Contract designer and manufacturer WIK helps create differentiated small home appliances
- WIK has almost 70 years of experience and a solid track record borne out of German ingenuity
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Supporting manufacturers of electrical appliances and devices as they respond to a highly competitive market, WIK Group offers inventive and sustainable solutions to provide the next level of differentiation to its clients’ product offerings. With almost 70 years of experience and a solid track record borne out of German ingenuity, WIK has become the trusted development and manufacturing partner of leading multinationals in small home electrical appliances.
“Drawing on our strong foundation as a family-owned business, we have a clear vision of what we want to attain as an organisation in a world that is changing with exponential speed, rather than being in the realm of reacting to what our competitors do,” says Christoph Dörn, CEO and third-generation scion of the family-owned and managed company. “We’re driven to help our clients accomplish more by treating each partnership as a long-term commitment.”
Since producing its first electrical curling wand in 1950, WIK has transformed into a global full-service contract designer and manufacturer whose product expertise has broadened to include small kitchen appliances, coffee machines, beverage systems, power tools and personal care products, among other things. WIK is focusing on providing product differentiation possibilities to its customers by pursuing fresh product ideas, new features and product designs on their behalf. Through its environment-friendly production facilities, WIK guarantees sustainable products for responsible brands and consumers. WIK can even take a key role in instituting cost reduction measures through advanced manufacturing processes, including Industry 4.0 solutions.
We have a clear vision of what we want to attain as an organisation in a world that is changing with exponential speed, rather than being in the realm of reacting to what our competitors do
With an expanding client base in Europe, the Americas and Asia, WIK can adapt to different types of customers and project requirements. It has the flexibility to offer a full-service solution, from new product ideas to mass production through after-sales service. WIK can also provide new concept design, product development and pure production services.
Apart from its competencies as a contract designer and manufacturer, WIK is noted for leading the way in integrating corporate responsibility and sustainable principles into day-to-day operations. It strives to demonstrate that commercial success can come without sacrificing environmental and social needs. At its facilities worldwide, WIK implements energy and emissions reduction programmes and a green factory approach to minimise its environmental footprint.
“Market competitiveness can go hand in hand with corporate responsibility,” says Christian Heidbreder, director and chief commercial officer. “This is becoming a competitive advantage as more consumers around the world demand responsibly sourced and sustainably produced goods.”
In Asia, WIK aims to reinforce its presence by working with more multinationals, niche producers and start-ups to develop products for the region. Starting out in Hong Kong in the 1970s, WIK has established a much bigger operation in Shenzhen under Shenzhen WIK Domestic Appliances. The Shenzhen facility today stands as one of WIK’s two centres for innovation, design and development – the other being its Essen headquarters.
“Asia, particularly China, is a key pillar in our growth strategy and pursuit of continuous innovations,” says Markus Steckhan, director and chief technical officer. “We see a huge advantage in combining the out-of-the-box thinking of China’s young generation and Germany’s mature engineering background.”
WIK is open to more research and development partnerships and aims to enlarge its collaboration network with universities and industry players having cooling and sensor technology expertise.
Complementing the company’s solid footprint in China, WIK launched manufacturing operations in Batam, Indonesia in 2010 and a factory in Prilep, Macedonia last year to add further geographical flexibility.
“We aim to bring the advantages of our expertise in small domestic electrical appliances to a global customer base not only by offering full product development and manufacturing services but by our successfully proven components and sub-assemblies as well,” Dörn says. “We will continue to share our strong focus on sustainability and social responsibility, answering today’s and the future’s growing demand for fair and environmentally neutral products.”