Diehl Controls Polska acts as Polish subsidiary of Diehl Controls from Germany. The company was founded in the year 2000 and has become a full-fledged production site for electronic products in 2003.
“Since 2006, we are also strongly engaged in research and development,” explains Wojciech Paruzel, operational director of Diehl Controls Polska, who has been with the company since January 2012. “For this reason, we expanded our capacities and established a separate research and development center in Wroclaw, Poland.”
In the past ten years, Diehl Controls Polska’s production volumes have multiplied by four. “Today, we serve as experts in electronic appliance products and beyond,” states the operational director. “Further advancement in terms of efficiency improvement and human resources have taken place.”
At the present time, the Polish enterprise employs a well-educated and motivated team of about 900 people, including 60 R&D engineers, at its two locations in Namysłow and Wroclaw, and has been able to generate a turnover of some 100 million EUR last year. Diehl Controls Polska manufactures electronic units and systems according to international quality standards, ranging from low-volume programs to mass-produced control units.
“Our solutions are mainly used for washing machines, laundry dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, cook tops and ovens,” says Jürgen Hirath, CEO of Diehl Controls Polska since January 2012. “Some of them have a specific focus, like central or motor control units, as well as user interfaces that address human-machine interaction. Others integrate several functions within one product. In general, the European focus is set on controls for large domestic appliances. At the moment, components for smaller household goods, for example coffee machines, are mainly produced by the Chinese subsidiary of Diehl Controls.”
As a result of technological developments in the appliances sector, the Polish enterprise is eager to create sustainable solutions. “In the old days, efficiency classes C or B were the norm in some way; nowadays, we are starting to look beyond A++ and A+++, due to electronically controlled processes,” explains the CEO. “In the case of a washing machine, this allows for reduced noise and increased efficiency consumption.”
In order to accomplish these goals, Diehl Controls Polska closely cooperates with its customers. “The client decides what the actual product is meant for,” states Mr. Hirath. “Therefore, it is our task to achieve what the desired product is intended to do. From pure contract manufacturing and co-development up to complete in-house development, we are ready to cooperate efficiently according to the needs of our clients.”
The company’s B2B focus also has a major effect on its means of marketing. “In addition to our up-to-date internet presence, we work directly with our customers on application-specific solutions,” says the CEO.
“Primarily, our corporate identity is tailored to address any kind of people, not only clients or potential employees. In the end, B2B business decisions are made by the people who interact with each other. In this regard, we rely on our good image in the market place and are known for reliability and trustworthiness. Since we address very particular needs of specific customers, our marketing activities are hardly directed towards pure advertising. We identify the client’s requirements and address them directly.”
Despite its widespread product portfolio and long experience, Diehl Controls Polska is subject to recent developments on the market. “In the European Union, we still notice a horizontal separation into markets located north and south of the Alps,” explains Mr. Hirath. “While the South of Europe is still suffering significantly from the state debt crisis, Northern markets are relatively stable. Anyway, we experience a wide business environment. Almost every household is already equipped with suitable appliances. Nowadays, it is mainly about replacements, which naturally limits growth rates. Furthermore, Asian manufacturers enter the market, still heavily importing subsystems as well as complete appliances. However, we have positioned ourselves very well throughout the past years and are positive to successfully continue along that road.”
With these promising plans, the Polish enterprise takes an optimistic view into its entrepreneurial future. “Our success is based on many factors,” states Mr. Hirath. “First of all, we have a long-standing family company in the background that looks back on more than 100 years of experience. Reliability - in combination with competitive innovative solutions - is our main success factor: We are a trusted partner, offer a uniquely broad range of products and employ more than 120 skilled development engineers in Europe – half of them are associated with Diehl Controls Polska.”