Pure ice logic Snaige

PURE ICE LOGIC

Snaige AB is a European market leader in the design and manufacture of refrigerators for consumer and commercial markets. The company continues to invest in new technology and to innovate. Its latest ‘Ice Logic’ range won it the refrigerator product of the year in its category, as Philip Yorke reports.

Snaige AB was founded in Lithuania in 1963 and has been manufacturing refrigerators since 1966. Today Snaige has a production capacity of 550,000 units per year and produces refrigerators, freezers and vertical coolers. The company has been awarded the coveted Lithuanian innovation prize several times and is recognised as is one of the most successful and innovative companies in Lithuania.

Innovation and diversity

Snaige’s product lines are recognised for their consistently high quality in the mid-price range segment. Currently, the company manufactures over 30 models with 300 different variations of design led household refrigerators, coolers freezers and commercial refrigeration equipment. All the company’s products boast a range of features including antibacterial protection, low noise levels, air active systems and fast-freeze functions, among many others. In addition, all Snaige refrigerators are highly energy efficient and are constantly being improved and upgraded by the company’s strong product development team, which is located in-house and implements innovations with regard to product design and advanced technological features.

Currently the company produces three distinct product ranges in three design lines. These are the ‘Snaige Glassy’, which is a premium line and the flagship of the company and is based on its popular ‘Ice Logic’ line with added cosmetics such as glass doors and fully electronic control systems. This particular product is able to compete successfully with ‘high-end’ refrigerators produced by the leading international brands and is therefore very popular in Western markets.

The ‘Snaige Ice Logic Quality’ line is the company’s core product range with mid-market positioning and is recognised by both customers and the Lithuanian Government, which granted Snaige the Product of the Year Innovation award for the model. Special features include internal innovations such as a non-freeze zone and improved efficiency compressor units.

The company’s economy line is known as ‘Active Soft’ and is positioned as a value-for-money brand, which includes all the necessary features at a competitive price. As a result, this range of refrigerators is very popular with the Central Asian Markets.

Flexible processes

Snaige’s main production facility is located at Alytus, Lithuania and covers an area of more than 50,000 square metres, of which more than 12,000 square metres is dedicated to its state-of-theart warehousing facilities. The annual capacity of this modern

plant is over 550,000 refrigerators and it has been designed to be as flexible as possible and highly efficient in order to be able to accommodate market changes and fluctuating order levels for different models. Snaige also has a wholly-owned subsidiary, Almecha, which is located at the same site and produces a variety of components for Snaige as well as being contracted by external international customers.

The company’s general manager Mr Gediminas Ceika said, “We are proud of the fact that we can offer our high quality products at such competitive prices. In addition, the size of our plant allows us to be very flexible and supply our customers with what they want in the shortest possible time. In addition, we offer some exclusive opportunities to customise their products, such as colouring their refrigerators in any colour they choose from the RAL pallet selection and adding special artwork effects and glass doors etc.”

Expanding markets

The company’s customer base is diverse and includes major retailers and wholesalers, as well as other manufacturers of home appliances.

In addition to these active clients, Snaige has a large client database of private label clients, which are also major retailers and several large electric appliance manufacturers in Europe. The company believes it has achieved a good balance between its more profitable high-end products and the more stable but lower profit margin private label sales, which it says is one of the key factors in its success.

Today Snaige exports its products to over 30 countries worldwide and in 2015 its largest markets were France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. The biggest growth markets for Snaige are likely to be the emerging Asian markets and eastern Europe.

Ceika added, “In order to remain competitive we will further improve our product ranges. Mainly we will focus on increasing energy efficiency and our no-frost technologies. Secondly, we are going to focus on strengthening our brands in our branded markets. There are also some new markets that we are targeting, which will be operational in the near future. In addition, we are considering a new extension to our current product range.”

In keeping with its strict quality control parameters, Snaige purchases its raw materials from carefully selected suppliers and from leading manufacturers in Asia and Europe. The biggest categories are refrigerator components such as compressors and evaporators and raw materials used for product manufacturing, such as PU systems, CR Steel and plastic components. n

For further information about Snaige’s innovative refrigerators and freezers visit: www.snaige.lt