(Interview&Insights) Irena Pečnik, Executive Sales Director for brand Gorenje
“Every innovation has to have a simplifying purpose to make life’s milestones or daily moments run smoother”
2017 marks the 10th year since Gorenje first attended the IFA fair. Gorenje, established as one of the leading European household appliance manufactures, is coming to Berlin with advanced technologies stemming from Gorenje Group’s own research competence centres, and with design-driven and smart connected appliances that encourage (and enable) the users to reconnect.
We sat down with Irena Pečnik, Executive Sales Director for the Gorenje brand, to discuss Time to reconnect, the brand’s booth concept at this year’s IFA, and learn about what drives Gorenje’s innovation.
The concept of Gorenje's booth at IFA 2017 is Time to reconnect. Can you please describe it?
Irena Pečnik: The concept Time to reconnect supports our brand’s vision Life Simplified which promises fewer worries and more enjoyment in life. Gorenje shows how the right user-friendly appliances can seamlessly integrate with our busy everyday lives and consume less time and fewer thoughts and worries as to what has to be done and how. With less to worry, we have more to enjoy and to reconnect with what matters the most to us.
How are Gorenje household appliances helping users reconnect?
IP: It is the many smart and innovative solutions of Gorenje products that make chores more hassle-free and daily life a bit simpler, thus giving people more time to spend on things, people, experiences they love. At the IFA 2017, we are presenting our newest, most technologically advanced Gorenje products that feature such innovations, for example the new Gorenje IQ induction hob, the smart, flexible induction hob that almost doesn’t need any human control other than a single touch on the user-friendly interface, as its IQ Intelligent sensors built into each cooking zone automatically adjust the hob operation. The hob also operates on pre-set cooking programs, so we don’t have to worry about the right cooking times and temperatures.
What is Gorenje's approach to Life Simplified at IFA 2017?
IP: We believe that every innovation has to have a simplifying purpose to make life’s milestones or daily moments run smoother, and we strive to design and deliver simple, intuitive and effective solutions that fit our customer's lifestyles. To help them get things done faster, better, easier, we focus on providing superior results, efficient products and healthy living, intuitive user experience and flexible solutions featured in all product categories we are showcasing at the IFA 2017.
What drives Gorenje's innovation?
IP: The user, the market, the technology, the future and many other factors. When developing new products, we place users’ expectations and needs first. At the same time, we think ahead and out-of-the-box about what new features, innovations, or improvements will make the best solutions for the future. We are driven by a desire to serve a purpose by offering solutions that respond to specific and real needs. In the digital era, connectivity promises tremendous new value, but to realize its full potential, we still need to follow our user-centered design approach, developing solutions around the actual wants, needs and desires, rather than forcing people to change their behaviour to adjust to our products/services. The challenge that we love tackling is how to perfectly combine the advanced technology of the future with trendsetting, unique design, and the users’ needs that are yet to form. And it is this the very challenge that drives and inspires us.
Technology is developing extremely fast. How does your team cope with such changes and who will you be looking for to help shape Gorenje's future?
IP: At Gorenje, we are always on the hunt for creative, ambitious, visionary people to join our teams around the world. We hired new content and marketing specialists, data analysts, project managers, R&D specialists and so on. Strong will to learn is a must with all profiles, because in our field of work, we never stop learning and evolving. To provide our employees with the latest knowledge and internal know-how, we also enable lots of possibilities for additional on-the-job training and further education at our Gorenje Group Corporate University.