THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AMERICAS” Lavadora brasilefia es arma global para Whirlpool. Por Miriam Jordan y Jonathan Karp, The Wall Street Journal 977 words 9 December 2003 ‘The Wall Street Journal Americas (Copyright (c) 2003, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) Con un precio médico, la Ideale es un imén para consumidores de paises en desarrollo RIO CLARO, Brasil - Silvia Oliveira la lama "mi segunda madre", Lourdes Silva se deleita acariciando su contorno. Las dos amas de casa brasilefias no estén adulando a una persona. El objeto de su adoracién es una lavadora. Whirlpool Corp. ha lanzado la que asegura ¢s la lavadora automética més barata del mundo, con la mira puesta en los consumidores de bajos ingresos que nunca se imaginaron comprar una, "Antes de que apareciera pasaba horas doblada sobre el lavadero”, dice Oliveira, madre de seis y cuyo esposo, un albafiil independiente, gana cerca de USS200 al mes, Refiriéndose a la lavadora por su nombre en Brasil, la ama de casa dice: "Ahora puedo poner a trabajar a Ideale, mientras yo hago otras cosas, como atender a mis hijos, cocinar e incluso visitar a mi mama enferma”. Whirlpool invirtié USS30 millones durante 18 meses para desarrollar la maquina en Brasil. Pero Ideale es un proyecto global, ya que también se est fabricando en China e India. La lavadora fue lanzada en octubre en Brasil y China y serd introducida en India el préximo aito, seguido de otros paises en desarrollo. El producto tendré un precio al consumidor que estard entre US$150 y US$200, aunque en Brasil el precio es un poco ms alto debido a los ;puestos locales. El proyecto de la lavadora para el pueblo muestra como Whirlpool ha descentralizado sus operaciones, llevando mis trabajo de disefio a paises en desarrollo, Brasil cuenta con las fabricas més avanzadas de Whirlpool y su personal especializado est en crecimiento, que incluye a ingenieros altamente capacitados de bajo costo y disefiadores industriales. Estos equipos de disefio no solo "latinizan" los disefios estadounidenses, sino que crean productos completamente nuevos para los consumidores en todo el mundo. "Es la segunda ola de globalizacién", dice Nelson Possamai, director de fabricacién de la planta de refrigeradores de Whirlpool en la ciudad de Joinville, al sur de Brasil, donde se desarrollan productos para los hogares de India, asi como para los dormitorios universitarios estadounidenses. En mercados desarrollados como Estados Unidos y Europa, los fabricantes de electrodomésticos promocionan lavadoras mas sofisticadas, donde los consumidores cambian regularmente los viejos modelos por nuevos con disefios Hamativos y tecnologia avanzada. Pero en la mayor parte del mundo, la gente ain lava sus sébanas y camisas a mano. Apenas un tercio de los hogares brasilefios tiene lavadora, La penetracién es de aproximadamente un 8% en China y de s6lo un 4,5% en India, de acuerdo con EuromonitorInternational, firma de investigacién de productos de consumo en Londres. En Brasil, Whirlpool cree que las ventas de Ideale aumentaran el uso de lavadoras en cerca de 20 puntos porcentuales en dos afios. Hasta ahora, las ventas han sido buenas. Whirlpool dice que en los primeros 15 dias del producto en el mercado despaché el doble de undidades que proyectaba para el primer mes. La acogida inicial en China ha sido igual de prometedora, segiin ia empresa, Whirlpool ha dominado desde hace tiempo el mercado de los electrodomésticos en Brasil gracias a la compra de dos marcas establecidas: Brastemp y Consul. Pero sus productos eran dirigidos principalmente a los brasilefios acomodados. Las ventas de una lavadora basica Ianzada en 1998 no despegaron debido a que el modelo, que tenia un precio de unos US$300, no estaba al aleance de los bolsillos de los consumidores de bajos ingresos. Whirlpool persevers. A pesar de la caida en las ventas de electrodomésticos en el mayor mercado de América Latina, habia una aparente demanda dentro de los 30 millones de hogares brasilefios de bajos ingresos, que equivalen a casi un tercio del consumo nacional. Sondeos \dependientes indicaron que las lavadoras automaticas eran el segundo objeto mas codiciado para los consumidores de bajos ingresos, después de los teléfonos celulares. Los investigadores de Whirlpool estudiaron los habitos de lavado y la mentalidad de las amas de casa de bajos ingresos a través de grupos de estudios, conocidos como focus-groups y visitas a hogares. Los ingenieros de Whirlpool pidieron a docenas de consumidores sus comentarios durante el desarrollo de Ideale. Whirlpool estaba convencida de que tenia que empezar de cero para fabricar un producto que estuviera al alcance