New Siemens washer/dryer manufactured in China

[foraloysius]

I just read in my appliance magazine that the new Siemens washer/dryer combo, the one with the new air condensation technology, so no water needed anymore for condensing the moisture from the clothes, is made in China.

<font size=5>Et tu Brute!!

 

[amyswasher]

How long will it be before those will be added to the recall list?

 

[dj-gabriele]

Oh, that's really depressing!
I hope that other manufacturers will keep production lines in Europe!
I'm more than happy to pay a little more and have a product made somewhere I can trust than China...

 

[lavamat_jon]

Thing is, these washer dryers already cost £700 or so at least here...

Then again the Panasonic machines seem pretty solid and well made, and the quality is certainly up there with their brown goods - and they're made in China so who knows.

Jon

 

[hoover1100]

Indeed

Seems highly unlikely they would drastically cut the quality of one of their high end products, it would be the low end Bosch machines that would suffer first if anything.

Also I beleive a lot of Bosch machines for the Australian market are made in the far east (Thailand I think) and are proving pretty decent, will be interesting to see these for ourselves though.

Matt

 

[chestermikeuk]

Way To Go....

Sad state of affairs as regards own country manufacturing, but its all down to labour & costs, most of the large companies are assembling in China now, mass market anyway, some stickers now say "Country of Origin" so EU / Germany could be stated..but its all been assembled you know where...actually we dont know where!!!

The Bosch washer dryer is getting a lot of good reviews...sold 2, so as soon as I get feedback I will let you know!!!

http://www.thewashingmachineplace.co.uk/productCategory.aspx?product.id=37&t.tag=Logixx%20WVH28420GB%20Bosch%20Washer%20Dryers

 

[foraloysius]

The concept of this machine sure is interesting. It's great that they were able to introduce the air cooled condenser system in such a combo. The water cooling feels always like a waste to me.

 

[foraloysius]

Here's a link to the English version of the article I mentioned.

http://www.appliancedesign.com/Articles/Blog_Paul/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000859575

 

[mrboilwash]

Very interesting concept but still loads of questions !
Is it also useing heat pump technology to save on power ? I wonder how the self-cleaning part of the air-to-air heat exchanger exactly works and how reliable it is. Is there a seperate "flush out lint" cycle ?

In my opinion the conventional washer-dryer system never really worked well, at least not in a hard water area.
I have seen too many condenser ducts clogged up with lint and limescale buildup.

On a side note, my Japanese laptop computer is made in China, too and I`m very happy with the quality.

 

[gansky1]

Thanks for the link, Louis. In the article it mentions the factory in Wuxi (pron. woo-shee) so it made me wonder if this was in any way associated with Little Swan - Midea. I found this article on BSH in China from Appliance magazine. It mentions that their factory in Nanjing is making many appliances for the BSH group but they are certainly sourcing from all over the Little Swan group to round out their lines. Little Swan makes for many different brands, the new General Electric front-loading washer and dryer are a joint venture of Little Swan and GE China. Their quality levels continue to rise and their economy continues to grow despite the global recession the rest of us are struggling with. There have been a number of articles on "the end of cheap Chinese labor" as workers are beginning to strive for better pay, benefits and working conditions. Very recent walk-out strikes at Honda Motor Co. and electronics factories may quite likely be only cracks in the armor of labor exploitation practices of many large companies. China has for several years, been positioning itself to become the center of the world's technological innovation and manufacturing industry. A new technology district in Chongching will, in five years time, be the source of the majority of laptop computers made in the world.

At least it's gratifying to know that someone is reading our textbooks!

http://www.appliancemagazine.com/editorial.php?article=493&zone=1&first=1

 

[foraloysius]

And thank you for your link Greg! BTW, the article I linked to was written by the journalist who was at the convention in 2005.

 

[ronhic]

To snub your nose at China

....would be to make the same mistake that westerners made of:

- Japan C.1960's
- Thailand/Korea 1980's

...and it seems that many people around here are not prepared to accept that China is able to make a quality product.

What on earth makes people think that the Chinese don't covet quality, features and value as much as the rest of us? China is one of the very very few nations with a sound economy and (reasonably) inexpensive workforce. Stay tuned for big things from this rapidly awakening giant - she's not even in stride yet.

If China wishes to become the centre for global technology, it will happen. If Chinese manufacturers want to be the best in the world, it WILL happen and you and I will be the ones purchasing their products because we won't be able to find similar:

- quality
- technology
- price

on any other comparable product. The days of a big western country's manufacturers being able to control an unprotected market with locally made products has gone unless those products offer something that more that a few people value.

Miele, Bosch and Whirlpool all have factories in China or buy product in from Chinese manufacturers. It is highly unlikely that Miele, a brand that trades on quality more than anything else, would build in or buy from a Chinese factory if the quality didn't meet their standards.

 

[paulinroyton]

Washing Machines

Hi Chris.

The only Chinese washing I would not buy is Haier. My Cousin bought one. After 6 months the Motor had to be replaced & PCB board.

In the end the engineer said it is not worth repairing and offered her a replacement, or refund. She went to Comet and choose a Zanussi machine.

Are Panasonic washing machines made in China. If so, I am very impressed with them. they have metal door catch and hinge.

Paul

 

[paulinroyton]

Haier

Further information on my Cousin,s Haier. When the engineer replaced the motor & pcb board, the machine still had the same fault. He then said the parts he has replaced have come to £154, and not worth repairing. So thats why he offered a refund or replacement machine.

Also, when I had problems with my Bosch & Comet. I received an email from Bosch saying, Comet pay less for our appliances on the understanding that if anything goes wrong they are totally responsible for putting it right, so Bosch engineers do not carry out repairs on appliances sold by Comet.

I can understand that, however, for a customer having to wait 2 weeks for a repair is bad. When I spoke to Comet Customer Services I was told that 14 days is quite normal to wait for a repair. Thank god I had Which Legal Team on my side.

I wonder if Bosch did not have a service agreement would they have been quicker in repairing my machine.

Paul

 

[lavamat_jon]

Paul,

The Panasonic machines are made in China. Seem to be pretty sturdy for the money, 6 year guarantees too with some of them.

Jon

 

[paulinroyton]

Panasonic Washing machines

Hi Jon.

Yeah, the Panasonic machines look well made. I noticed they had metal door catch & hinge. The build quality also look pretty good.

They have a nice big drum, and look quite easy to operate.

Paul