Mr. Mark Heier

Product manager Mark Heier admits that Bosch would "have loved to enter this market earlier."However, he adds, "Our choice was an open system, which allows the consumer to use all kinds of single-serving pods offered by different coffee companies.After making this decision, product design started, followed by new, unique technical solutions.Regarding timing, we should realize that Phillips worked on the project for several years before launching the product, which created a new market.One has to remember also that the success of the product was unexpected, and competitors were not sure in the beginning that the success in the Dutch market would be copied in other markets.

"We also realized that a ‘me-too' product would make no sense, so we had to come up with significant improvements," Mr. Heier continues."All these aspects together took some time, for us and for the other players."

He also notes that based on customer research, Bosch developed several improvements, which justify a higher price tag: a flow-through boiler (no re-heating of water, no wait time), a much larger water reservoir, and a warning light indicating lime scale buildup."Across Europe, the size of coffee cups varies, so our machine allows for variable water volume," Mr. Heier says.

"When we considered the requirements of the water kettle application, we knew that the material we chose would have to withstand more than 10,000 uses over the life of the appliance and still look like new," said Mark Heier, product manager, BSH Group.