Grundig's transformation after Arçelik bought it

Grundig is one of the most rooted brands of Germany. It was founded in 1945 and their wooden box radios and televisions were the stars of households at that time.

Grundig was bought by the flagship company of Koç Holding, Arçelik, in 2007 and underwent major changes. No surprise they are promoting their brand now as "We are 70 years old and we just started." 

Arçelik is the driving force behind Grundig's technological transformation. Hakan Bulgurlu, who heads Arçelik, was at Milano Design Week recently. Bulgurlu and I had the opportunity to visit the Grundig stand at the prestigious Eurocucina Fair.

Frankly, it was impressive. A carbon fiber prototype refrigerator was displayed, as well as smart kitchens with HomeWhiz Virtual User Experience technologies.

Grundig has become an innovation giant. No doubt the huge investment Arçelik made in R&D played a part behind this transformation. 

Arçelik has a new R&D center in Cambridge, U.K.; it is preparing to open R&D centers in Germany, the U.S. and Asia. 

Grundig is a well-known brand with its quality and durability not only in Germany but also in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, all of which are countries with high levels of welfare.  

With the inclusion of the white goods category into its product portfolio in 2013, the Grundig brand became the only European manufacturer to offer products in all categories of home electronics.

Bulgurlu said they have placed Grundig as an "international premium brand," expecting it to cover 20 percent of international sales in the next five years. In other words, Grundig will not only grow in Europe but it will also grow in Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Latin America. The brand is expected to grow 2.5 times...