Source: AWE
On March 14th, Appliance & Electronics World Expo 2019 (AWE 2019 for short) is grandly opened in Shanghai New International Exhibition Center. Themed with “Falling in love with AI·Smart Life”, AWE 2019 again focuses on intelligentization. It offers visitors at home and abroad an intelligent feast by bringing together global forefront technologies and industry standard bearers.
AWE forges ahead with the greatness achieved through reform
For forty years since the reform and opening up, China's household appliances and consumer electronics industry has achieved rapid development and made remarkable achievements through continuous exploration and promotion, becoming an important pillar of the national economy as well as an industry with international competitiveness. Before the founding of new China in 1978, China's home appliance and consumer electronics industry had almost "zero" foundation. The reform and opening up brought a golden opportunity for industry development. Comparing to 40 years ago, we can't help exclaiming that the achievements made by the industry are brilliant. In 2018, the main business income of China's home appliance industry has reached RMB 1.49 trillion, with a profit of RMB 122.5 billion and a total export volume of USD 68.6 billion. Back in 1978, the whole national output of home appliance industry was only RMB 423 million.
“In the past 40 years, China has gradually grown into a global manufacturer and a big consumer of home appliances and consumer electronics. As a leading platform of the industry, AWE has developed into a top-notch platform that brings together leading enterprises and cutting-edge technologies and foresees future trends in the fields of home appliances, consumer electronics and artificial intelligence.” Jiang Feng, President of China Household Electrical Appliances Association, says. Year 2019 remarks the first year for China to set out its pace again to reform and opening up and visitors can witness the great achievements of China’s home appliances and consumer electronics industry made during the forty years, the technological results of the industry and the new intelligent life brought by hundreds of overseas and domestic exhibitors at AWE 2019, according to Jiang Feng.
In 2018, China’s total economic output exceeded RMB 90 trillion for the first time, trade volume surpassed RMB 30 trillion for the first time and GDP rate kept a growth at 6.6%. Along with the noteworthy achievements comes the structural problems that exist in the process of economic development. Home appliances and consumer electronics industry enters a new phase of development, while AWE acts as the new starting point for the industry to set out again to reform and open up. “In 1978, only a small number of electric fans and irons could be seen in Chinese households. Thanks to the reform and opening up, our generation has experienced the 'happiness of using the first home appliance'. ” Jiang Feng says frankly, “nowadays, household appliances are no longer a scarce commodity and they have been deeply integrated into our daily life. However, its nature of bringing safe, convenient, comfortable, healthy and beautiful life and the mission of creating happiness for people has never changed. At AWE 2019, the emergence of new categories and the iterations of existing products offers an illustration of China’s consumption upgrading trend while create a better and happier life for people. China's home appliance and consumer electronics industry will start again, and create a brilliant future of the industry through innovation in the fast-changing era.
A strong lineup of leading enterprises
As a top exhibition that integrates household appliances, consumer electronics, intelligent ecosystems, and connects the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, AWE has constantly refreshed its records in recent years, bringing a higher level of exhibition to the world with an increasing exhibition scale, exhibitors and visitors as well as the most advanced and richest innovation achievements. According to data provided by the organizers, AWE 2019 covers 10 halls in the Shanghai New International Expo Center from W1 to W5 Hall and from N1 to N5 Hall with an exhibition area of 130,000 square meters. It sets up ten exhibition halls, involving consumer electronics, white goods, kitchen and bathroom electric appliances, household electric appliances, environmental and healthy appliances, smart home and a Technology Park, Haier experience pavilion and Midea experience pavilion, with an exhibitor number of nearly 900.
Now, AWE has become the best arena for domestic and foreign enterprises to show their strength, as well as an important exchange platform for global household appliance industry. Jiang Feng says, compared with last year, AWE 2019 gathers more exhibitors from home appliances, consumer appliances and IT. Among them, Haier and Midea showcases themselves at independent pavilions. She stresses, “AWE pays great attention to consumer electronics and kitchen appliances this year, attracting a wide array of outstanding enterprises.”
