With the participation of well-known companies and state organizations, the Swedish-Hungarian Innovation Forum has been held in Budapest to facilitate the exchange of views among Swedish and Hungarian decision-makers of the state and private sectors.

Electrolux, relying on its one hundred years of professional experience and numerous forward-looking innovations, contributed to this exchange of ideas by showcasing its own operation and the most important principles of its innovation principles.

The first Swedish-Hungarian Innovation Forum was held today by the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish Trade Council and the representatives of leading Swedish companies including Electrolux. The central theme of the event was the new national innovation strategy with its preparations currently under way in both Sweden and Hungary. At the conference, Jan Brockmann, Chief Technology Officer and Head of R&D for Global Operations of Electrolux AB explained the role of innovation in our everyday life, how it manifests itself in practice, and how the innovative home appliances can make our daily routines easier. János Takács, Chief Executive Officer of Electrolux Lehet LTD. shared his experiences at the round-table discussion on how to create attractive conditions for investors in innovation and research and development.

At Electrolux, product development is based on a preliminary survey of customer needs and expectations. The so-called Innovation Triangle, the continuous and close cooperation among the divisions of research and development, design and marketing, takes care of getting the new developments to the customers as fast as possible. As part of the Innovation Triangle, the company set for itself the so-called 70 percent rule which states that the production of a new product may start only when 70 percent of the test group taking part in market research thinks that it is more attractive than the other products on the market.

For measuring customer preferences, the company established a regional network which all the production units of the Group joined. The new centre is an excellent example of the over-the-borders cooperation where the experience gained in the professional sector is put together with the customer need. Significant developer groups work in the Hungarian Electrolux plants as well. Currently approximately 45 engineers work for the research and development section of the vacuum cleaner plant in Jászberény, while in the refrigerator and chest freezer plants of Nyíregyháza and Jászberény almost 60 people are involved in product development.

The vacuum cleaner plant in Jászberény has been producing innovative products that represent milestones in floor care, and this seems to be continued. UltraSilencer, one of the quietest vacuum cleaners of the world, the multiple test winners UltraOne and the environment-friendly models made of recycled plastic are produced in Jászberény. In 2012, the hand-held wireless UltraPower with extraordinary suction power and the UltraOne Mini with a dust pickup capability and suction outstanding not only compared to its size, but also to the performance of other vacuum cleaners are also supplied to the shops from the Hungarian plants. In 2013 further developments are expected with the quiet and green models and handhelds among them,

Apart from the vacuum cleaner plant, development takes place in the refrigerator and chest freezer plant in Jászberény and Nyíregyháza as well, and in the next few years number of new models are expected to produced in the domestic plants.

Numerous awards have been granted to Electrolux for its innovative activity both in Hungary and internationally. Year after year the new products of the company win high-prestige prizes, including the red dot and iF awards, for their design. Most recently in Hungary, Electrolux Lehet LTD. deserved a special recognition in April by the jury of the Hungarian Innovation Grand Price for developing vacuum cleaners with integrated feather duster.