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issue: June 2009 APPLIANCE Magazine
International Report - Europe
Anticipating Appliances @ IFA ’09 |
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Paul Roggema, Europe correspondent
Appliances @ IFA had a strong launch in 2008—but is the industry support still there?
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IIFA IS Europe’s biggest TRADE SHOW
for consumer electronics. In 2008, with OEM backing, Appliances @ IFA
was added to the fair. The 2008 event was widely described as a
success. Still, several European appliance trade fairs have gone from
boom to bust in recent decades. This, and the economic crises that
followed on the heels of IFA 2008, raised the levels of concern about
the 2009 Appliances event. But in Malta, white goods manufacturers
supporting the event included BSH, Miele, Philips, and the new arrival
in the white goods business, Panasonic.
Of
course, manufacturers are still working on the new products that
they’ll launch at the September fair, so there was enough time for
informal meetings and entertainment in Malta. There were new industry
trends being discussed—if few secrets to be heard. Would BSH be able to
top last year’s success at IFA, when it offered a new dryer,
dishwasher, and coffeemaker? The BSH crew wouldn’t spill their secrets
but told us they would surprise us again. Miele pleased attendees with
delicious coffee from their premium built-in coffeemaker.
Panasonic
displayed a horizontal-drum washer with a capacity of 7 kg. The washer
is quite unusual for Europe, being designed with 3-D movement sensing,
a tilted drum, and direct-drive motor all within the standard 60-cm
form factor.
Philips showed two new products
carrying its Green logo: an iron in which unnecessary steam production
while standing up was eliminated, and a vacuum cleaner with a
redesigned HD motor for 30% improved efficiency. Philips’ spectacular
new flat-screen TV in the Cinema format (21:9) was displayed. The
company again explained its strategy to keep up with the cutthroat
competition from Japanese, Korean, and Chinese TV producers: offer
special and unique features like modern design, perfect motion and
sharpness, the popular Ambilight backlighting capability, and the new
Cinema format.
The good news in the consumer
electronics (CE) world was that, according to market researcher GfK,
the market for CE is doing relatively well (still a 4% worldwide growth
for 2008). Some European markets remain strong (Germany) and others are
indeed suffering (such as the United Kingdom and Spain).
IFA
staff said most participants from 2008 will be exhibiting again in
2009. Whirlpool Corp., however, was not at the 2008 event and is not
booked to exhibit in 2009. IFA, along with Appliances @ IFA, will take
place Sept. 4–9, 2009, at Messe Berlin.
Read Paul Roggema’s on-location reports from last year’s inaugural Appliances @ IFA trade show:
