Rewarding excellence Electrolux

REwARdiNG ExCELLENCE

Electrolux is a well-known global brand that is a market leader in the design and manufacture of home and commercial appliances. The company continues to set new standards in efficiency, connectivity and sustainability. Electrolux works in close partnership with its key suppliers whose dedicated contribution is recognised every year with a special supplier event in Stockholm. Philip Yorke reports.

The Electrolux company originated from the merger of two companies in Sweden in 1919; Lux AB and Svenska Elektron AB. Its early history is closely tied to the vacuum cleaner market but today the multinational makes a broad range of domestic and commercial appliances. Headquartered in Stockholm it is consistently ranked as the world’s second largest appliance maker (by units sold) after Whirlpool. Electrolux has a primary listing on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the OMX Stockholm 30 index. The company currently employs over 56,000 people worldwide and in 2017 recorded consolidated revenues of over 125 billion Swedish Krona.

Performance-plus

The outstanding performance of Electrolux’s suppliers make a vital contribution to the company’s ability to make world-beating products. Recently Electrolux held its sixth annual Supplier Awards event in Stockholm, where the company gathered 29 finalists from more than 3,000 suppliers for a special awards ceremony.

In addition there was a one-day event to engage suppliers on key topics and best practices about co-development, supplier development, innovation and sustainability. At the awards ceremony 13 suppliers were recognised by being awarded prizes in three categories: Supplier Excellence, Supplier Innovation, and Global Service Provider.

The Supplier Excellence Award recognises operational excellence in product development, price competitiveness, quality and the supply chain and social and environmental practices. “Suppliers nominated for this award have demonstrated a sustainable performance record that enables Electrolux factories to produce the most competitive home appliances with the best possible quality” the company told Industry Europe. The winners included: Brascabos, Petro Pac, Diehl Controls, Jiaxpera, Dinair and Omas.

The Electrolux Supplier Innovation Awards recognise the collaboration between Electrolux and its suppliers to develop new innovative components and features that make a difference to group products and consumers. The winners included the OMS Besser Group, Jones Plastic & Engineering, Microsemi, KX Technologies, Murata and Talent Plastics.

The Global Service Provider Award recognises service providers with the highest quality of service, innovation and impact that contributes to creating outstanding consumer experiences. The

suppliers nominated for this award support Electrolux to continuously improve, act sustainably and are actively looking for opportunities to help the company drive digitalisation. The winner in this category was Vecar.

Peter Truyens, senior Vice President Group Purchasing at Electrolux commented, “Our suppliers are an integral part of our success and they help us to achieve better consumer experiences through the development of innovative and sustainable products”

A sustainability ‘first’

Electrolux has developed a new refrigerator prototype that is a world first. The company’s bioplastic concept fridge is unique in that all the visible plastic parts are made of special Bioplastics from renewable sources. The Bioplastic sourced for the refrigerator has more than an 80 per cent lower carbon footprint compared to the conventional plastics in use today. The new prototype refrigerator is part of the Electrolux strategy to create more sustainable home appliances.

Unlike ordinary plastics that are oil-based, the bioplastics come from renewable sources such as corn and sugarcane and are 100 per cent recyclable. Over the last few years the Electrolux Global Creativity and Technology Centre (GC&T) has explored and tested how bioplastics can be applied in Electrolux products and packaging. The special material used in the new refrigerator was provided by ‘Nature Works’ a world leading supplier of biopolymers.

“We are very excited to have developed the world’s first bioplastic concept fridge, which is truly ground-breaking. Our ambition is to develop even more innovative and sustainable home appliances that we may see on the market in the future” said Jan Brockmann, Chief Operations Officer at Electrolux.

New ‘Pro-Smart’ oven launch

The latest innovative appliance from Electrolux has just been launched and made its market debut recently in Norway and Sweden. The Electrolux ‘Connected Steam Oven’ with a built-in camera has taken the market by storm by lifting the cooking experience to a new level. The all new Electrolux CombiSteam

Pro Smart, is equipped with an integrated camera that provides live feed directly from the oven to a mobile device. Via the mobile application and WiFi access, the camera gives consumers an overview of the food in the oven, even when not in the kitchen.

The new Electrolux app also provides hundreds of professional recipes and consumers can send the recipe directly from their mobile device to the oven. Users can also remotely control the cooking process by changing the timer duration and temperature.

Today Electrolux is investing heavily in connected appliances that enhance the cooking experience for consumers and create new business opportunities. Yet another example of Electrolux’ commitment to innovation and sustainability is its introduction of a ‘smart fridge’ designed to reduce food waste. Teaming up with a new app provider called Karma, it represents the first step in an effort to save food from landfill sites and protect the environment. n

For further information about Electrolux’s innovative appliances visit: www.electroluxgroup.com