Director of Business Administration for US Manufacturing Operations in New Bern, NC, from 2006 to 2009 where he played a pivotal role in transforming the manufacturing facility from an engineering-centric location to a market-oriented, sustainable organization. He then moved to the Region North America headquarters in Irvine, CA, from 2009 to 2012, serving as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, where he was responsible for overall business support and governance.

In his new position, Koss also serves on the Board of Management for Region North American, joining Jesus Egido, Chief Financial Officer, as well as Chief Technology Officer Andy MacLaren, both longtime BSH executives with 25 and 21 years of service respectively. «We are honored to have Mr. Koss join BSH Home Appliances Corporation, Region North America, as president and CEO and lead our organization’s growth – Egido said -. His extensive experience within the global network of BSH companies and Robert Bosch will further advance our aggressive growth strategy here in North America.»

Electrolux Group will divest its manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee, USA to a US-based investment company for a cash consideration of 61 million dollar. The agreed divestment follows a previous agreement with another buyer which was not completed.

The agreement includes a due diligence period before closing of the transaction, during which the buyer can terminate the contract. The approximate gain of 50 million dollar from the divestment will be recorded as a non-recurring item, positively impacting the operating income in business area North America, in connection with closing of the transaction.

According ti Electrolux, closing and the positive cash flow impact are expected to occur during the fourth quarter of 2023. The Group’s production in Memphis stopped on June 30, 2022, and the operations have been transferred to the new facility in Springfield, Tennessee.

Energy Efficiency Directive has been published in the EU Official Journal. «The new directive – APPLiA Europe explains – introduces a series of measures to help accelerate energy efficiency, including the “energy efficiency first” principle in the energy and non-energy policies. The potential energy savings that can be reached by broadening energy access, are substantial».

Paolo Falcioni, APPLiA Director General, commented the new Directive saying that «public policies promoting the replacement of old and inefficient home appliances by highly energy efficient ones would not only help national authorities reach their targets, but also increase the overall welfare of EU citizens. This is also the case for appliances with smart functionalities as well as highly efficient appliances, overall delivering significant reductions in energy bills, creating the conditions for an increased penetration rate of dishwashers, and home appliances more in general, ultimately addressing the primary issue of energy poverty».

APPLiA also excplains that «energy poverty is affecting 90 million households in Europe. About 55% of households in Europe cannot afford to buy a dishwasher. This makes it essential to apply the new energy efficiency first guidelines at all levels, from local to European. Reducing the overall burden of the energy transition and fighting against energy poverty are two core concepts at the heart of the EU’s ‘energy efficiency first’ principle, one of the pillars of the EU decarbonisation strategy. Traditionally conceived as a guiding tool for the design of energy-related policies in the EU, “the newly introduced principle will serve as a key leverage to remove existing market and regulatory barriers to energy efficiency and ultimately unleash the full potential of the energy transition,” pointed Falcioni. In a nutshell, the less energy demand via increased energy efficiency, the less CO2 that would need to be abated by policy measures. This is a revolutionary shift in the run to climate neutrality, putting demand on equal footing with supply when defining future energy regulations».

IFA 2023 was the occasion for GFK experts to present the recent sector trends. According to the company’s data, Tech and Durables products (T&D) are recording a negative trend. The sector closed the first six months of 2023 with a value decline by -6.3% to 390 billion US dollars compared to the same period last year. Looking ahead to the full year results, GfK forecasts value change of -3.4 percent overall, due to ongoing market saturation and slowing demand.

«Within the overall sale – commented Nevin Francis, GfK expert for the T&D industry -, traditional retail regained market share, while online rebalanced after a surge in share during peak sales months. 35 percent of global T&D sales were made online in the first half of 2023, down 5 percent from last year. While this slight drop does not disrupt the long-standing trend toward omnichannel retail, it does make the need for an omnichannel strategy more important than ever.»

Looking at specific segments data, GfK reveils that revenues declined by -12% for Consumer Electronics, by 5% for Major Domestic Appliance and by 1% for Small Domestic Appliances. Even Telecom and IT devices recorded a fall in value, respectevely by 5 and 12%.

First day for IFA 2023, the consumer electronics and home appliances exhibition, that stars today in Berlin and will last on September 5th. Olivier Merlin, managing director of the event expressed his satisfaction for the new edition. «IFA for 2023 is completely sold out – he said -. It’s now 130,000 square meters, and every square centimeter of the Messe Berlin will be used».

Merlin confirmed the participation of 2.059 exhibitors from 44 countries. Additionally, he is projecting 180,000 visitors from 144 countries.

«The show will be fully packed – Merlin added -. That means we will see a lot of exciting innovations from the most significant industry players on the planet, such as Samsung, LG, Honor, Hisense, Sony, Siemens, Bosch, Vestel, Miele and many more. Honor and Hisense will deliver this year’s keynotes, and we expect Honor to unveil its latest foldable phone technology on Sep 1 at 10 a.m. local time, during the “Unfold Tomorrow” keynote».

LG Electronics has recently introduced its reinvented brand strategy to build a stronger, consistent brand image and better convey its commitment to providing a message of ‘Life’s Good.’ As the first step toward strengthening its brand identity, the company undertook a rigorous process to redefine its values and philosophy.

After clearly defining three core values of ‘Uncompromising customer experience,’ ‘Human-centered innovation’ and ‘Warmth to power a smile,’ the company set about reinterpreting and reinvigorating the LG brand, creating new visual assets that mark a new era in its history. The result of this reinvention is a younger and more dynamic visual identity that resonates more deeply with consumers across all generations and backgrounds.

«The look of LG’s iconic Life’s Good slogan – the company explains – has also been revamped and refreshed to better communicate the brand’s firm belief that life is good. A custom typography, inspired by various LG products’ form factors, makes the company’s well-known slogan more distinctive and unique, while the period at the end conveys LG’s confidence and sincerity in its mission to make people’s lives better through innovation».