The strongest lineup of global TV brands appear at AWE 2019, including domestic players such as Hisense, TCL, Skyworth, Changhong, Konka and Haier, and foreign players such as Samsung, SONY, LG and Sharp. An audio-visual feast is in full swing. It's worth mentioning that LG Display, a global leading panel maker, also participates in the Expo to promote OLED in Chinese market. Jiang Feng says, “AWE has been digging deep in the field of consumer electronics year by year, and stretching itself from appliance manufacturers to upstream suppliers. More and more consumer electronics companies choose to showcase their performances and release new products at AWE, further expanding the global influence of AWE in the field. ”
Domestic leading kitchen electric enterprises such as Fotile, Robam, Haier, Midea, Vatti, and Sacon and foreign brands boasting high quality such as Bosch, Siemens, AEG, and Fisher & Paykel provides visitors the opportunity of an immersive experience of high-quality life through intelligent kitchens that integrate cutting-edge technology with Chinese and western cuisine. Jiang Feng points out emphatically, “this year, AWE joins hands with AMK (German Association of Modern Kitchen Industry) to organize more than ten AMK member enterprises including Nobilia, Schott and Nolte to make a presence at the Expo, a lineup that consists of the biggest Germany kitchen appliances brands in AWE’s history.” Among them, Nobilia, a top German cabinet enterprise, and MHK, a giant of German integrated-kitchen trade, make their AWE debut.
While consolidating its influence at home and abroad, AWE's consumption-leading role and notability will continue to be improved. According to Jiang Feng, AWE2019 is expected to attract 300,000 visitors from at home and abroad.
Lead the industry progress with breakthroughs of multiple fields
As a display window of global cutting-edge technologies and innovative products, AWE has become an indicator of the industry, spanning white goods, smart TV, digital devices, kitchen & bathroom electrical appliances, environmental and healthy appliances, beauty & health care (personal care) appliances, cleaning appliances, healthcare appliances, smart home, AI, wearable devices, VR/AR, Internet of Things, ICV (intelligent connected vehicle), robot, and etc.
The prosperity in brown goods is showcased completely at AWE 2019. Jiang Feng tells our reporter, “AWE2019 brings an annual feast of ‘smart entertainment’ to consumers all around the world." As to the hard power, 8K, OLED, the quantum dots and laser display present the upgrading momentum of the whole display technology field, while as to the soft power, the commercialization of AI technology will completely re-write the product ecology.
At the same time, AWE 2019 brings an annual feast of “smart food” to visitors by showcasing the charm of a tech-powered “smart kitchen”. “AWE has a unique geographical advantage, and it demonstrates kitchen appliances from the east and west. On one hand, China has the most distinctive eastern food culture. A number of Chinese leading kitchen appliances enterprises with an in-depth study of Chinese cuisine intensively showcase the profound strength of China’s kitchen appliances brands at AWE. On the other hand, under the trend of globalization, more and more foreign kitchen appliances brands enter Chinese market with new technology to deliver the charm of western food culture.” Jiang Feng expresses that, the cooperation between AWE and AMK this year brings German modern kitchen idea and scientific solutions to the show, further enriching the exhibition scope of AWE in the field of kitchen appliances. Besides, to offer global visitors an immersive experience of the most cutting-edge technologies in a kitchen, AWE designs a new experience party—AWE Kitchen Appliances Gourmet Festival, to deeply promote the beautiful life brought by modern kitchen by taking the Expo as the platform and the cuisine as the medium. By this, visitors experience the tech-powered intelligent life at AWE.
Amid the consumption upgrading, environmental appliances and household appliances have become a new force that cannot be ignored in China's household appliance industry. As to environmental appliances, foreign enterprises such as A.O. Smith, Philips, Pentair, 3M and Culligan as well as domestic enterprises such as Viomi, Canature, Lexy and Broad are part of the show. W4 Hall exhibits all kinds of household appliances, including brands such as Pentium, Airmate, Ecovacs, TAB, Kärcher, SMATE, and Puppy. Jiang Feng says, “Healthy, high-end and intelligent appliances have become a vital direction for the development of the environmental and household appliance industry. Exhibitors brings a lot of excellent products to improve the quality of life for consumers, and puts more applications into different scenarios, effectively improving the living standard of consumers. ”
A global platform that showcases eye-catching intelligent life
“Smart life is a reality at AWE. Thanks to the development of IoT, big data, and AI as well as the commercialization of 5G, the era of smart home is certainly just around the corner. ” Jiang Feng says that, with the intelligentization throughout the industry chain and the deepening digital transformation, intelligentization empowers Chinese home appliance industry to upgrade by fueling the industry to achieve high-quality development.
“Falling in love with AI·Smart life” is the theme of AWE 2019. AI is everywhere at AWE, from functional configurations to the commercialization of applications such as smart home, intelligent transportation and smart city. AI technology is providing better intelligent experience for consumers and making them truly fall in love with smart life.
