My interview with Dr. Marcus Miele
IMM Cologne 2013 |The LivingKitchen 2013
As part of our #BlogTourCGN intineary at IMM Cologne and the LivingKitchen our team was invited to attend Miele’s press
conference. It was during this press
conference at Miele’s LivingKitchen stage where we were given a front row seat
to the unveiling of a completely new generation of built-in appliances – from wall
ovens, steam cookers, coffee machines and microwave ovens to cook hoods
(Generation 6000). Innovative user
interfaces make the use of these machines simpler than ever. Miele’s kitchen appliances are now more
convenient, faster and much more efficient.
And they continue to provide a product that is built for life!
During the press conference we had the pleasure of hearing fourth generation owners of Miele, Dr. Marcus Miele and Dr. Reinhard
Zinkann share with us their thoughts and insights about the launch of their new
Generation 6000 appliances.
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| Dr. Marcus Miele (L) and Dr. Reinhard Zinkann (R) |
The highlight for me was having the honor of sitting down
with Dr. Marcus Miele over a cup of cappuccino for a face to face conversation
with him. A gracious and very personable
man, I felt an immediate sense of honor from him as he spoke of the strength, ingenuity,
research, development and integrity that has built this company. More than 110 years old, Marcus is fourth
generation in this family owned business.
And it was evident that like his ancestors he is passionate about their
company and what they stand for.
Dr. Miele started off by sharing that as a company,
Miele is always working on new innovation to make their products function to
the peak of their ability. They do a lot
of market research by way of in house research and development but they also
look at current trends in many areas such as fashion, automotive, technology
and the kitchen industry. From
cabinets, to smart phones to furniture – these are all things that influence
them as they develop and enhance their products. He said “We don’t have to look like fashion,
but we have to look in a modern way, a contemporary way, and it has to look
good after 10 years or even 15 years”. They look to where innovation is happening –
as in cars and how user interface is changing, and smart phones and touch
technology. Dr. Miele spoke of his small
children and that is they walk up to an oven with knobs that are positioned
left and right of a display that they they immediately walk up to a glass surface
and touch it – this smart phone interaction is what they are used to and the
knobs are almost foreign to them. Though
Dr. Miele did say they do still keep in mind that there are still some who
prefer the knobs and they have that as an option, the trend is to have more
touch control interaction. I personally think maybe one day soon there
will be an interactive element to our appliances much like Apples SIRI.
When asked what he thought was on trend for appliances Dr.
Miele stated that furniture and kitchen colors, still 75% will be stainless
steel but they have seen a trend for white appliances and also a trend of more
wood cabinets in darker colors. With that they have introduced new front
colors alongside familiar Miele colors and surfaces such as Brilliant White and CleanSteel
stainless steel,
newcomers like Obsidian Black and Havana Brown offer increased choice. ( I LOVE
THE OBSIDIAN BLACK)
They also look at what the customers are saying –
They did a small competition that they gave out 100-200 included
cameras with the purchase of a dishwasher, they ask people to take pictures of their loaded dishwasher, and then send the camera
back. They developed the film, and when they looked at the in Dr. Miele’s words
– “you just never think what people put into a dishwasher” they received 100’s
of photos of loaded dishwashers and they were able to gain great insight from. For example they discovered that the Chinese
rice bowl is very similar in size and shape to the Muesli bowl they have in
Switzerland, and once they find the right spot for the Chinese rice bowl you
automatically have the right spot for the muesli bowl. It is with these small insights that have
helped allow them to enhance their dishwasher –Dr. Miele chuckled as he shared
with us “you would be surprised what people put in their dishwasher, people put
toys, tools and whatever and a lot of things they shouldn’t put into a
dishwasher”
Miele is built to last, it is meant to be your 20 year appliance. Dr. Miele told of receiving a letter from an
older woman who wrote him to explain that her Miele washer and dryer of 38
years needed to be replaced, she explained to him that at the time she
purchased them she was weary of her investment.
In hindsight she realizes now that she knows now after 38 years that she
is not so rich that she can buy any other brand. That calculating the 38 years and usage for
her it was really a bargain buying a Miele machine.
Though 38 years is not the expected longevity, from Miele’s
point of view, with a large family and daily use Miele strives to maintain the
20 year appliance life. Though this is
an exception it speaks volumes as to the quality craftsmanship that is put into
the Miele Brand and gives great foundation to their commitment to excellence. Dr. Miele said – “People buy one appliance
that will last really long, look at the enviorment, but they also look at their
wallets, if it really last for 20 years it might have been even a bargain. If you look at other brands that you have to
replace after 5 even 7 years.
As a side note - Dr. Miele shared that he has two washing
machines and two dryers at home. One of
them is mostly a proto-type and if it breaks down he still has a washing
machine. This is something he learned
from his father, because his father said to him, you know I once had one
proto-type washing machine and one dryer and the washing machine broke down and
he said you can’t image your mum when we had a broken washing machine. His father very quickly explained to his
mother he would replace it on Monday, though she was quick to point out it was
Friday. (chuckle) So from then on they always had two of each and Dr. Miele has
carried on this tradition in his own home.
We do not all have the luxury of having a proto-type in our
home but we can all try before we buy.
There are Miele galleries throughout the country where you can have a hands-on Miele experience. And as Dr. Miele said “You wouldn’t buy a car
without test driving it”, I have to agree.
