Designing electronics for repair with Electrolux Professional Group
How Electrolux Professional Group’s appliances were assessed for circularity
Business model
How products are sold, serviced, and supported over their lifecycle.
Product design
Component durability, accessibility, and modularity.
System
The wider ecosystem, including spare parts availability and service infrastructure.
The assessment confirmed that Electrolux Professional Group’s appliances already demonstrate advanced repairability, featuring thoughtful design that allows easy access to critical components. This strong foundation supports both sustainability and customer satisfaction. Although the overall performance is impressive, the assessment highlighted several key findings:
Modularity was identified as a major opportunity
Designing products in separate, interchangeable modules makes repairs faster and simpler and allows for future upgrades, keeping products relevant over time.
Standardization emerged as another key enabler
Uniform components and connections reduce complexity, simplify maintenance, and allow technicians to work efficiently across multiple product models.
Spare parts availability proved critical to long-term product use
By ensuring parts remain accessible for up to ten years after the last sale of a product model, Electrolux Professional Group empowers customers to maintain and repair appliances over an extended period.
Together, these measures provide a clear roadmap for enhancing sustainability and product longevity, while improving customer satisfaction and reinforcing Electrolux Professional Group's alignment with circular economy principles.
“This comprehensive study allowed us to assess each component of the dishwasher individually, including material selection, accessibility, and modularity. By analyzing the business model and servitization process, we saw the potential to provide our customers with a truly innovative and sustainable solution.”
Lidia Boschiero, Product Compliance & Sustainability Manager, Electrolux Professional Group
Lessons learned on repairability
Identify product failure points
Assess accessibility to critical parts
Encourage repair through incentives
Identify product failure points
Understanding which components fail most often is essential. Data from customer feedback, service centers, and aftermarket departments helps prioritize design improvements and extend the lifespan of the shortest-lived components.
Assess accessibility to critical parts
Analyzing disassembly sequences, steps required to reach key components, and tools needed ensures products are easier to repair, reducing time and cost.
Encourage repair through incentives
Cost is often a barrier to repair. Offering fixed-price packages that include parts and technician time can remove financial surprises and encourage customers to choose repair over replacement.
