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ambition
A ROBUST PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING
NEW INNOVATIONS
Innovation is based on precise knowledge
of our consumers and their requirements
whether relating to major societal changes
or lifestyle changes throughout the
world Thanks to the extensive scope of
our technological expertise automation
connectivity materials etc we can meet
their current and future needs by developing
appropriate innovations
We are also working to build innovative
comprehensive and coherent ranges to
suit all user profiles By developing several
variants of a particular product we can
upscale it make it more accessible in
terms of usage or tailor it to different target
consumer segments
Groupe SEB has grown to be the global leader in Small domestic appliances and Professional coffee through innovation,
a key value passed down by its founders. The innovation strategy follows a structured approach of creating offers relevant
to the Group’s mission to make consumers’ everyday lives easier and more enjoyable, around the world. Each product and
service can be used all day long and in every room of the house… A resolutely life-centric vision. A conversation with Cyril
Buxtorf, Senior Executive Vice-president, Products and Innovation.
INNOVATION
AT THE HEART OF GROUPE SEB’S BUSINESS MODEL
A CONSIDERABLE FIREPOWER THANKS
TO INTERNAL EXPERTISE
Multidisciplinary teams are in place at two
global innovation centers one for Cookware
Rumilly FRA and the other for Small domestic
appliances Écully FRA The latter is divided
into six centers of excellence covering all fields
of research devoted to innovation consumer
insights food science electronics engineering
materials and intellectual property The system is
rounded out with regional hubs in Germany the
United States China and South America
This global footprint close to the factories
encourages synergies
between categories from cookware to iron
soles
andor between geographic areas Tefals
patented Thermospot
technology applied to
Supor pans in China
INNOVATION APPLIED TO MORE
THAN 50 PRODUCT CATEGORIES
WITH A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE
The product offering is continually being
reinvented in each of the more than
50 categories in which Groupe SEB operates,
in order to keep track of and adapt to
consumer habits. Groupe SEB is the world’s
second largest player in the blender category,
widely distributed throughout the world but
with differing uses from one region to another:
fruit juices, sauces, hummus, guacamole,
smoothies soups crushed ice etc
The legacy of each brand and their technological
and industrial knowhow provide a sound
foundation for innovation and for creating
brand histories in a global effort for continuous
improvement as for example in the journey
from the CocotteMinute
pressure cooker to
the electric pressure cooker
INNOVATION IS…
3,000 people
around €300m of investment
per year
500 patents filed each year
10,000 active patents
A lifecentric perspective great agility
and huge synergy potential thanks to our
global operations and the diversity of our
areas of knowhow this is Groupe SEBs
recipe for innovation
Cyril Buxtorf Senior Executive
Vicepresident Products and Innovation