Eric Wang, Vice President of Midea Group and President of Midea’s Smart Home Business Group, sat down with IFA International to share the brand’s highlights at this year’s show, including its latest environmentally friendly milestone, and discuss the importance of the European market

Midea is demonstrating its full range of products around the theme “Friendly Innovations for Homes,” this year, as well as showcasing its commitment to energy conservation with the ECOMASTER energy conservation feature.

What can IFA attendees experience on Midea’s stand at IFA this year?
We are showcasing a full range of products at IFA around the theme of “Friendly Innovations for Homes.” In addition to witnessing Midea’s appliances, HVAC solutions, kitchen appliances, washing machines and more, attendees can also learn about the brand’s commitment to energy conservation through its ECOMASTER feature. 

IFA visitors can also experience Midea’s Built-In Series, which offers smart home solutions designed specifically for the European market, combining functionality with innovative design. These appliances provide understated elegance that seamlessly integrates with modern home decor. 

Furthermore, attendees can see Midea Group’s best and most innovative products under the Group’s brands including our premium feature-rich brand COLMO; our brand Toshiba, which embraces the Japanese “Takumi” spirit of excellent craftsmanship; and our brand Eureka, which has been at the forefront of cleaning and technology for over 100 years.

What can you tell us about Midea’s ECOMASTER? What makes this technology so innovative?
Midea is on a journey to creating friendlier appliances not just for customers, but also for the environment and the ECOMASTER is our latest milestone. The ECOMASTER provides energy consumption management with cloud-connected advanced analytics, achieving the perfect balance between performance and efficiency for compatible Midea appliances. 

Combining cloud-connectivity and giga-scale data, ECOMASTER’s powerful energy-saving artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm has been pre-trained to predictively optimise the performance of compatible Midea appliances, automatically improving their efficiency based on operational data and API-connected cloud data such as electricity costs and weather conditions, to enable precise energy consumption management. Currently, Midea ECOMASTER is available in seven appliance categories, helping to reduce energy consumption by an average of 30%. This represents huge financial savings for our customers. 

Europe is a key market for home appliances, and European consumers are well-known for their high-standards when it comes to product design and functionality.

Why is Europe a strategic market for Midea? Could you elaborate on how you plan to enhance your presence here?
Europe is a key market for home appliances, and European consumers are well-known for their high-standards when it comes to product design and functionality. Midea is dedicated to meeting European customers’ demands with over 50 years of accumulated experience and expertise in product research and development, quality control, and energy efficiency, along with valuable consumer insights gained from working with European retailers.

To support these efforts, Midea has established 33 R&D centers and 43 major manufacturing sites, including 17 R&D centers and 22 manufacturing bases located overseas. This extensive network allows us to launch innovative products designed specifically for the European market. Apart from its products, Midea also emphasises the “local-for-local” strategy by investing in logistics and after-sales service infrastructure to deliver integrated consumer experiences throughout our products’ lifecycle. 

How significant is the Matter standard for the home appliance industry, and in what ways is Midea leveraging this technology?
Matter ensures reliable and secure connectivity through a unified industry standard. Midea Group joined the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) board in 2022. Since joining, we have been showing our leadership and have always been on the front lines pushing for collaboration. In November 2022, Midea became one of the first to receive Matter certification for our air conditioner. We have also introduced the first Matter-connected fan purifier and dishwasher. As a CSA member, Midea continues to work with leading companies to enhance IoT compatibility and improve everyday life.

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Engaging with European football fans

Europe, a key market for Midea, also has a huge football fan base. Recognising the importance of the sport to consumers in the region, Midea has established a successful long-term partnership with a leading football club – Manchester City. In addition, the brand has signed Erling Haaland, the club’s star striker, as Midea’s Global Brand Ambassador. “Midea, a relatively young brand in Europe, boasts a long history of manufacturing excellence in home appliances. Similarly, Manchester City is a global brand renowned for its commitment to excellence and achievement in sports,” said Mr Wang. “Our core values align closely with those of the club, reflecting dedication, excellence, and competition—traits embodied by players like Erling Haaland, and that epitomise our own company culture,” he maintained.

The partnership, in place since January 2020, has produced numerous global content campaigns as well as local events that have looked to create fun interactions while establishing closer emotional bonds between the brand and consumers. A couple of winning examples of recent campaigns were the #MideaHomeChallenge, which aimed to engage sports fans during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, and the #MideaWorldClassAwards content drive, which invited fans to vote for their favourite players.

Hall 5.1 / Stand 101