Source: China Appliance (run by CHEAA)
At AWE 2017, food area attracts the most audiences with cutting-edge kitchen appliances and integrated kitchen scenarios that allow audiences to see, touch and even have a taste of what they’re capable of making. Exhibition hall E1 houses kitchen enterprises including Fotile, Robam, Vatti, Sakura, Sacon, Macro, Gemake and more. Comprehensive brands such as Haier, Midea, BSH, Siemens, Whirpool, and Panasonic all have their new kitchen appliances on show. We can see from showcased products that kitchen appliances are going smart, interconnectivity-capable and multi-functional, and built-in appliances and integrated kitchen are on trend.
Smartness
Kitchen has become a key battle ground of major home appliance enterprises. At AWE 2017, a kitchen-based smartness battle is on.
China Appliance finds that, Haier, Midea, Vatti, Robam and Fotile add smart functions to their kitchen appliances such as hoods and refrigerators, and based on that, establish their smart kitchen scenarios.
With a smart kitchen on-site, Vatti rolls out its magic package-Magic V2 hood, Magic Disk-shape Stove, and Magic Smart Oven. With connection to individual appliances, the V2 hood acts as the hub of Vatti’s smart kitchen, allowing for easier and more convenient operation of users.
Robam has been speeding up its deployment in smart kitchen after rolled out its smart hood ROKI in 2015. Ye Dan, Chief Brand Officer of Robam, reveals that, “Based on the idea of an eco-kitchen system, Robam regards smartness as a priority in the next 3 years. The strategies of Robam are all developed surrounding eco-systems, including an eco-system designed to improve user experience.”
Midea launched its M-Smart strategy in 2014. At AWE 2017, Midea puts forward the idea of “Future Kitchen”, and is set to offer an integrated solution to it in 2017, which will bring convenience and healthiness to users through human-machine interaction of its self-developed smart operation system. “The Future Kitchen works like a computer. Through connections of products to the ‘host’, it provides convenient kitchen experience.” An employee of Midea Kitchen Division says.
As an integral part of the Future Kitchen, Midea’s signature steaming hood CXW-230-TT9056-GR is rolled out at AWE. Using a smart sensor, it is equipped with a “smart hawk-eye” system which is able to detect the condition of the interiors, rate it on a scale of 1 to 5, and present it on a HD display. Through a one-button operation of users, it cleans itself with 360°sprayedsteams of 110℃. This product raises the bar of the smart steaming hoods and provides unprecedented convenience to households.
For comprehensive brands, more kitchen scenarios are established. Haier’s Xinchu refrigerator is designed to be the “4th display screen” of a household following TV, computer and mobile phone. Through the display screen of this refrigerator, users can listen to music, watch TV dramas, read cookbooks and even go shopping. Besides, as the “brain” of a kitchen, it connects the rest of kitchen appliances such as ovens and dishwashers. After selects a recipe, the refrigerator sends an instruction to the oven to automatically start its program and to the hoods and cooktops to work accordingly. Besides, through the connection between the TV and the refrigerator, users can watch TV while do the cooking.
BSH is committed to offering a life style with efficiency and convenience. At AWE 2017, its “Home Connect”-enabled kitchen appliances are showcased, spanning ovens, cookware, coffee makers, hoods, etc. Using a data exchange system certified by TuV, BSH’s Home Connect monitors and runs the home appliances in real time. Users can monitor the work of the cookware, and set a program at a long distance through this APP.
Kitchen plays an integral role in the evolvement of individual appliances into smart scenarios. At the display area specially set to showcase smart appliance interconnectivity, a number of kitchen appliances, such as hood, coffee maker, dishwasher and oven, are seen interconnected of all the 20 products on show.
Despite interconnectivity, smartization is also designed to elevate the functions of smart appliances. For instance, the SmartPan of Robam on exhibition at AWE 2017 is capable of detecting the weight and temperature of food and activating the hoods accordingly, making cooking operations accurate. And through sophisticated calculations, the programs automatically go to the next step based on the temperature of the pan and the condition of food, making user operations easier.
Multi-functions
Multi-functional kitchen appliances make the best use of a product and establish an eco-system in small-size kitchens.
Fotile’s in-sink dishwasher has seen wide media coverage in 2017. With 35 patents, this three-in-one dishwasher adds a separate sink for fruits and vegetables, and is able to clean a sink of dishes with only three bottles of water. Its unique high-frequency ultrasonic cleaning mode, coupled with high-speed turbo mode, removes 90% of the pesticide residues of fruits and vegetables. Being a product that saves time, water, electricity and space, it knows Chinese kitchens and housewives best. This in-sink dishwater has reaped almost all the awards of the industry after placed on the market.
Innovation is not only about creating more, but also simplification. Integrating microwave oven, electric oven, and electric steamer into one product saves the space of the kitchen as well as the cabinet, while satisfy the demand of users with multi-functions.
Haier’s steamer oven is designed with steaming and baking programs with one-button operations. Based on market research data, Midea elevates its microwave products into a whole new line of steamer microwave ovens. Vatti also has a combined product that satisfies users’ needs while saves up kitchen space. Fotile’s steamer oven is loaded with 49 menus. With steaming sterilization, it stands out in cleaning as well as sterilization. This function is proved safe to baby products.
Integrated kitchen
Year 2016 witnessed the surge of built-in kitchen appliances at online distribution channels. In this year, the market expanded fast, and thanks to the joint efforts of distributors, media and enterprises, consumers have a better knowledge of and more acceptability to integrated built-in appliances, including hoods, gas ranges, dishwashers, electric ovens, steamer ovens, etc. According to statistics from All View Cloud, dishwashers, built-in steaming ovens, electric ovens, microwave ovens register retail sales of 1.91 billion RMB, 2.18 billion RMB, 2.38 billion RMB and 0.32 billion RMB respectively, a year-on-year rise of 104.3%, 83.9%, 39.2% and 27.3% respectively.
BSH showcases it Series 8 built-in kitchen appliances and MUM food mixer. With its powerful 1600W motor, BSH’s food mixer is able to process food at high speed thus well-keep the nutrients. Besides, the wide range of accessories coming with the machine integrates 120 functions including beating, blending, grinding, slicing and more. BSH’s Series 8 built-in ovens come in sleek style. With a sensor to monitor the humidity during the baking, it automatically adjusts the baking program to create premium taste. And its three-point measuring probe is able to monitor the temperature accurately and estimate the extent of the baking. When the temperature reaches the threshold, the oven automatically stops working.
Joyoung’s foldable hood of its Scandinavia Series puts the aesthetic of modern kitchen in mind, and integrates the hoods into the style of the kitchen. With Marion exteriors and stainless steel interiors, this stylish hood automatically folds itself against the wall when the power is off.
As built-in appliances go popular, a number of leading brands roll out integrated kitchen solutions. Haier puts on market its Yun Kitchen Series including a hood, a smart gas range, a visible disinfecting cabinet and a smart oven, which interconnects with each other and can be operated through a smart terminal. Fotile rolls out its Cloud Magic Cube Series including a hood, a gas range, a disinfecting cabinet, an in-sink dishwasher, a built-in steamer, a built-in oven, and a built-in microwave oven. These integrated kitchen solution is setting the trend of high-end kitchen appliances.