y fuera atractivo para los trabajadores promedio de Brasil, que ganan aproximadamente US$220 al mes. "No se trataba de adaptar un modelo existente”, dice Marcelo Rodrigues, principal ingeniero de lavadoras de Whirlpool en América Latina, "Tenfamos que innovar para las masas"’ El equipo de Rodrigues desarrollé una tecnologia eficaz en costos, sobre la cual ya ha solicitado patentes en mercados importantes. Las lavadoras funcionan normalmente como un auto, cambiando de velocidades para diferentes fimciones. Pero para Ideale, los ingenieros brasilefios construyeron un sistema de una sola velocidad donde la ropa es lavada y centrifugada sin cambiar de ritmo, Ese es el factor que mas ahorros produce. Los focus-groups confirmaron que la capacidad de la lavadora podria ser pequefia, (un poco mis de 4 kilos 6 9 libras), debido a que los brasilefios de menores ingresos lavan con mas frecuencia, Las amas de casa brasilefias dijeron que querian ver la maquina operando, de modo que la empresa hizo una tapa de acrilico transparente, que es més barata que el vidrio, En China, las familias preficren tapas plegables debido a que a menudo tienen repisas sobre sus lavadoras. Luego se definieron aspectos del disefio mas finos. Estudios mostraron que los consumidores de bajos ingresos se sentian insultados con electrodomésticos generalmente menos atractivos. "Nos dimos cuenta de que la lavadora deberia ser estéticamente Llamativa; es un simbolo de estatus para estas personas", dice Emerson do Valle, vicepresidente de Multibras SA Electrodomésticos, filial de Whirlpool en Brasil. Dow Jones & Company Document WSJAES002003 1209dzc900009,THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. = Machines for the Masses — Whirlpool Aims Cheap Washer At Brazil, India and China; Making Due With Slower Spin By Miriam Jordan and Jonathan Karp 1,396 words 9 December 2003 The Wall Street Journal (Copyright (c) 2003, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) Rio Claro, Brazil ~ SILVIA OLIVEIRA calls her "my second mother.” Lourdes Silva caresses her contours adoringly. ‘The two Brazilian housewives aren't fawning over a person. The object of their adoration is a washing machine. Whirlpool Corp. has launched what it bills as the world’s cheapest automatic washer, with an eye on low-income consumers who never thought they could afford one, “Before she came along I spent hours bent over the washing tub," says [Link], a mother of six whose husband, a freelance mason, ears about $200 a month. Referring to the washer by its name in Brazil, she adds, *Now, | can put Ideale to work and do other things, like tend to my children, cook dinner and even visit my sick mother Whirlpool invested $30 million over 18 months to develop the washing machine in Brazil. But the Ideale is a global project because it is also being manufactured in China and India. The washer was launched in October in Brazil and China (where its Chinese name means Super Hand-Washing Washer). It wll debut in India early next year, followed by other developing countries. The target retail price: $150 to $200. That compares with the average washer price in the U.S. of $461, Whirlpool says. ‘The people's washing-machine project shows how Whirlpool has decentralized its operations, shifting more design work to developing countries. Brazil boasts some of Whirlpool's most advanced factories and a growing technology staff, where highly skilled, low-cost engineers and industrial designers not only “Latinize” U.S. designs, but create entirely new products for consumers world- wide, "It’s the second wave of globalization," says Nelson Possamai, manufacturing director of Whirlpoo''s refrigerator plant in the southern Brazilian city of Joinville, where products are developed for Indian homes as well as U.S. college dormitories, Appliance makers promote a raft of high-end washers in the U.S. and Europe, where consumersregularly exchange their old models for new ones with swanky designs and hi-tech features. But in much of the world, people still wring their shirts and sheets by hand. Just about a quarter of Brazilian households have an automatic washing machine, and penetration is only about 8% in China and 4.5% in India, according to Euromonitor International, a consumer-goods research group in London. In Brazil, the Benton Harbor, Mich., company believes that sales of Ideale will boost the use of washing machines by about 20 percentage points in two years. So far, sales are strong: In the first 18 days on the market here, Whirlpool says it shipped more than twice as many Ideales than it expected to sell in the first full month. Initial reception in China has been similarly promising, the company