Home appliance manufacturer Defy recently unveiled its regional experience centre at its Midrand facility, where it is showcasing its latest innovations. The centre also includes a museum documenting the progress the company has made since 1933.

According to Defy regional marketing director Rajan Gungiah, the centre intends to give both retailers and consumers “an experience” of Defy’s latest technologies.

Crafted from an understanding of the company’s expansion needs, the centre was built from both a distribution point of view and a consumer perspective and will assist Defy in gearing up for the next decade by adding a “world-class distribution centre”, he said.

Consumers and retailers are able to view Defy’s new laundry technology, called Steamcure, which was also unveiled last week. Steamcure will assist customers with intensive cleaning applications.

new dishwasher technology, the centre’s showroom also has Defy’s corner-washer system on display, which is mainly used for intensive cleaning.

In terms of cooling technology used in fridges and freezers, Defy’s new technology, called ‘NeoCool’, was also on display, and is said to keep food fresher for longer.

In June, the company will showcase its ‘thermal fan plus’ technology, which will assist with smoother and even cooking processes using Defy ovens, allowing for a more succulent texture of the food.

During the opening event, which was officiated by Polat Sen, CFO of Arçelik Global which bought Defy in 2011, and Defy South Africa CEO Evren Albas, sub-Saharan Africa was identified as an area of growth for Defy.

From a product and technology perspective, Gungiah explained that the majority of the products produced in South Africa were exported into sub-Saharan Africa, where Defy had expanded into 34 countries.

“South Africa, Durban and Johannesburg have become the hubs to export to these countries. [As a result, Defy] has had to gear up in distribution, product innovation and efficiency projects to ensure that it can effectively compete in the African region,” he elaborated.