As Iranian companies experience growth and development among countless challenges, the strategies outlined today for the future will play an important role in the quality of presence in the future. In the meantime, forward-looking investment in research and development is a key parameter.

Tens of Millions of Dollars of Investment on Research and Development by SNOWA

As Iranian companies experience growth and development among countless challenges, the strategies outlined today for the future will play an important role in the quality of presence in the future. In the meantime, forward-looking investment in research and development is a key parameter. SNOWA in Iran, as the most powerful Iranian home appliance brand, has realized this path and has spent more than tens of millions of dollars in its research and development to show that it is a worthy leader in the Iranian home appliance market and one of the major players in this industry in the region.

In the following, you will read an interview with Alireza Hatami, SNOWA Public Relations Manager, about SNOWA investments

The home appliance industry is one of the special industries and also due to the constantly changing tastes of customers who need stylish and advanced metal designs and tools; How has SNOWA been able to keep pace with the world’s most prestigious brands in terms of technology, following the current developments in the world?

SNOWA has experienced growth in its competitive environment internationally, and the need for this growth is to maintain a competitive advantage related to the luxury nature and advanced products. Since international competitors in Iran are world market leaders, being second is not a good place to compete in such a market and it must have unique advantages to offer. From the very beginning, SNOWA focused on forming a R&D team in Iran and networked some technological research offices in Asia and Europe. As a result, it was able to provide an accurate view of world-class trends and technologies that naturally affect the design, production and product development processes.

Also, SNOWA has always emphasized knowledge management within its organization and has put the knowledge and expert human capital in a higher priority than other components of production and paying attention to information and deepening knowledge has been able to keep it in the competition.

Iran’s economy has always faced the problem of sanctions and external pressures over the past decades; hasn’t this made it difficult for SNOWA to transfer knowledge and technology? Basically, how does the transfer of modern technology in the ENTEKHAB Industrial Group take place?

It can be said that sanctions exist almost periodically, and since SNOWA’s view has been based on a long-term perspective from the very beginning, Attempts were made to prioritize the introduction of technologies, provided that the main knowledge or the main machines and their engineering were achieved. Therefore, SNOWA has maintained this path and as a result, sanctions have had very little effect on it And today, it produces and supplies products with an in-depth of over 90%, whose engineering knowledge is one of the main assets.

Also, SNOWA is investing in technology centers and innovation factories called “Snowa Tec” to strengthen the scientific network in the country and upgrade its knowledge and technology at a higher rate.

The establishment of specialized laboratories such as energy, sound, reliability, electronics, motors and chemistry helps to accelerate the deepening of SNOWA’s knowledge and also manages the constraints created by changes in foreign and even domestic political-economic relations. Of course, the technology transfer route was step-by-step and started from production under license, Then it has entered the reverse engineering phase and with the development of infrastructure and the growth and development of specialized forces has entered the phase of knowledge production.

The use of the Internet of Things and product intelligence are among the technological developments in various industries. What steps has SNOWA taken in this regard and what plans does it pursue this year to make its products smarter?

In recent years, SNOWA has focused on various intelligence platforms. The design of the product performance algorithm is done internally and exclusively especially so that it has sufficient intelligence in the product performance within the boundaries of communication with the user. In the subject of Internet of Things, implementation was done based on a dedicated platform and different approaches in this field were implemented on an engineering sample scale. The latest development in the company’s mass production this year is based on the structure of the Internet of Things and its connection to SNOWA’s internal systems. Also, joint projects have been defined for security development with reputable and specialized research centers in the country And given the breadth of the subject of smart home protocols and the use of artificial intelligence, it has been mapped out as a new path.

More importantly, there is a proprietary platform designed and implemented by SNOWA and known as Snowa Boom. Thanks to this platform, home appliances, and devices can communicate with each other wirelessly in a smart platform with reliable functionality. And by using a special application designed for it, the process of unifying notifications and controlling indoor devices is achieved and the data format is maintained to support them.

Also last year, a production technology called Smart Factory was implemented in all SNOWA lines, which has increased accuracy with the ability to track parts and production methods. This technology is in line with making the factory smart, which itself needs another discussion.

What plans and achievements has SNOWA made in relation to the use of other technologies?
Is there a special technology used in this company that is unique in Iran and other brands have not yet achieved it?

It can be said that among Iran’s industrial complexes, there is not similar technology and engineering depth as the ones used in SNOWA; and in the field of competition with foreign competitors, there are more customized facilities to meet the needs of consumers in Iran.

It can be said that there is no similar technology, power and engineering depth used in SNOWA among Iran’s industrial complexes And in the field of competition with foreign competitors, there are more customized facilities to meet the needs of consumers in Iran. From this perspective, we can refer to product design technologies based on optimizing product performance parameters by designing specific parts Which has led to lower costs and higher reliability in accessing parts and their greater compatibility with the product operating environment. Along the way, SNOWA protects its achievements by equipping itself with advanced product lines, intelligent systems such as smart factories and exclusive services.

For example, the existence of 6 sensors to control the activity environment of side-by-side refrigerators is due to the great diversity of Iran’s climate, which foreign products have not addressed due to the environment of the production; or a special model of water intake/discharge called “Islamic Rinse” that is designed for the religious region.

In this section, there are also product-specific platforms that allow the product improvements in a specific policy to be developed; and make the production of new proprietary products with more variety possible.

SNOWA platforms are currently has been developed for refrigeration products such as side-by-side and washing machines.

What is the amount of SNOWA investment in the field of technology research and development, and what laboratories have been set up in this field?

The complex has so far spent more than $ 10 million on research and development and has established specialized laboratories for energy consumption, performance, reliability, sound, chemistry, and engine, all of which are unique in Iran; and are the standard references of the country.

Also, these laboratories are not only in the field of hardware but also in the field of software and marketing laboratories; Such as the dedicated IoT laboratory and the Consumer Behavior Laboratory, which are located in the startup maze.

To what extent has SNOWA’s focus on technological product development contributed to the brand’s self-sufficiency?

Does SNOWA now need Chinese and Korean companies help or will technological cooperation with these countries continue?

Of course, self-sufficiency is not an exact meaning and no company in the world pursues such a meaning.

But technological development has allowed the knowledge of design, engineering, and production to have a great depth.

Although many parts, including strategic and large components, are currently produced in this complex, some non-strategic parts are also supplied with the help of other production complexes in Iran.

Some parts, such as TV panels or refrigerator compressors, are not produced in SNOWA despite their knowledge of production due to unprofitable investment, which is why they are imported and will be created in the future according to the growing demand of target markets.