Burak Kiroglu: HygieneShield appliances, a part of a safe household in the new normal

Burak Kiroglu: HygieneShield appliances, a part of a safe household in the new normal

Burak Kiroglu, general manager of Beko Balkans, "Beko has introduced a new line of HygieneShield products to the market, designed to already have disinfection programs built in to make the transition to the new normal safe and carefree for the modern consumer."

Beko is international home appliance brand that operates within the "Arcelik" group and has existed for more than 60 years, and is the leading European brand in the field of white goods. The company's headquarters for the Balkans have been located in Serbia since 2015, and until today, thanks primarily to its innovative technology and listening to market needs, the company's market share has increased from the initial 8% to 20% in 2020. "This growth speaks in favor of the fact that Beko is the fastest growing brand of white goods in Serbia, but also in Europe, and justifies its leadership position on a daily basis with global initiatives and involvement in locally relevant campaigns dedicated to improving health and promoting healthy lifestyles. Beko is also conducting relevant studies in order to better understand the needs of consumers and create innovative solutions in the field of white goods, thus staying the ally one can rely on any time", added Mr. Kiroglu.

An extensive study conducted for Beko by the marketing agency Gfk across 31 markets last year, showed the impact of the pandemic on people's everyday life - as many as 70% of respondents stopped going to the office and organized their workplace, including all accompanying activities, within their home, while 83% of them have changed their shopping habits. World trends that show that people, after the initial surprise, turned to arranging their living space and raising the level of hygiene, have not bypassed Serbia either, and the same tendency is noticeable among Serbian consumers. People want to cook, clean and exercise at home, and generally live healthier, and to use professional devices for that purpose, with which they will achieve the best effects.

Burak Kiroglu: HygieneShield as innovative technology on the market

"Last year, challenging in many ways, we managed to justify the trust of our consumers and maintain growth of over 10% as well. In addition, we conducted a series of studies and based on these insights developed a pioneering technology and provided our users with hygienic protection, which became imperative during the pandemic. People have turned to their homes and in there practice activities that used to be mostly related to the outside world. That is why Beko sought inspiration in nature and applied its solutions to its products, so that the everyday activities of consumers exude safety, while top quality remains unchanged, "said Burak Kiroglu, general manager of Beko Balkans.

By recognizing the needs of its customers and using innovative technology of proven quality, Beko has developed HygieneShield, the first line of products that includes disinfection programs, which work on the principle of heat, thermal steam and UV rays. Inspired by the healing properties of the nature, the devices remove more than 99% of bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus, providing users with the effects of professional hygiene maintenance at home, while also using appliances of the most modern design and functionality. This series contains seven lines of white goods, and also include refrigerators, ovens, washing machines and dryers.

Beko continues to set trends in the field of technology for white goods and according to the needs of its customers, as well as by providing solutions that make the everyday living environment in the new normal, but also in the period after it, pleasant, comfortable and healthy.

Which appliances make the HygieneShield line of products?

UV cleaning cabinet, by its looks reminds of a microwave, but it uses UV technology for disinfection of the items that have been used outside, including keys, telephones, wallets, packaged goods from supermarkets, baby bottles, toys and the like. The items are safely cleaned in 20-40-minute cycles with no damage to the objects. Built-in oven with saturated steam and heat uses these two exceptionally powerful means in order to achieve seamless disinfection results of packaged, but also food baked in the oven. The system consist of two disinfection programs which include heat and steam, and are applied at 70°C for 15 minutes, as well as 120°C for 20 minutes in case of metal bowls and glass products disinfection. Combi refrigerator with disinfection drawer disinfect food items in their original and sealed packaging, eliminating more than 99% of bacteria and viruses in approximately 40 minutes, thus instead of time-consuming wiping of each item brought from the supermarket or storing them in a safe place for several days, this refrigerator does it drastically faster and efficiently thanks to UV light technology. Tumble dryer with UV light technology dries and disinfects laundry at the same time on a safe and convenient way, including even those materials which require special treatment in lower temperatures. UV Hygienic Refresh program refreshes up to six dry pieces of clothing, and UV Hygienic Drying program dries and sanitizes up to 5kg of washed laundry, including sensitive materials. HygieneShield washing machine and washer dryer with a smart algorithm and additional heater channel and fan system, has the hygiene therapy program which fills the drum with hot air to keep the laundry at 60°C in order to thoroughly sanitize clothes without water. More than 99% of viruses and bacteria are eliminated from 2 kg of clothes in 58 minutes, saving money and the planet from the use of chemicals and extra water, which especially comes to the fore in the times of the pandemic, when people wash their clothes for longer and more often at higher temperatures. Apart from proven disinfection effect this program provides for clothes, as well as environmental care, users protect their clothes by not exposing it to frequent and aggressive treatments.

HygieneShield dishwasher is a favorite consumer companion, especially in times of the pandemic when 79% of people cooking more frequently at home, and this dishwasher owns an additional function HygieneIntense, program based on steam and additional hot rinsing functions, made with purpose of achieving impeccable hygienic results. The program applies higher temperatures of 60°C during main wash, and to further increase the levels of hygiene it applies hot rinsing of 70°C. This technology has been independently tested by Rhine Waal University.