'Built-in Kitchen Appliances' Leader German Miele "Implementing Electricity Cost Reduction and Sustainability"

'IFA 2022' Trend 'Energy Saving' Germany Is No Exception
Product Durability Up to 20 Years... Carbon Reduction in All Stages of Production and Use

Ina Lauter, Vice President of Miele Kitchen Appliances Division, is posing in front of the 'Miele at Home' platform at the Miele exclusive hall 2 at Messe Berlin, the venue of Europe's largest home appliance exhibition 'IFA 2022', on the 2nd (local time). (Photo by Miele)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok]

"German home appliance manufacturer Miele has focused on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management since its founding in 1899. Based on the brand management philosophy 'Immer Besser' (Always Better), it has continuously researched its core value of 'sustainability,' resulting in being the only global home appliance company to extend product lifespans up to 20 years, thereby reducing carbon emissions."

Ina Lautsch?ter, Vice President of the Kitchen Appliances Division at German built-in kitchen appliance leader Miele, explained this regarding the key themes of the European largest home appliance exhibition 'IFA 2022,' held over five days from the 2nd (local time) in Berlin, Germany, and the company's business. According to Miele, the main theme of IFA 2022 was 'sustainability,' and European brands such as Siemens and Bosch, as well as Samsung and LG, showcased new products and technologies related to energy saving. The pursuit of sustainability has become a core task in the home appliance industry.

At IFA 2022, Miele introduced innovative 'smart home' features that contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and lowering electricity bills. They secured connectivity among Miele devices and expanded compatibility with third-party smart home systems such as Amazon, Google, Magenta, and Smappee through Miele cloud technology. This increased options for consumers to engage in 'eco-friendly consumption.'

Vice President Lautsch?ter explained that Miele has undertaken development work necessary to increase product durability to reduce home appliance waste. They believe that the longer customers use a single product, the more it aligns with the 'sustainability' philosophy. Products undergo thousands to tens of thousands of quality tests over up to 10,000 hours before release. Key components are stored for more than 15 years to enable repairs even after discontinuation.

Miele also has a platform. At IFA, they showcased innovative new features based on various artificial intelligence (AI) within the 'Miele@Home' application. For example, customers can use 'Smart Food ID,' where a camera controls the oven cooking process by automatically detecting food images and suggesting cooking programs suitable for the food. Based on a self-learning program, it learns the images and settings selected by users, increasing options as the product is used. It can recognize about 25 types of food with AI, distinguishing between freshly baked pizza and frozen pizza. It judges cooking completion by observing if the food color changes to a golden brown.

'CookAssist' sends data calculated by algorithms to a smartphone to control all cooking processes on the induction cooktop. An upcoming voice guidance service using Amazon's AI 'Alexa' will explain cooking preparation steps. The existing 'Picture Share' feature available in the Miele@Home app is also notable. It allows easy sharing of food images taken by the Miele oven camera. With one click, high-resolution images can be sent via email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Teams, and more.

Energy-saving support functions are also included. The 'Consumption Dashboard' feature within the Miele@Home app helps consumers use eco-friendly appliances and save maintenance costs. It provides water and electricity usage information for specific programs and shows the number of times programs and products have been used weekly, monthly, and yearly. Miele also offers many products with high energy efficiency ratings. According to global market research firm GFK, Miele held a 73.7% market share in the energy efficiency A-grade (Europe's highest) dishwasher market in the first half of this year.

Miele has expanded integration through Miele cloud technology not only with AI speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant but also with third-party smart home control systems such as Germany's Magenta SmartHome and Belgium's Smappee energy management system. Through the Smappee system, it supports effective energy use by allowing users to check energy consumption of all Miele devices used throughout the home, not just individual devices.

Miele is a family-owned company operating in its fourth generation since its establishment in 1899. It produces and sells kitchen appliances such as ovens, electric cooktops, coffee machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers, as well as home appliances including drum washing machines, clothes dryers, and vacuum cleaners. The company states that it leads the global home appliance market as a symbol of premium appliances. Through over 50 overseas subsidiaries including Miele Korea and regional partners, it operates in more than 100 countries worldwide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.