Main themes at IFA 2015. IMG Source: ifa-berlin.com

Governing Mayor Müller aims to make Berlin a ’smart city’

Speaking on Friday during the opening tour of IFA 2015 Governing Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller surprised everyone with an ambitious statement: “We want to be Europe’s ’smart city’, he said, adding that the displays on the tour had shown him that the digital transition was omnipresent. Personalising and customising processes and services had become an indispensable part of daily life. This had convinced him that that was precisely what Berlin’s economic and scientific focus should be and that even more investment was necessary, including in administration and politics. “Berlin must take a confident stand where this is concerned. We do not want to be also-rans,” said Müller. Günther Oettinger, the EU Commissioner responsible for the digital economy and society, praised the decision of Messe Berlin GmbH to exhibit white goods at IFA as well, calling it a “brilliant idea“. The displays highlighted the topics of connectivity and convergence, he added. Communication was becoming integral to consumer electronics and home appliances, “for people like us, who like to be connected.” Oettinger said he had learned many things that would be important considerations en route to a Europe-wide digital union. Just as the digital infrastructure had to be perfect on the 150,000 square-metre exhibition grounds, “so too it had to be made available to us as ’mobile Europeans’ on the entire continent.“ That was one of the great tasks ahead facing Europe.

Dr. Christian Göke: “It’s all about people“

At the end of the day the relationship between the industry and retailers at trade fairs and exhibitions depended on the quality of personal ties. Speaking at the opening of IFA 2015 in the CityCube Berlin, Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, emphasised that Being able to meet someone in person and cultivate relations was the unique selling point of a trade fair. No other event exhibited more product debuts and innovations than IFA, said Göke. This year, the number of exhibitors had reached 1,645, marking an increase of seven per cent and, covering 150,000 square metres, floor space had risen by 0.3 per cent. However, these figures were not as important as the quality of relations and contacts established at IFA. Ultimately, whether or not an event was important could be judged by asking “can one meet interesting people here?“. IFA’s success meant that in Berlin the answer was a resounding “yes“. He warned not to underestimate consumers in their role as visitors to the fair. In the end, the success of a product depended on them. Last year, they numbered 95,000, to which could be added 140,000 trade visitors

Opening keynote: Sang-Beom Han (LG Display): OLED is the future

“How displays will change our lives” is the title of the opening keynote speech at IFA 2015. For Sang-Beom Han, CEO & President of LG Display, there is no question that the future lies with organic light emitting diodes, OLED, which have been developed by his company. “Light has led mankind to create innovations”, said the top manager on Friday in front of a large audience in the City Cube Berlin. In the past it was initially cathode ray tubes that made television and computers possible, and since the end of the last century the LCD has enabled screens to be developed that are increasingly slim, light and portable. Surveys have shown that even more realistic images and a dynamic form that corresponds to nature will have a decisive role to play in the displays of the future. “We have to overcome the limits of conventional design”, Sang-Beam Han emphasised.

LG has already begun this process, with the OLED, invented by Dr. Ching W. Tang. Black has always lagged behind in the competition to achieve the best colour quality, it was pointed out by the movie director Sir Ridley Scott, speaking on a video link. The introduction of the organic light emitting diode has changed everything dramatically. OLED displays are extremely thin and transparent, and can be bent and folded too. This technology makes it possible to create flat screens that can be used on both sides, and displays that can, for example, be stuck to windows or placed on table tops. “OLED is the key to the future, enabling us to create new possibilities”, according to Sang-Beom Han. The 77EG9900 TV set with its flexible display has already received the “Red Dot Best of the Best” design award.
(contact: LG Electronics, Hall 18, Stand 101, Claire Ohm tel.: +822 3777 1353, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

More than half of all washing machines sold conform to the A+++ standard

When it comes to sustainability the industry has made enormous strides in recent year in the white goods sector: over half of all the washing machines sold between January and June 2015 already meet the strict requirements of the category A+++, as the head of Miele and member of the board of the association ZVEI, Reinhard Zinkann, explained during the opening press conference of IFA 2015. Premium manufacturers are already advertising with statements such as “A+++ less 50 per cent”. Of all white goods sold during the first half of 2015 approximately 23 per cent met the standard A+++, 28 per cent were in the category A++ and 36 per cent were rated A+. The subject of interconnected home appliances continues to be a decisive factor at this year’s trade show. At the current IFA interest has shifted from simply controlling the appliances to interoperability, i.e. open standards in the interconnection of appliances from different manufacturers. Furthermore it has become evident that features to which consumer attach little important do not enjoy commercial success. Zinkann sees a lasting and growing worldwide demand for all kinds of electronic home appliances because all forecasts have pointed to a significantly expanded middle class, especially in newly industrialised countries. Whereas there were 1.8 billion people in this category in 2010, by 2020 this figure will have risen to 3.2 billion, and to 4.9 billion by 2030.