"More importantly, a growing number of smart scenarios are displayed on site at AWE 2019 and enter into consumers’ home.” Jiang Feng expresses that, the era1.0 featuring individual intelligent product has passed, and the realization of scenario-based smart home is the key to future industrial upgrading and breakthroughs. Industry leaders such as Haier, Midea, Hisense, and TCL simulate the scenarios at AWE 2019, making visitors experience the convenience and beauty of life brought by smart home. Among them, Haier brings global users whole new smart home solutions provided by its seven sub-brands including Haier, Casarte, Leader, GEA, FPA, AQUA and Candy. Midea Pavilion displays rich contents including home wide intelligent solutions, intelligent environment, intelligent nutrition, intelligent water utilization, intelligent new retail, intelligent solutions of robot and automation, and intelligent big data. Hisense comprehensively showcases intelligent transportation, smart medical treatment, and smart city solutions.
Meanwhile, cross-brand interconnected smart home scenarios also make a dazzling presence at AWE 2019. At W3 Hall where the smart home appliance Cloud to Cloud Interconnection (CIC) Project is located, visitors can experience a high-level intelligent life in the three connected scenarios which include a smart living room, a smart bedroom, and a smart kitchen. “These three scenarios consist of 22 smart products from 11 enterprises, covering 18 product fields in total. It has realized the interconnection of multiple brands through the CIC project. ” Jiang Feng says, the cross-brand interconnection not only offers a broader range of product options for users when it comes to the establishment of a smart home, but also breaks the embarrassing isolations of brands and expands the scope of intelligent household ecosystem, laying a foundation for the development of future smart life.
"In 2019, AWE continues to play a leading role in the field of intelligence. It sets up a panoramic platform for the development of global smart home appliances from whole machine products to core accessories, from intelligent technology to IoT platform. Jiang Feng says, as a featured exhibition area and a hot spot of AWE, Technology Park houses a wide array of cutting-edge technology and innovative products as usual. This year, it attracts more heavyweight technology enterprises, including leading enterprises such as Huawei, Qihoo 360, iFlytek, AI enterprises such as Ezviz, Mobvoi, Unisound, AISPEECH, and IoT platform and solution providers such as HET, Xlink and Tuya Intelligence.
A show of life-changing technologies and upgrade-leading innovations
Walking in the exhibition halls of AWE 2019, visitors can see refrigerator that acts as a home health manager, washing machine with auto procedure setting function, air-conditioner with a sensor to detect human beings and thus avoid direct air blowing, electric oven that can roast chicken automatically, electric cooker that can recognize rice automatically, and all kinds of other electrical appliances that can recognize languages... “The continuous evolution of technology will not only promote the development of electrical appliances, but also improve people’s daily life.” Jiang Feng says that, in recent years, AWE has become a science & technology demonstration platform of springing-up new products, new technologies, and new ecologies. This year, more than one hundred product or strategy releasing activities of enterprises take place during AWE, showcasing the strong homegrown power of Chinese household appliance appliances for the industry and consumers.
The spirit of developing along with the times powers Chinese electrical appliance enterprises to take the lead in the new round of industrial upgrading. “By 'introduction, digestion, absorption and re-innovation', Chinese home appliance industry has established its own R&D system and teams with success. Product development grows from following, imitation to independent innovation, innovation model from exclusiveness to openness to the establishment of an open global R&D system, manufacturing mode from manual, semi-automation, automation then to intelligent manufacturing. ” As Jiang Feng says, AWE fully showcases how innovation leads the industry to upgrade.
In 2019, AWE will continue to integrate resources from inside and outside and fully delivers the thought of “breaking boundary”. A large number of events take place at AWE 2019, including China Household Electrical Appliance Development Summit, “AWE Award” Ceremony, China Real Estate Fine Decoration Forum, Modern Kitchen Summit, CIC Cross-border Cooperation Initiative and Information Security Standard Press Release, Global Technology Innovation Conference on AI Chip, China Household Electrical Appliance Industry Chain Conference, China Environment & Health Household Electrical Appliance Summit. “For example, China Household Electrical Appliance Development Summit invites Qin Shuo, a renowned cultural and financial observer to bring new nutrition for the development of the industry from different perspectives.
AWE will continue to promote the exchanges and interactions between industrial chains and consumers in all ways and at multiple levels to give chances to onsite visitors to have close contacts with advanced science and technology. In 2019, concurrent events such as AWE Kitchen Appliance Gourmet Festival, and JD Shopping Day also make their debut. Beyond an annual carnival for consumers, it will lead the public to choose a brand new way of intelligent life.