MATTRADITION Microwave oven, IKEA 300 stainless steel

Bruno Lizotte, who works with product development at IKEA of Sweden in Älmhult, tells that the development of the kitchen appliances is done hand in hand together with the suppliers. “We have a lot of experience from life at home so we share our ideas and our knowledge to get the suppliers to see things from our perspective. Then we find solutions together to improve the life in and around the kitchen,” he says. In turn, the suppliers contribute with their expertise, for example hard facts on materials, technical solutions and innovations they have in the pipeline. “By being generous we learn from each other. It’s a way to challenge old truths about how things are supposed to be done. It usually leads to a couple of aha-moments for everyone involved,” notes Bruno.

Some of the knowledge that’s shared comes from IKEA home visits. It’s a method to see how people in different cultures live and manage with some of life’s ups and downs in their own homes. For example, we ask; what do you do in the kitchen, except cooking? How do you use the space? Do you have friends over? What would you like to improve? What are your hopes, dreams and wishes? “The insights we get from the visits are transferred to the people we work with so we can develop better products together, and create an easier life at home,” says Bruno.

Good kitchen appliances should fit with the rest of the kitchen and with the people who use them. We all have different needs, tastes and wallets. Some of us cook because we love to, some of us because we have to. That’s why a considerable amount of time in the development process is spent on creating a selection of durable products – in different styles, functions and price levels. And always with quality as the main focus. It means a whole deal of fine-tuning, trying ideas and choosing the ones that make most use for people. “Togetherness and enthusiasm are important words to us when we develop products. In short, it means to work with people that believe in the same cause as we do, but also to respect each other’s efforts. When we manage to live up to that, we can make a true difference and contribute to a better life at home for more people. That’s really something to aim for,” says Bruno.