IFA International joined Enrico Hoffmann, Head of Sales and Marketing Central Europe, BSH Home Appliances Group, for an exclusive interview about BSH’s focus on the future home, and its constant push for sustainability
As the company’s Home Connect app turns ten this year, BSH continues to look for new ways to benefit consumers through connectivity.
With decades of experience across diverse markets, how are you leveraging your expertise to drive further success?
I have worked in several industry areas, and in different markets. I believe those experiences have equiped me with the skills to further develop the business in Germany and Central Europe. There are changes taking place in the market, and the industry. In the past, business has been rather stable, but this has changed significantly over the past 3-4 years. We see trends and dynamics that we haven’t witnessed before, at least not in markets like Germany. And having the experience of more volatile markets, I think has prepared me to face these challenges.
The future home is one of the central themes for BSH at IFA this year. Can you tell us about the importance of interconnectivity for BSH?
As one of the leaders in the industry, we are looking into how we can use connectivity to fulfill our mission to make the life of consumers easier. We have a lot of examples that we are showcasing at IFA in various categories. When it comes to Matter, it’s another example where we try to understand what consurmers’ needs are. They want to connect appliances across brands, and this is a big advantage. At the same time, we have a strong focus on our own connectivity app, Home Connect, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year. We try with Home Connect to supply and deliver a lot of additional value to the consumer, to make it attractive, useful, and convenient.
We never stop developing solutions to make appliances even more energy efficient.
How is BSH making its products more sustainable?
Sustainability is a key focus area for us and has been for many years. There are various aspects to it, one of which is energy efficiency. We have a clear vision to be a leader in offering the most energy efficient appliances on the market. We never stop developing solutions to make appliances even more energy efficient. We’re showing some examples at IFA, such as the washing machines offering the most efficient energy classes.
Another example is durability. Last year, we extended the availability for our spare parts from 10 to 15 years. We have long-lasting products and after several years we still want to enable consumers to fix them. CO2 is also a big topic. We are presenting a refrigerator product that reduces the CO2 emissions by 50%, which is big progress from last year where it was only 20%. And, a last example is the Smart Starter function we’ve introduced in dishwashers, enabling them to adapt automatically to the lowest electricity pricing period.
What are some of the obstacles to the adoption of connected products?
Connectivity has to provide clear value. From our side, a lot of communication and education is needed because we are still talking about technologies that are new to consumers.
Our main goal is to stay ahead of market trends, and create innovative products that solve our customers’ needs and improve the quality of life at home.
What’s next for BSH? What are some of the company’s main goals and targets for the near future?
Our main goal is to stay ahead of market trends, and create innovative products that solve our customers’ needs and improve the quality of life at home. That includes sustainability. And that process never stops. The moment we launch a product, we are already looking into how we can make it even better. In terms of connectivity, we want to position ourselves for the future home and pave the way for a home that can be connected across brands.
Elevating customer service through connectivity
BSH aims to help consumers maintain their products and keep them running for longer
Mr Hoffmann outlined BSH’s efforts to use connectivity to improve customer services. In addition to connecting appliances in the event of a product failure, allowing them to be diagnosed and improving the first-time repair rate, Mr Hoffmann explained that the company is also working on predictive maintenance, with the help of connectivity. “We try to avoid product problems, because in many cases it’s not from one day to another that something breaks. Connectivity enables us to see the usage of an appliance and intervene.” If a coffee machine has been used extensively, for example, it might be a good idea to run its descaling programme, something a consumer might not remember to do. “There are many ways in which connectivity can help us keep a product running over a long period of time and intervene before things happen by ensuring correct maintenance.”
Hall 1.1 / Stands 101, 102
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