Highlights of the products and sectors on display at IFA

Panasonic: 4K photos without any delay

With the slogan “A better Life, a better World”, Panasonic is presenting some fascinating ideas for products at IFA 2015, along with examples of smart homes, with domestic appliances and consumer electronics. In Hall 5.2 the company is featuring the latest technology in realistic settings. Visitors can take a close-up look into the future in the Wonder Life-Box 2020, the prototype of an interconnected home. Highlights at IFA include the “TX-65CZW954“, a 4K OLED television set which the exhibitor describes as the next generation of TVs, providing the very highest standards, authentic pictures and the ultimate contrast quality. Premium level home entertainment is offered by the “BCT/BST950” Blu-ray recorder, which acts as a complete video home server. The new “BDT570” Blu-ray player with 4K upscaling is an outstanding addition to the Panasonic 4K world. The “TCM105” and “HXS220” headset models are also new, and with their full sound and standards of comfort they augment the current range perfectly. The mirrorless “GH4R” system camera takes ultra high definition 4K photos without any delay and is equipped with the V-Log L-Video function.
(contact: Michael Langbehn, tel.: +49 -40 -85492285, Hall 5.2, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Intel: Round-the-clock measurement of heart rate

“Basis Peak” is a fitness and sleep tracker from the Intel subsidiary Basis and is now available in Europe, it was announced shortly before the start of IFA. Basis Peak measures the heart rate around the clock and provides automatic activity tracking and intelligent sleep analysis. It also displays text messages, calls or emails received from compatible iOS and Android smartphones. Basis has also announced the integration of Basis Peak with Runtastic, a leading company in the field of mobile health and fitness. Through this partnership the range of services offered by Basis Peak has been expanded to include GPS-based activity tracking and functions for calculating heart rate zones via the Runtastic app. The multi-sensor approach, combined with body IQ technology from Basis, provides for the automatic recognition of activities such as walking, running and cycling, as well as the phases and quality of sleep.
(contact: Felix Sold, tel.: +49 -89 -99142341, Hall 16, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sharp presents fast washing machines and dishwashers

A four-door combination fridge-freezer, the Super Spezial, is among the items being presented by Sharp at IFA 2015. With a net capacity of 600 litres and shelves made of toughened glass it can also accommodate heavy items. Among its outstanding features are a lighting system with 48 LEDs, a plasma cluster ion system to kill bacteria, and a no-frost air supply system. The electronic temperature control, child-proofing and power saving modes are operated via a glass touch screen. Other products making their debut at the trade show are an extremely eco-friendly washing machine with a twelve minute 30 degree short programme and a super eco-friendly dishwasher with a rinse cycle that the manufacturer claims is the fastest in the world, and can wash four place settings in just 18 minutes. A new service being offered by Sharp from this October is its “For Life” promise, giving customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support via Twitter, and guaranteeing a repair service one day after a fault is reported.
(contact:Rita Balestrazzi, tel.: +44 78 03246622, Hall 9/ Stand 108, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sony gives an insight into its new product line-up

Sony is providing a first look at its new product line-up in Hall 20 at IFA. For example, “h.ear” is the name of the new headphones which combine stylish colours with hi-res sound and are available either an “on” or “in” version. The new WALKMAN models on display are available in colours that harmonise with the five different designs. Together with the h.ear headphones they provide outstanding, high definition sound and they also look smart. The company’s display also includes the latest edition of its flagship smartphone, the 5.2 inch “Xperia Z5”, and the 4.6 inch “Xperia Z5 Compact”. The latter combines all the functionalities and features of its “big brother” but in a more compact case. The elegant new 4K BRAVIA television sets, part of the X91C series, have 75 inch screen diagonals and, at just 15 millimetres, are ultra slim. The 4K LCD sets in the X80C series, with 49 and 55 inch screens, as well as the S85C and S80C series with 65 and 55 inch screens, have a slightly curved display.
(Hall 20, contact: Gerrit Gericke, tel.: +49 -30 -25754067, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Harman is set for constant growth with 58 new products

