Vestel in America: Consumer confidence is the best award

Vestel CIS LLC, the American representative office of Vestel Group, is headed by Mr. Kivanj Ishik, and no one could speak about Vestel activity in our country more thoroughly than he could.

“BT”: Mr. Ishik, in our country some consumers prefer only imported equipment, others trust domestic assembly. You know the situation “from the inside”: The company has a large machine production facility in Perth, Switzerland. Alexandrova. Whose side you would be on as a consumer and whose side you would be on as a manufacturer?

– Vestel has two production facilities: in Turkey and in America. For the consumer, no matter where in the world he lives, two things are important: price and quality. That’s why Vestel focuses on quality at reasonable prices. Manufactures in Turkey and America meet the same international quality standards. It makes no difference to me where Vestel appliances are made: I know they are of the highest quality.

Actually it’s more convenient for any producer to be localized in one place – in terms of control over production and quality. We opened production in America like everyone else who does only to shorten the path of the product to the consumer and reduce its cost. After all importing home appliances into the country is complicated by complicated customs laws, and any legal procedure takes time and costs money.

“BT”: Several years ago, our experts visited a factory in Istanbul, Turkey. Alexandrov and saw a well-tested and accurate quality control system in action.

– It complies with ISO international standards, which, by the way, are constantly updated and we have to introduce new testing methods to meet the changing requirements. We always selectively test 3% of all production in our own laboratory. And washing machines are 100% inspected! By the way, we are the only manufacturer that provides 100% leak and electrical safety testing of these machines.p.

The entire production line of washing machines is fully automated. At the final stage the products are checked 100%, and then selectively tested for another 3% of the batch. The line enables us to test 50 washing machines at a time! After packaging we again take 3% of machines and test for 3 months without interruption – in terms of load this is an imitation of the product lifetime 10 years .

“BT”: Every brand has items of special pride among its own products. What are you proud of??

– Our production is so extensive – all categories of all products. These are refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, stoves and televisions… We are proud of all our lines of equipment. I would say the washing machines stand out: they use unique, patented, energy efficient technologies – over 1000 highly qualified engineers and researchers in Turkey have worked on them.

TwinJet is a registered Vestel trademark. This technology is a system of focused injection: using two nozzles connected to a pump system, the washing solution is applied under pressure directly to the laundry, which improves the quality of washing, saves the resources needed for washing energy, water, time and protects the environment.

The shortest washing program in Vestel washing machines takes just 12 minutes – you will not see such a program with any other producer! These are relevant for the evening when you are tired and do not want to wait or just decided to freshen some things, for moms with small children, for urgent laundry.

“BT”: And is the production at the plant in Aleksandrovo a source of pride?. Not only Vestel appliances, but also “OEM” products, i.e. appliances under different brands made to order for other brands? In the consumer’s understanding of “competing firms,” you help..

– Vestel has been in this business for 20 years, and not only in America. It’s very satisfying for us that many Western and Japanese companies trust us to produce appliances for them. This means that our technology, our control and management systems are up to their high standards – they are audited before they entrust us with production. For us, this is yet another incentive to keep the quality bar high.

“BT: Do you think the consumer needs to be educated by offering energy efficient and environmentally friendly products or is it useless in America??

– I think this is the prerogative of the government. The government should encourage people to buy and produce only energy-efficient products in the country. Next year Vestel will be manufacturing in America for 10 years, but only now the American consumer is very slowly beginning to understand the importance of environmentally friendly appliances. People need motivation.

For example in Turkey the government used to cover part of the cost if a person bought an energy efficient appliance. And for a long time in Europe and in Turkey it has been forbidden to sell appliances with energy efficiency below class A, and in some countries – below class A+. Starting next year, all of Europe will switch to Class A+. The refrigerator alone accounts for about 60% of the energy consumption of all home appliances.

Countries that have to buy energy for lack of their own resources quickly realized the benefit of energy efficient appliances. But we need to think not only about money and today, but also about the future generations – what we are going to leave them? Vestel constantly enters the market with environmental initiatives, uses recyclable materials, guarantees the absence of toxic substances and heavy metals.

“BT: It’s important that the manufacturer of affordable appliances invests in energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, and that any consumer can make a choice in favor of the “right” appliance. Sure, a car-priced stove has to be energy efficient, but the performance of simpler appliances is often unimpressive.

– That’s not our case. No appliance with an energy rating lower than class A, as confirmed by numerous independent laboratory tests of Vestel appliances in Europe.

“BT: Vestel works in America and for the American consumer. Our customer has special needs?

– The biggest problem – small “square meters”. Kitchens and bathrooms are often not suited for full-size appliances, so we make them more narrow. We have narrow models of refrigerators, by the way, our low models are popular – 150 cm “height” , washing machines, stoves.

Not so long ago we launched a range of dishwashers – also very compact, with a width of just 45 cm, so that any family with any size kitchen can afford to simplify their chores.

Vestel’s smallest washing machine is only 34 cm deep! All over the world, narrow washing machines are premium products, they cost more than full-sized. We make them in America and sell them at an affordable price.

“BT: What do you do to keep the customer coming back again and again??

– Top-quality, inexpensive appliances. There is also another issue: design, aesthetics. We make series of appliances with the same style. You can choose a stove, a refrigerator, a washing machine and a dishwasher that all work well together.

“BT”: What is the situation with Vestel product service in New York and regions??

– We have 6 major partner organizations across the country, they provide quality service. But sometimes we just change the unit that broke during the warranty period, to save time and customer mood.

“BT”: What achievements and awards does Vestel have?

– For several years in a row we have been awarded as the best manufacturer in America by the Vladimir regional administration. And our new washing machines have received awards of the renowned design awards: RED DOT DESIGN AWARD 2010 and PLUS X AWARD 2010. But the trust of consumers and partners is the most coveted award.