With the new Series 6 & 8 washer dryers, BOSCH combines a dryer and washing machine with state-of-the-art technology. In this way, consumers not only save space, but also detergent, ironing effort and energy consumption. In addition, the extra-large washing drum offers space for up to 12kg of laundry, so that even families and households with a high volume of laundry can wash all their laundry in just a few wash cycles. Florian Zoellner, Product Owner in the Laundry Care division, explains in an interview how all this works with the help of automatic dosing and the Iron Assist program.

Hello Florian, please introduce yourself briefly. 
 
My name is Florian Zöllner, I have been with BSH for over 20 years and have been responsible for washer dryers in the Europe region as Product Owner within Laundry Care for about two years. The focus of my work is the strategic alignment of the current and future portfolio for the respective markets in Europe. This primarily involves the planning and implementation of product projects with a focus on marketing, in cooperation with Development as well as the respective country managers (product managers). 
 
To what extent does the new Series 8 meet consumers' demands for sustainability and convenience? 
 
Basically, a washer dryer is always designed to offer consumers the greatest possible convenience, for example by eliminating the need to transfer laundry from one appliance to another between the washing and drying cycles. In addition, the appliance only needs to be set up once, filled with laundry and detergent, and the consumer receives clean and dry laundry practically at the push of a button.  
With our new Series 8 washer dryers, we are going one step further here: for the first time, Bosch is now also offering an automatic dosing system (i-Dos) in the washer dryer. 
Now the appliance also doses the detergent or fabric softener completely independently, which saves both water and detergent, as we usually overdose. This then benefits both the wallet and the environment. And last but not least, we now also have the option for the washer dryer to make all the necessary presettings for the automatic dosing system, such as water hardness and detergent type/brand with Detergent Scan (Series 8 only), in the Home Connect app. 
The combination of almost complete automation, the Home Connect app, and a particularly user-friendly user interface on the appliance leaves nothing to be desired in terms of consumer convenience. 
 
What is the innovation or special feature of the Series 6 and 8 washer dryers? 
 
In addition to the familiar advantages of Bosch appliances, such as the absolute focus on quality and functionality, we are introducing the i-Dos automatic dosing system in washer dryers for the first time, not only for our consumer in the premium segment, but also in the added-value segment, so that the majority of our consumer can benefit from this feature. 
In addition, the Series 6 and Series 8 washer dryers are also particularly fast, as we can wash and dry 1 kg of laundry in just 60 minutes (Series 6) or 45 minutes (Series 8), for example. 
 
 
What advantages do the new functions offer for laundry? 
 
Our machines are designed to use as little water, energy and detergent as possible while achieving the best possible washing results. Of course, this also benefits the laundry. For example, in the event of overdosing, the built-in sensor system detects that there is still too much detergent in the laundry and switches on additional rinsing cycles to rinse out the remaining detergent, which leads, among other things, to the laundry remaining in the machine for longer and thus puts additional strain on the textiles. Thanks to the automatic dosing and the optimal setting of the system via Detergent-Scan, this can be avoided and the laundry actually only receives the necessary treatment and the minimum possible mechanical influence in order to achieve an optimal result while protecting the textiles at the same time. This means that consumer can enjoy their clothes for longer. 
 
Which energy efficiency class do the machines belong to and what are the advantages? 
 
With our new Series 8 and Series 6 appliances, in addition to an A label for the washing process, we achieve an energy label of D for the entire washing and drying process. At the current state of the art is the best energy efficiency that can be achieved with the help of water condensation, which is standard on the market. Thus, the consumer not only saves electricity and money, but can also be sure to still having it in a few years 
 
 
What is the added value of combining i-Dos automatic dosing with detergent scanning? 
 
Even an intelligent, automated system like our i-Dos automatic dosing system only runs optimally if it is specifically adjusted to the location where it is installed and the detergent used. Then, and only then, does it run with ideal efficiency and can fully exploit its advantages. For our consumers, it is now possible to set these parameters even more easily in the Home Connect app. This only takes a few minutes and is practically child's play! The app recognizes the current location and can automatically determine and set the respective water hardness on this basis. In addition, it is sufficient to scan the barcode on the detergent bottle with the smartphone and the detergent-specific settings are transferred to the device automatically.