Harman looks set to achieve more success and is presenting no fewer than 58 new products at IFA 2015. In the twelve months up to the end of June this year turnover has risen from 5.3 to 6.2 billion dollars, while the worldwide workforce has increased from 15,000 to 27,000. The number of registered patents rose from 5,000 to 5,700, said Des Power, Vice President Innovation & Product Strategy. Expenditure on research and development has increased from 285 million dollars in 2013 to 380 million euros in the current year. The group’s newest area of business, which has accumulated no fewer than 148 design prizes, is the Connected Services division. As in previous years at IFA, the company’s display is located directly underneath the Funkturm, Berlin’s radio tower, and exhibits include the new Everest range of headphones. The top model in this range offer personalised sound controlled by an app and active noise suppression. All makes of suitably equipped headphones can be connected up via Bluetooth. Also new this year are the JBL in-ear headphones, which have been designed with specific sports in mind and which include a set of sports headphones, which allow the wearer to mix music and ambient noises individually. Other products making their debut at the fair include the JBL Trip, an all-in-one portable audio system for the car, and Pulse 2, the new generation of wireless speakers that combine music and light effects. The number of LEDs has been increased from 64 to 100. A built-in camera can be used to scan in individual colours and an app is also available to enable individual light shows to be programmed. 
(contact: Harman, Open air site at the Funkturm, Annemiek Heuvelmans, tel.: +31 6 50969861, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

EK/servicegroup brings emotion to the point of sale

This year’s display by EK/servicegroup at IFA focuses on creating an emotional connection at the POS. For Lutz Burneleit, Divisional Manager in the EK/servicegroup comfort Division, this is a major success factor in the home appliance sector, because “functionality and quality have long been regarded as prerequisites for white goods. Nowadays the experience itself and lifestyle factors are central to the purchase of higher priced appliances.” For this reason the group’s team has brought the successful “electroplus” concept to Berlin and is showing visitors to the stand how to create a display of technical equipment with a more emotional appeal. For the EK/servicegroup, however, this year’s IFA is seen once again not just as a shop window for the next big trends and developments, or for the member companies’ own ranges. “Above all we are looking forward to many good discussions with leading players in this sector. Along with all the technological progress, this form of networking is and will remain one of the main prerequisites for our joint success”, according to the Chairman of the Board of EK/servicegroup Vorstandsvorsitzender, Franz-Josef Hasebrink.
(Hall 3.1, Stand 105, contact: Daniel Kullmann, tel.: +49 -521 -2092234, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Mini PC from Acer with add-on modules

Among the many products from Acer that are making their debut at IFA are two new desktop computers running Windows 10: the stylish 23.8 inch all-in-one PC “Aspire U5-710” and the very compact one litre mini PC, the “Revo Build” with its modular design to meet individual requirements. The Aspire U5-710 has a thickness of just 37 millimetres and comes with an elegant metal stand. All the main ports are easily accessible on the back. The back of the Aspire U5 is also covered by a natural-looking textile finish. This has been achieved by a new manufacturing process using 3D printing and laser engraving. The new Revo Build range has a footprint of 125 by 125 millimetres and has been designed to enable users to adapt this mini PC to their own individual requirements with add-on modules, and without having to open the case. “Blocks” with different functions can be easily stacked on the base unit. They are joined together using pogo pins with magnetic connectors, so that there are no problems with cables if the modules need to be replaced.
(Hall 12, Stand 101, contact: Manuel Linnig, tel.: +41 -91 -2610522, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Whirlpool intends to be number one in the EU by 2018

