The giant company, Samsung, has purchased the high-end Dacor appliance company. Should you care about this new ownership as a possible purchaser? In the short term, you probably should not.
However, this merger has some real potential for both companies as well as anyone considering an appliance purchase in the near future.
We will look at Dacor’s past history and present products. Then we will look at Samsung's product portfolio to see why this makes sense.
Dacor started as a family-owned company 52 years ago. They were the first with a 30 inch convection wall oven back when I started in 1986. Their double convection ovens were a standard in the early 1990s along with some cool cooktops.
They dropped off due to some residual product issues and increased competition. Dacor never evolved past cooking. Dishwashers and refrigeration were outsourced, so they never had a coherent offering other than wall ovens and professional ranges.
A few years ago, Dacor made a huge bet on technology well before anyone else. Their wall ovens and professional ranges are on the Android platform. Technology has been Dacor's strong suit.
In my opinion, Samsung could be one of the most interesting appliance companies I have ever seen. They are the first appliance manufacturer to execute aesthetics and design. Look at their commodity products. Even the laundry looks good.
But do not forget that Samsung is also a technology company. Their Family Hub refrigerator is internet ready, and you can see inside the refrigerator from your phone with an app.
I saw Samsung about 12 years ago. They had Sub-Zero type built-in refrigerators and other high-end products, which they still have not be able to sell.
Ironically, Samsung has the products needed by Dacor. The new Dacor will be ultra premium and technology focused.
Definitely. Currently, the premium segment is dominated by SubZero/Wolf, Thermador, Miele as well as Jenn-Air.
They lack an aggressive, technology focused competitor. With Samsung in the mix, they will have to compete hard, which is good for everyone.
Additional Resources
Typically, we write about how to's and comparison posts between brands like Wolf, Miele, Samsung, Viking, Jenn-Air, Thermador, Bosch and KitchenAid, five days a week. We add real reliability stats plus major problems when buying appliances. Over 4.5 million people read the Yale Blog in 2015.
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