<div>R<strong>einhard Zinkann</strong>, co-owner and managing director of German luxury kitchen appliances major Miele, was in India recently to sign one of the company’s largest deals with M3M builders for their luxury project. Miele will furnish 3,000 luxury apartments in an upcoming project of M3M in Gurgaon with 12,000 state-of-the-art built-in appliances. During his visit, BW | Businessworld’s Chitra Narayanan caught up with him to understand luxury in the kitchen. Edited excerpts:<br /><br /><strong>Miele has been in India for some time now. How has the growth been? </strong><br />It is growing slowly but steadily. We believe India is a growing economy and its politics are opening up, and we are looking for a prosperous future.<br /><br /><strong>One hears that the market in China, where you are present in a big way, has slowed down, and India will gain as a result. How is that playing out for you? </strong><br />I think the market has, in general, slowed down in China, but we are still having a very happy growth there. So, I cannot say focus is shifting from China to India. But if the Indian economy and its politics — your prime minister is talking about improving things — pick up, then I have no doubt that the Indian market will grow, and the market for luxury products will also grow. The well-off in India have properties outside and know about luxury products. I have met many Indians who have houses all over the world, and they have experienced luxury and know the value of a Miele product, and want it for themselves here too. Nowadays cooking has become such an important topic, and western recipes are entering the Indian kitchen, which is also changing mindsets.<br /> <br /><strong>Are shows like Masterchef contributing to this?</strong><br />A little, maybe. But now, we have next-generation appliances that people are seeing and reading about, and would like to have. We believe people enjoy these new options. In the dry kitchen, which is open to the living room, you would like to have better products, since they are on display, but we find that now even in the wet kitchen, at the back, people are using better products because we talk of durability. And people don’t want to change their products every five years.<br /><br /><strong>Really? But as newer and newer gadgets come, isn’t there a desire to keep up with the Joneses and upgrade to the latest?</strong><br />Every change in built-in appliance means a change in kitchen design — it has to be taken out and re-installed and will necessitate a change in cabinetry. And people may not want to do that. It’s not sexy to exchange appliances, but it is sexy to have an iPhone 6. But to upgrade a washing machine or dishwasher is not sexy. On top of that, no staff or housewife likes to read instruction manuals. Once you get used to a product, you would not like to change. Plug, play and forget is what works in case of appliances. And in case you call the service professional from our brand, he will come and update the product to the latest standards — which is also an advantage.<br /><br /><strong>How are tastes of Indians different to those of other consumers? Will you tweak your product to fit our tastes?</strong><br />No, we will not tweak our product to local markets because the brand is global. The Miele owner has to like the product as it is the world over. As tastes are different everywhere, we try to have a timeless design. A design that makes you look at it and enjoy it for many years; one that fits into all the standard branded cabinetry. Designs that may look very local, modern, stylish and new, you might like the appliance for a while but then you go “ugh”. That’s because fashion changes. This is why we aim to be timeless. It’s not just a question of cosmetic design but also materials. So we prefer to be classic in our designs.<br /><br /><strong>What about colours, etc.? One hears that golden shades sell more in the Middle East and China. What about India? </strong><br />Interestingly, I don’t find gold to be much of a hot topic here. It’s true that in the Middle East and parts of China they prefer a golden finish. But we can deliver it if someone wants it in India.<br /><br />Our luxury issue focuses on youth. Would a child be able to handle your appliances? Do you take into account factors like child friendliness — after all, kids today have their cooking competitions? <br />Our new-generation appliances with Mtouch electronics are designed to be read like an iPhone. Kids can handle and use them easily.<br /><br /><strong>What are the trends you see in cooking?</strong><br />Cooking has changed. It has become very luxurious. Ten years ago, you may have known where the kitchen in your house was but may not have stepped into it. Today, you learn high-end French cuisine, it’s become a lifestyle. I also find that the more domestic helps you have, the more you seek privacy. And the kitchen becomes a family room and a sanctuary. I can see this trend growing. When I come home, my wife and I sit together in the kitchen. <br /><br /><strong>Has that resulted changes in the design of the kitchen?</strong><br />We are not into cabinetry. We are, however, working with kitchen cabinetry companies like Hacker, and the big European and Italian companies. We were earlier in the cabinetry space, but exited 10 years ago, and I am happy as the other cabinet companies saw us as competition. Now, we can discuss designs openly — such as how our new products will look best in their cabinet designs.<br /><br /><strong>The Internet of Things is changing kitchens. How are you delivering that? </strong><br />We were the first to have Miele in the “connected” house. We worked with Busch-Jaeger, a French company. We started that 15 years ago and, this year, you will find 400 of our appliances “connected”.<br /><br /><strong>Will you bring these to India? </strong><br />Yes, but the time for “connected” appliances is yet to come here. Internet connectivity is not yet ready. <br /><br /><strong>But you are doing an exclusive project for M3M? Couldn’t you start there?</strong><br />Yes, we could. But the question is does the market really want it? And the other thing is people are afraid that with connected appliances, hackers may find that a home has not used a dishwasher for a few weeks and figure out that nobody is home. <br /><br /><strong>What are the design trends that are shaping and changing the kitchen?</strong><br />I believe there are two major trends. One is electronics. More and more technology will result in more automatic products. The other is the products that will have to deliver many functions in one appliance to save space. Like, a steam-cooking option with an oven, or a microwave with a steam cooker. Most kitchens will not have space for two or three appliances. So some people will like to have a steam cooker, an oven and, on top, a coffee machine. In future, you will have a combination of products in one appliance for multiple usage.<br /><br /><strong>What are the most luxurious projects you have worked on? </strong><br />Actually, I cannot tell you because there are so many. In Manhattan, opposite Carnegie Hall, there were apartments with price tags between $8 million and $35 million a unit. The price starts from $10,000 a square foot. In Dubai, Australia and Singapore, we have seen fantastic luxury apartments. In Singapore, I have seen some wonderful projects, especially on Sentosa Island. <br /><br /><strong>Since you have a finger on the pulse of kitchens, what is the global cuisine that is trending in homes?</strong><br />People tend to cook their local food more at home and dine out on international food, though they do now like to flaunt their cooking skills at home. Sushi has become a major fad, we find. But the number one setting in our appliances is a toss up between French and Italian cuisine. <br /><br />chitra@businessworld.in <br />Twitter: @ndcnn <br /><br />(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 15-12-2014)</div>
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