The US company Whirlpool regards itself as a worldwide market leader in large home appliances and aims to achieve the same position in the European Union by 2018. This target was announced by the President for Europa, Middle East and Africa, Esther Berrozpe, at the company’s display at IFA 2015, where Whirlpool is represented by all of its brands for the first time, including the German subsidiary Bauknecht. As a result of the acquisition of the Italian manufacturer Indesit, Whirlpool is already the market leader in five of the seven most important countries in Europe, but not yet in Germany. In the near future Whirlpool’s plans for future growth will involve the integration of various different brands within one large company, Berrozpe explained. Various target groups are served by these companies, as Vice President Carl-Martin Lindahl explained. He sees the Whirlpool brand itself and Bauknecht in the middle (“Core”) of the social pyramid, while the American brand KitchenAid is active in the premium sector and should appeal to enthusiastic gourmets. Indesit, on the other hand, is in the lower price segment “Value”. Customers of the “typically German” brand Bauknecht are more focused on the life-work balance and are not particularly keen on experiments, Lindahl said. However, this is where Whirlpool is seeking customers who are interested in interconnectedness, and for this reason Bauknecht is currently the only brand within the group that includes interconnected home appliances with an app in its programme. Whirlpool is expected to follow soon.
(Hall 9, Stand 101, contact: Whirlpool Corporation, Edda Laudi, tel.: +39-3480729101, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., http://www.whirlpool.com/)

AEG presents the oven with a built-in camera

It is already on display at IFA 2015, the AEG ProCombi Plus smart oven with a built-in camera. It fulfills the dream of many users of social media: to “serve up” a photo of the meal on Facebook directly from the oven. However, what is even more important is that the state of the roast can be monitored on a smartphone or tablet, without requiring the cook to run into the kitchen every few minutes. As Gerd Holl, General Manager of the AEG parent company Electrolux for Germany and Austria joked, “the table still has to be laid analogue”. “But the refrigerator already automatically reminds the user to close the door”, should this be forgotten amidst all the hectic activity involved in preparing a meal. For safety reasons, however, the oven can only be turned off and on within the range of the WLAN and not from a car or elsewhere. AEG is displaying an award from the Australian wool institute Woolmark, which has been awarded exclusively to its washing machines and dryers. This confirms that even the most sensitive woolen fabrics are not harmed by the washing cycles. This careful treatment even extends their life, according to the institute’s strategy consultant Peter Ackroyd, speaking at IFA 2015. 
(contact: Electrolux / AEG Hausgeräte GmbH, Hall 4.1, Stand 101, Elisabeth Lokai-Fels, tel: +49-171-3332346, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.aeg.de)

Beko presents a wine glass basket in a dishwasher

The Turkish white goods giant Beko takes feedback from its customers very seriously. As the Product Manager for Germany Patric Gores explained, one result has been the installation of special baskets in some of the new dishwashers. These hold the stem in such a way as to minimise the risk of breakage. There is also a separate rinser arm for pots and pans, capable of dealing with more stubborn food residues. And the dishwashers also have a self-dispensing system that only needs refilling once a month or after 23 washes. Sensors determine the right amount for each rinsing cycle. Beko is also exhibiting a washing machine that undercuts the A+++ environmental standard by 70 per cent, and a refrigerator with an “Everfresh” drawer that delays the ageing process of fruit and vegetables. A blue light is constantly on inside, stimulating photosynthesis. Active carbon filters and an anti-ionisation unit also help to keep apples and broccoli fresher for longer. 
(contact: beko, Hall 5.1, Stand 101, Marie-Christine Marx, tel.: +49-170-7139039, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., http://www.beko.com/)

Cuciniale: Six sensors to examine meat

With its Gourmetpilot, Cuciniale, a start-up from Lindau, is lending a helping hand to those for whom cooking is a hobby, and others who have never tried to cook at all. It consists of an app and a rod fitted with six sensors and a Bluetooth module. In the ideal configuration it makes use of the Internet of Things, by being additionally connected to a hotplate. “Until now the data available to a cook has been imprecise. But the Gourmetpilot can identify the precise quantity, size, weight, structure, protein, fat and carbohydrate content, and uses this information to calculate the ideal data for preparing the food”, explained the CEO of Cuciniale, Holger Henke, at IFA 2015.Even novices can successfully roast meat such as breast of duck. The whole thing is controlled by means of a smartphone or tablet, in which a recipe book is also stored. It is up to the cook to decide whether he wants the outside of the meat dark or light, and the inside pink or well done. The only work he is required to do is to pour the oil in the pan, turn the meat and season it, as well as serving the appropriate drinks. Henke has already sold 2,000 Gourmetpilots since 2014. “We want sales to reach five figures as soon as possible”, is how he described his medium term objective.
(contact: Cuciniale GmbH, Hall 8.1, Stand 203, Holger Henke, tel.: +49-171-9767041 http://www.cuciniale.com/)

Source: Press release