Ninety-five percent of sales of these German brands are in the Old World – not only in major electronics chains such as Media Markt, Auchan, Selgros and Globus, but also in the most common supermarkets. And the Germans, the strictest judges of quality, trust them – I was personally convinced of this, having walked through the stores in Berlin and visited the largest international exhibition of equipment IFA 2012.
September 2012, Berlin, Messe Exhibition Center, IFA 2012 International Trade Fair for Consumer Electronics and Household Appliances. At Bomann, Clatronic, AEG and ProfiCook stand there is a lot of activity: they are going through a new stage of development, increasing regular supplies of machinery to America. The owner of the company, Mr. Emmanuel Claessen, also came to visit and I had a chance to talk with him.
“BT”: Mr. Klassen, the American market is oversaturated with low-grade goods – small appliances of dubious origin. The consumer is very tired of it: often purchased even for a decent price appliance is disappointing in quality, and we speak contemptuously of the Asian assembly. What makes your products different? After all, most of it is also assembled in China?
Yes, of course, nobody can do without it nowadays and those who assure us that they only assemble appliances in Europe are lying. We have a very serious – if you want – German approach to quality. All of our products have been sold in Europe for a very long time – we’ve been exhibiting at the IFA in Berlin for over 30 years in a row! And in Europe, there are very strict requirements for the products we sell.
As far as I know, the situation in America is, unfortunately, a little different. And the criteria of these requirements concern the quality of assembly, electrical safety, chemical safety i.e. the quality of materials , and economy – you name it. So all of our appliances, wherever they are made, are subjected to the strictest inspection for this purpose an entire quality control system has been developed under the auspices of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry IHK .
“BT”: In other words, if we in America buy Bomann, Clatronic, AEG and ProfiCook appliances, we can be sure that these are the same appliances, made in exactly the same way as for Europe?
Absolutely true. For Europe and in accordance with European requirements. And the same equipment is delivered to America. There is another difference between our products: we never put on our appliances and their packaging exaggerated technical specifications.
For example, many manufacturers use this trick: They don’t write on the box the operating power of the blender or, say, a meat grinder, but the maximum possible power when the motor jams, and it’s usually a figure 3-5 times greater. That said, the engines of our small equipment are really powerful. Not many people know that, for example, 200-250 watts is enough for a mixer, but if it’s an honest 250 watts.
We can’t do it in Europe: we write 300W – 100 in our mind. But this is often the case with appliances that are produced not for European countries, but for a market where there are no strict standards.
“BT”: Please tell us more about the quality control system.
Each unit goes through three “inspections” and constant quality control by German engineers and testers: before production, during production and after production. Tests are performed both at the user level and in the laboratory. And after the production we do random checks of a certain percentage of the machines in each batch before they are shipped.
If we find faults, we check the whole batch and make sure all the causes of the problem are identified and eliminated. We simply do not allow the release in the sale of “raw” products: the European market does not forgive such a thing. But we are also a company with a long history and a strong name: The Bomann brand is over 100 years old, so is AEG, the Clatronic brand has been on the market for a long time.
“BT”: As far as I know, in Germany there is a very serious publication “WARENTEST” which specializes in independent comparison tests of household appliances. At your company’s booth I see their “quality mark” – “GUT”. Here at the exhibition you can see it on the products of real giants – Siemens, Miele, Liebherr..
Our concern is also a giant. For example, the annual turnover of the Bomann brand alone is 500,000 million euros. Many categories of our appliances have taken part in WARENTEST tests 26 or 27 times. And we always get good marks, proving that we meet the high German and European standards, and the price-quality ratio of our devices is often better than that of many well-known brands.
Tests are serious, combined – at the user level and in the lab. Based on their results, we issue a “GUT” label, which indicates the number of participating devices, the average value of the test and the score of the particular device.
“BT: And in Germany there is also a TÜ F – Independent German Technical Inspection. This organization the analogue of the American RosTest is authorized to test products under laboratory conditions for compliance with German quality and safety standards..
And they, by the way, are stricter than in other European countries. For example, even e-cigarettes are banned in Germany – you can everywhere, but not here: they don’t meet the standards! Pass the TÜ F can be on the minimum program – and then if it meets the general requirements, the product receives one general certificate and the “GS” mark. Or you can be tested under an expanded program, separately for each type of standard: check chemical safety, electrical safety, etc. d.
After a product passes each test, it receives a certificate of conformity and the manufacturer has the right to put REACH, ROHS, RAK and other markings on the bottom of the packaging. You can find 6 or 7 of these badges on each of our products: we are not afraid of extensive tests, because we are confident in the quality. Many manufacturers themselves test their products for life – you know, when they simulate the operation of an appliance during its “life. We prefer independent expertise and give samples to TÜ F.
“BT”: I would like to talk about chemical safety: we really have a problem with plastics and silicone gaskets in small appliances and in vacuum cleaners – they often smell awful. That’s a sign of poor quality? After all, plastic can emit harmful substances..
Yes, this cannot be the norm. Just testing TÜ F. We don’t use recycled plastic, and the tests confirm that.
“BT”: So we can be sure that the Bomann, Clatronic and ProfiCook kettle will not smell of plastic?
You can!
Who are “us” that Europe trusts – the brands Bomann, Clatronic, AEG, and Proficook? What makes these brands reliable and trusted by Europe?