Chief markets officer of BSH Mattias Ginthum said the company proposed “a firework of new products, features and services to improve the quality of life of people at home” at the IFA 2020 exhibition in Berlin.

He explained how “recent months have emphasised the central role that the home and especially the kitchen play in our everyday lives. Society has faced restrictions and set new priorities.

“With people focusing on their homes, life in the kitchen became more important… In the last months, we have fortunately seen an increase in demand for home appliances.”

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And he pointed to digitalisation as key, as he stated: “Life at home is becoming smarter and this is a game-changer in our industry.

“We believe we are ideally positioned here because we are combining a long heritage of analogue technology and expertise with digital services and state-of-the art kitchen experiences.”

Following its “major milestone” introduction of Home Connect in 2014, BSH launched CookIt a connected multifunctional food processor with Systemmarker microprocessor.

This year, the company introduced its first dishwasher series – across Bosch and Siemens brands – to feature Home Connect and “SystemMaster” and Ginthum exclaimed it to be “the biggest launch of our company in this category.”

He explained the technology allows “easy pairing, updates over the year, saving of your favourite options and programmes and creates new opportunities for data-driven maintenance.”

BSH believes connectivity will lead to enhanced sustainability of its appliances, as Ginthum offered the example: “It will be possible to detect and repair more quickly and more efficiently via data-driven maintenance, extending the life cycle of appliances.”

Ginthum emphasised the importance of sustainability to the company from appliance use to manufacturing: “We, at BSH, are resolutely driving forward all issues of ecological and sustainability and climate protection.

“We do this not only by manufacturing ever more energy efficient products but also by reducing our own carbon footprint in production.”

And Ginthum pointed out that by the end of 2020, BSH “wants to be the first company in our industry to neutralised carbon dioxide emssions of all our locations worldwide.

“This means the manufacturing of products at BSH locations will be carbon neutral. This is a clear commitment and a contribution of our company to climate protection. And I think, as well, it’s a clear reflection about consumer wishes to set new priorities and to rely on strong brands.”

In the conclusion of his IFA 2020 presentation Ginthum stated: “More than ever in uncertain times people long for brands they can rely on, steeped in tradition. The BSH brands are very much at the forefront of that.”