History of innovation

Silence Force - Vacuum cleaner
A unique combination of power (2,200 Watts) and silence (71 decibels), Silence Force remains today, in Europe, 10 times quieter than the average cylinder vacuum cleaner with a bag.

Marketing teams highlighted these two key consumer requirements but it took 3 years for R&D teams to successfully combine them in a single product, a technical feat which led to us filing 5 patents.

Actifry "one spoonful of oil" fryer
This new deep fryer concept was created on the basis of the following finding: in light of rising problems relating to obesity and cardiovascular diseases, consumers realise the importance of healthy eating but do not want to sacrifice the pleasure of fine dining or struggle with complicated recipes. Hence the idea of offering a “Nutritious and Delicious” range which combines the priorities of health, practicality and pleasure. A real groundbreaking innovation and flagship of this range, the Actifry fryer satisfies these three requirements. 1.5 kg of chips can be made with 1 spoonful of oil, while a broad range of healthy and tasty dishes can also be prepared using the Actifry.

Essentially, 10 years of research and 4 patents for this technological innovation, created in association with universities and marketing innovation.

Ambiance Repelan-Fan.
In 2001, Brazilian teams came up with the idea of combining the fan function with dispersion of a mosquito repellent resulting in a patented innovation. In order to examine the feasibility of this project, R&D and Marketing experts in Brazil and France worked closely together. In 2004, this team work resulted in the Ambiance Repelente fan, a real breakthrough in the fan industry and a huge commercial success in Brazil.

Nutricook - Pressure cooker
Extensive research into the behaviour of nutriments led to this new generation of pressure cookers. In association with external laboratories, the Group’s researchers conducted almost one thousand tests which showed that meat, fish, vegetables and starchy foods need to be cooked differently to preserve maximum levels of nutritional and gustatory qualities. The design of the 4 special NutriCook programs was based on these findings.

Ultimate Autoclean - Steam iron
In response to strong market demand, the Group launched the first ever iron with a catalytic self-cleaning soleplate in 2008. This self-cleaning action, which guarantees long-lasting glideability, was added to the list of existing advantages of Calor and Tefal iron soleplates (perfect glideability of enamel coating, scratch resistance, optimal steam diffusion etc.).

It took almost 6 years of research, in partnership with a CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) team in Lyon, to develop the technical solution (since patented) - an ultra-thin palladium coating on the iron soleplate.