Translations:Mikrowelle/11/en
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a new billion figure market opened up for BSH.[1] For the citizens of the GDR or the newly-formed German states, the microwave was a completely new product, apart from a small number of appliances that had reached the GDR as gifts from German citizens on the other side of the wall.[2] In 1990, BSH began collaborating with the state-owned sales and customer service companies, such as VEB Haushaltgeräteservice (HGS), providing support for these companies in the form of training and delivery of customer service vehicles. "The extensive customer service network operated by HGS was also a good starting point for acceptance of our products in the GDR," stressed CEO, Dr. Herbert Wörner, in 1990.[3] This paid off quickly, with Siemens alone immediately selling around 50,000 microwaves in 1990.[4]
- ↑ The market volume was estimated by SE at 1.5 billion deutschmarks for white and brown goods (without Berlin-West). Corporate Archives, uncatalogued, Konzept und Aktionsplan für Siemens-Electrogeräte DDR-Geschäft ab 2. Halbjahr ’90, page 1.
- ↑ No microwaves were sold in the GDR in 1989. Corporate Archives, uncatalogued, Markterschließung Neue Bundesländer, 2nd insert block, chart 6: DDR-Markt Weiße Ware Mengenentwicklung, October 2, 1990. Corporate Archives, A05-0013, inform 1990/July, page 3.
- ↑ Corporate Archives, A05-0013, inform 1990/July, page 3.
- ↑ Corporate Archives, uncatalogued, Markterschließung Neue Bundesländer, 2nd insert block, chart 6: DDR-Markt Weiße Ware Mengenentwicklung, October 2, 1990. Corporate Archives, A05-0016, inform 1993/4, page 17.