What the washing maschine really wants

Sep 03, 2015

• Deutsche Telekom links machines to the ordering system over WiFi
• Consumers re-order detergent with few mouseclicks
• The new system treats washing, machine and the environment with care

Miele is showcasing a washing machine with a connected detergent dosing system for the first time at this year's IFA show. The appliance operates with a dual-phase liquid detergent in replaceable cartridges. When the detergent in one of the cartridges gets low, an app sends a message to the user's smartphone so that they can order refills easily and quickly. All the user needs alongside the Miele technology is a smartphone and a standard WiFi router.

Nowadays, housewives and househusbands still usually fill up the liquid or powder detergent in their washing machines by hand. And because they want the best for their washing, they often put too much of it in the detergent drawer. As a result, the washing, the machine and, ultimately, the environment all stand to lose. This prompted Miele to develop its TwinDos system. Here, a dual-phase detergent is dosed precisely and automatically to suit each washing load and selected program. This results in up to 30 percent less detergent consumption. When the detergent gets low, users are sent a message on their smartphones. All it then takes is a few clicks to order refills from the online shop via the app.

And this is how it works: The inhouse wireless network connects the washing machine to a Deutsche Telekom platform (Connected Industry Platform or CIP for short) at one of the company's secure data centers. CIP connects the smartphone app EditionConn@ct from Miele (free of charge for iOS and Android) to the vendor's procurement and processing system. This enables users to order consumables such as detergent and other accessories quickly and easily. By taking this step, Miele has fulfilled the wishes of many consumers to be able to buy more consumer products online. The detergent is then delivered conveniently straight to the door of their homes.

Anyone who wants a live experience of the new technology will find it at the Miele stand in hall 2.1 at the IFA fair.

AboutT-Systems

Deutsche Telekom considers the European business customer segment a strategic growth area. It offers small, medium-sized and multinational companies ICT solutions for an increasingly complex digital world. In addition to services from the cloud, the range of services centers around M2M, security solutions, complementary mobile communications and fixed-network products, and solutions for virtual collaboration and IT platforms, all of which forms the basis for our customers' digital business models. The corporate customers unit (T-Systems ) and its 47,800 employees around the world generated revenue of around EUR 8.6 billion in the 2014 financial year.