Enhancement of the kitchen water place with innovations and highquality design
Last year, the company took ingenious base cabinet organisation to a new level with the debut of the BLANCO Multi Frame, which was presented for the first time in September 2022. This innovation not only increases convenience for users, but as a pre-installed complete system simplifies the entire handling process for retail partners – from ordering and delivery to installation.
Alongside technical innovations, the evolving design remains a driving factor in the premium strategy. With trendy new colours for a selected portfolio of sinks, mixer taps and drink.systems, BLANCO expanded the possibilities of premium kitchen design in 2022 with the BLANCO UNITs, which complement each other not only functionally, but also in terms of design. Two further innovations for the BLANCO UNIT – the BLANCO SONEA-S Flexo mixer tap and the BLANCO FWD waste disposer, which can be integrated into the base cabinet – were awarded the international iF design award 2022.
Closer to customers and consumers: Strategic realignment of the global market organisation
In order to step up the marketing of the BLANCO UNIT internationally and position the BLANCO premium brand optimally according to local market conditions, global sales was realigned in autumn 2022, with a clear focus on the core regions of EMEA, North America and AsiaPacific. At the same time, even more specific market segmentation is ensuring efficient and targeted marketing management.
BLANCO has implemented a number of measures to make the BLANCO UNIT more visible and tangible for retail partners and consumers as a premium product for the kitchen water place. The new Brand Space concept was rolled out, which provides retailers with a spectrum of high-quality UNIT modules and materials for showrooms and exhibition kitchens. A Europe-wide dealer roadshow that took in seven countries and was accompanied by social media campaigns also attracted a great deal of attention from kitchen fans. BLANCO has opened a flagship store in Indonesia in collaboration with a longstanding trading partner. Other brand strategy activities in 2022 included a presence at major industry trade fairs in Germany and in international markets.
Investing in the future: Optimising locations and expertise BLANCO’s transformation is progressing dynamically across all areas of the company. In 2022, comprehensive digitalisation projects in production, logistics and administration made good progress or were brought to completion, including the introduction of a digital warehouse management system in the United Kingdom and the launch of a digital transport management system in North America to serve customers in an even more service-oriented way in future. CFO Rüdiger Böhle points out that the conversion of the global ERP system, which has been planned over several years, has also achieved important milestones.
The conversions to increase the production capacity for Silgranit sinks at the plants in Toronto (CA) and Most (CZ) were also completed. In addition, BLANCO invested in infrastructure for the supply of alternative energy last year.
As a company that has been synonymous with durable products for the kitchen for almost 100 years, the efficient and careful use of resources and pioneering quality standards at premium level has always been hugely important here. BLANCO worked intensively on the sustainability concept of the BLANC & FISCHER Family Holding in 2022 and has documented this commitment transparently in the current A.I.R. sustainability report, which is available for download on the company’s websites.
Shaping the premium brand BLANCO with an excellent team
The company had 1,587 full-time employees worldwide at the end of the year. "They have all contributed to the success of the business by working towards our common goal of making the water place a soughtafter brand product in high-end kitchens. The Management Board would like to express our heartfelt thanks for this," says CFO Rüdiger Böhle. "With a clear course for its strategic direction, BLANCO consistently built up expertise last year, both through a comprehensive development programme for the workforce, tailored to the requirements of the transformation, and through targeted new hires."
According to CEO Frank Gfrörer, the company expects business volume to grow modestly in 2023, given that the prevailing global conditions and their consequences are difficult to assess. "Nevertheless, we are doing
everything we can to inspire people to equip their new kitchens with the BLANCO UNIT to make life simpler and better with convenient added benefits such as refined drinking water for every taste, digital ordering services for consumables and handy utensils for drinking, preparation and cleaning."