says. Whirlpool has long dominated the appliance market in Brazil thanks to its purchase of two established brands, Brastemp and Consul. But its products catered mainly to well-to-do Brazilians, Sales of a basic washer launched in 1998 didn't take off because the model, which cost about $300, stil was unaffordable to low-income consumers. Whirlpool persevered. Despite declining appliance sales in Latin America's largest market in recent 30 million low-income households, which account years, there was apparent demand among Brazil for about one-third of all national consumption. Independent surveys indicated that automatic washers are the second most-coveted item by low-income consumers, after cellphones. Whirlpool researchers delved into the washing habits and mind-set of poor Brazilian homemakers through, focus-group discussions and visits to households. Whirlpool engineers "adopted" dozens of consumers to give them feedback during the development of Ideale. Whirlpool was convinced that it had to start from scratch to make a product that was affordable and appealing to the average Brazilian worker, who eams about $220 a month. “It wasn't a matter of stripping down an existing model,” says Marcelo Rodrigues, Whirlpoo''s top washing-machine engineer in Latin America. "We had to innovate for the masses,” said Mr. Rodrigues, who is director of laundry technology at Mutibras SA Eletrodomesticos, the Brazilian unit of Whirlpool His team developed a cost-effective technology, for which it has applied for patents in key markets. Washing machines normally work a bit like cars, shifting gears for different functions. But for Ideale, Brazilian engineers built a single-drive system by which clothes are washed and spun without switching gears. That is the biggest cost-saving device. Focus groups confirmed that the washing machine's capacity could be small, at nine pounds, because low-income Brazilians do laundry more frequently. A Brazilian habit of washing floors underneath furniture and appliances prompted Whirlpool to make Ideale stand high on four legs. Brazilian housewives said they want to see the machine operate, so Whirlpool made a transparent, acrylic lid that is cheaper than glass. In China, families prefer foldable tops because they often haveshelves above their washers. ‘Then there were the finer design points. Studies showed that low-income consumers were insulted that less-expensive appliances generally were less attractive. "We realized the washer should be aesthetically appealing; i's a status symbol for these people,” says Emerson do Valle, vice president ‘of Multibras. In China, researchers found that appearance is important for another reason: Space constraints mean that many families keep appliances in the living room. Whirlpool found that Brazilians prefer cheery and rounded styling over sleek and square. Housewives approved when the company changed a gray-and-black control panel to one that incorporated color, such as a yellow start button and blue lettering, Like wealthy Brazilians, however, low-income women also strongly associate white with cleanliness; Ideale comes only in white, as does the vast majority of appliances in Brazil. In China, white is disdained because it dirties easily. ‘There, the washer comes in light blue and gray. In India, it will be produced in green, blue and white. Whirlpool also made concessions to local culture in naming the wash cycles. For China, where millions rely on a bike for transportation, the company dubs the heavy-duty cleaning cycle "grease removal.” In India, there is a "sari" setting for delicate fabric, such as used in women's traditional wrap-arounds. Like other Brazilian housewives, Ms. Oliveira and Ms. Ferreira are so proud of their first automatic washing machine that they "treat the washer like a member of the family, referring to her as ‘litle princess! and my “little girl” " says Silvio Bortolotti, a Multibras engineer. "Having their sheets and towels automatically wrung is tantamount to a declaration of independence for women used to doing this by hand," says Multibras's marketing director, Ronaldo Flor. In fact, Whiepoo! hopes the Ideale will prompt low-income consumers to graduate to other products made by the company. Tapping this market could be critical for Whirlpoo!'s growth, given recent disappointments with its traditional higher-end clientele in big developing countries such as Brazil The company's third-quarter profit fll short of Wall Street's estimate, and its fullyear earnings will be suppressed in part because of weak demand in Brazil.Pes reae Source: Whizlpool License this article from Dow Jones Reprint Service Document J000000020031209dz2c900043