Whirlpool redefines its European strategy towards the ‘premium’ home appliance market with human technology as the axis

The appliance company Whirlpool is redefining its strategy to go completely towards the European consumer, with objectives that seek to add real value to their home kitchen and with a technology that learns from your daily rhythms, based on human technology as its axis.

In a meeting with the press at its facilities in Cassinetta (Italy), where the media were able to take a tour of its manufacturing plants and R&D laboratories, the traditional appliance manufacturer has given the keys to the brand’s transformation towards a premium European proposal, after completing the acquisition of 100 percent of Whirlpool’s European home appliance business by the Arçelik group (Beko’s parent company), giving rise to Beko Europe.

Within this framework of changes, the company has expressed its intention to become an option completely focused on the European consumer, offering premium products. To achieve this, the Marketing and Strategy Director of Beko Europe, Ragip Balcioglu, has stated in statements to Europa Press that they must be able to offer “a different experience from the moment people interact with and consider the brand.”

“We make sure that the customer journey is seamless, as is the entire supply chain. To make that process possible, you need fantastic logistics that works with distributors and makes everything easy. If a single element fails, it won’t work,” Ragip said of the logistical demands required to support a product ecosystem of this level..

There is an overriding principle in Whirlpool’s new strategy towards the premium European market and it is the philosophy of “human technology”, which maintains that it should not be an end in itself, but rather a tool that adapts to the user’s daily life and is capable of anticipating without adding complexity.

While connectivity and smart platforms based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be available for several brands of the group, such as Beko or Hotpoint, Whirlpool is distinguished by its total focus on technology and its premium positioning with exclusive functions. In this regard, the manager adds that Whirlpool “is at the top of the group’s portfolio”: ““It is totally cutting-edge technology,” he added.

In fact, at the presentation event, some figures about the current European consumer were shared, which reflect that 51 percent prefer products tailored to their individual needsor that 70 percent are proactive people in managing their well-being.

“The premium sector is more resilient than the one where the price battle is being fought. Therefore, we are differentiating ourselves even more and expanding upwards,” said Ragip regarding its current status in the European market, in which the premium segment is highlighting with 9.8 percent (a growth 3.2 times faster than other sectors), and which shows how Whirlpool wants to be the brand that European consumers trust with smart and connected ecosystems.

TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND DESIGN TO BE PREMIUM

Beyond market figures, the company has indicated that “technology, innovation and design” are the three pillars on which Whirlpool’s new ‘premiumization’ strategy is based.

The first pillar is based on the spirit of ‘6th Sense’ technology integrated into its products, capable of sense, adapt and respond automatically. It highlights adaptability and automation in cases such as the refrigerator that analyzes the user’s daily use to improve energy efficiency by up to 20 percent, while being able to keep food in perfect condition even longer.

Product innovation is Whirlpool’s second pillar and focuses on solving real challenges, such as the MaxiSpace dishwasher, which offers 10 percent more capacity in a standard size.

The third pillar is design, with the idea of ​​offering products that integrate naturally into the home through a refined designconsistent and that fits into the modern lines of the kitchens. The Design Studio, a design brand with three studios in Milan, Istanbul and Shenzhen (China), is in charge of all this part of the company’s products, including color, finishes, materials and user experience.

A TOUR THROUGH THE HEART OF THE EUROPEAN HUB

Whirlpool gave a press tour of its center of Cassinetta (Italy) which, considered the heart of the European hubintegrates design, R&D and production, allowing the organization rapid execution from the initial idea to creating a product ready to enter the consumer’s home.

“Finding design and engineering elements in one place like Cassinetta really makes a difference and I think it’s a strength,” says Ragip Balcioglu of the center located about 60 kilometers northwest of Milan, which It was founded in 1965 and is the epicenter of innovation, by uniting both design and technology as well as Italian heritage in the kitchen.

“The fact that Cassinetta is in the heart of Italy, also very close to Milan, brings great design capacity and a lot of potential when it comes to cooking,” says Ragip, acting as central axis of the ‘Built-in’ strategy with integrated products and production plants for ovens, microwaves, and refrigerators.

During the guided tour, which passed through the Food Lab Experience plant, innovations such as the ‘Twist grill’, an accessory for turning food in a simple way, as well as the new smoking function inside the oven that is part of the new Genesis range which will be launched in 2027, or the Pizza Gourmet experience with the ‘Pizza Stone’ function, which uses lava stone from Mount Etna at 350 degrees of temperature to cook pizzas in just three minutes.

At the XLAB center, the organization is responsible for apply cutting-edge technologies such as advanced robotics (tests with quadruped robots), artificial intelligence (computer vision) and virtual reality, with the aim of optimizing precision and safety in its production plants.

The rest of the plants are part of the production line, and one of them has the capacity to produce for seven different brands and manufacture 43 pieces per hour. This production is characterized by the use of robots for heavy tasks.

THE FUTURE OF WHIRLPOOL WITH GENESIS

Whirlpool too advanced one of its biggest bets for the following years and it is Genesisits next generation of products that will hit the market in 2027 and will position this line as a new standard of timeless elegance with an appliance, with the idea of ​​offering an architectural element of the home that transmits calm and well-being through clean lines and sophisticated materials.

“The new generation of Whirlpool will be 100 percent intelligent. It silently observes and analyzes what you do and becomes a unique product,” says Ragip about the Genesis line, which will be characterized as a fully connected range.

Whirlpool promises that this connectivity will mean a significant revolution in the way consumers interact with their appliances and their capabilities. To exemplify this, the company has carried out a culinary demonstration with pieces of salmon to show the smoking function of the Genesis oven and how this will provide another way of understanding cooking in a home.

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