You can even bring your laundry
with you to a Miele Gallery near you and run a load thru to see what you
think. When making an investment in your
own home, in your kitchen or even your laundry room you should take the
opportunity to test out and experience the appliances before you buy. What you think you might want and what you
end up with may be a bit different after you learn all the possibilities
available. For example one might not
even consider steam cooking or a steam oven as a way of cooking on a daily
basis. But after you taste the food that
can be prepared in Miele’s steam oven and the quality and variety of food that
can be cooked in Miele’s steam oven you may think differently. And the same can be true for the way you wash
your dishes, vacume your floors or even wash your clothes.
I also asked Dr. Miele what he thought was going to be the
next big thing in appliances –I jokingly asked will the refrigerator cook your
meal, warm it and wash your dishes? With a chuckle and a smile Dr.
Miele said that would be his dream that though we are a little bit away from
that, is is difficult to say what is the next big thing, though he did say that user
interface and sensors is what is happening now and constantly improving. He went on to say that innovation to be
able to judge what is inside, what is the state of the food - so we can help
the user even more and then present that to the user in a very easy way so that
the user is not confronted with too much complexity this is something they are
always working on. Many of these they have already perfected with the introduction
of the Generation 6000 appliances.
Miele has been perfecting their master chef technology for
many years and each year it gets better, more integrated and in a sense Smarter. The Miele Generation 6000 line of appliances
has technology integrated and perfected to make this series of appliances
function into today’s home for many years to come. This
user interface and technology was evident as I saw and experience during my
time with Miele at the LivingKitchen during IMM Cologne 2013.
With
the new Generation 6000 from Miele, interfacing with built-in appliances has
never been simpler. Customers can select from various user interfaces to best
suit their personal preferences. A new highlight is represented by M Touch controls. M Touch stands for
a high-resolution TFT display (thin-film transistor) on flagship models,
reminiscent of smart phones and tablet PCs. The menu is browsed by swiping or
scrolling with the tip of a finger. Functions and menu options appear in
brilliantly clear black letters on a white background
The M Touch operation in
flagship models makes using the built-in appliances from Miele easier than
ever. Reminiscent of a smart phone, nearly all settings are carried out on a
high-resolution TFT display.
Exclusive
to Miele: MultiSteam, CupSensor, FlexiLight
With
the Generation 6000, Miele has refined numerous technical details and put in
much work on the concept as a whole. Outstanding examples of this are
MultiSteam technology on steam cookers, the CupSensor on built-in coffee
machines and FlexiLight on refrigeration appliances.
MultiSteam is the highlight on the
new Miele steam cookers. This technology is predestined for use on models with
a large-volume cabinet: Water from the tank is pumped into a powerful steam
generator located behind the inner cabinet. The steam is admitted through 8
inlet ports (6 on combination steam ovens). Benefit: Heat-up times are short
and the fast, uniform distribution of steam paves the way for perfect results.
MultiSteam technology is a Miele USP and, as such, immediately recognizable. Steam
ports are integrated into a module on the rear panel. The MultiSteam symbol and
the Miele logo are discreetly illuminated by LEDs (depending on the
model).
The
fascinating CupSensor feature is the
highlight of the new flagship built-in coffee machines. This feature
automatically adjusts the height of the spout to the size of cup or glass. No
matter whether tall latte macchiato glass or delicate espresso cup – with the
CupSensor rim detection, delivery is always from the ideal position. This
virtually eliminates the problem of spluttering and milk and coffee splashes.
Furthermore, the crema is perfect and coffee does not cool down as fast. The
CupSensor even reacts precisely to beverages made with milk froth by raising
the spout by 1 cm after delivering milk froth, to ensure that the spout itself
stays clean.
The
Generation 6000 product family also comprises new built-in refrigerators. These
models (K 30.000 series) are set to produce a wow effect when the door is
opened, thanks to the exclusive FlexiLight
glass-edge lighting. LED light sources, affixed to the front edge of glass
shelves, immerse the cabinet in a pleasant and uniform light. Each individual
shelf has electrical contacts, allowing FlexiLight shelves to be repositioned
effortlessly within the unit. This is practical in particular when space has to
be created for, say, a large cake.
Near the end of our time together I was sure to let Dr. Miele know that if there was ever a time they needed to have a "TEST" kitchen, I would be happy to help them out. In conclusion I made a statement that Miele is often considered a luxury appliance, and I asked
is there any movement towards making the Miele appliance available to the price
conscious consumer? (I kind of knew what the answer was going to be but I had
to ask, right?) So Dr. Miele very graciously and humbly replied saying that the
question for them is “Do we compromise on the 20 years? And we said no to that” “Every appliance is manufactured to live
those twenty years” And because they have the 20 years there are obvious
restrictions concerning the quality of the materials …An analogy he used was
when you look at cars – “if you have a better motor, you need better breaks” that in and of itself states to me the obvious
that you do get what you pay for and we as consumers need to look at our appliances
and the products we purchase and give greater importance to its longevity and
stop the mentality that has been created in that we live in a disposable
society. We should expect more, demand
more and make wiser more informed decisions about the products we are
purchasing. This to me is the philosophy
that has given Miele a clear advantage in that they are built for life!
Generation
6000 from Miele will be available in Germany from May 2013
Photo credit - MieleUSA.com
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