JAIN UNIVERSITY

PGDBM & MBA PROGRAM

JULY 2010 BATCH

Assignment on Refrigerators

Submitted to Prof. L. Surendra

Submitted by
Kavitha Trivedi Aashish Saraf Mohit Rajan
Sec A (5th sem)

Refrigerator is truly an integral part of every home. The choice of refrigerator brand and model you want to buy will depend on the number of people in the house as well as your food habits. Roughly a two member family would require a fridge anywhere between 50 to 200 liters. However, if you like your steak and chilled beer you might want a higher capacity refrigerator. Also if you do only a weekend shopping, a higher capacity fridge is what you should look at. Types of Refrigerators: Refrigerator types are simple - direct cool, cyclical and frost-free refrigerator. Direct cooling ones are mostly single door refrigerators and frost-free refrigerators are mostly double and multiple doors. 1. Direct Cool refrigerators: Direct cool fridges only come with single door. They need to be defrosted which can be automatic or semi automatic or manual defrosting. They are the cheapest in running and service. Typically they do not come in capacity more than 350 liters. 2. Frost Free refrigerators: Cool air is continuously circulated so there's no ice build-up and hence no need to defrost. They are technologically far superior to direct cool fridges.They consume more current than direct cool refrigerators by not allowing ice formation. Frost free refrigerators are easier to maintain, have fewer odors and maintain food fresh for longer duration. Frost free technology is restricted to double or higher number of door refrigerators only as this technology needs a separate chiller unit.

3. Cyclic cooling: They have a unique cyclic defrost system with auto evaporation and hence save around 30% electricity as compared to frost free models. There are a very few models available generally about 350 liters capacity. These are not very common. The abundant variety comes in the form of capacity. You can choose from mini, small, medium and large refrigerators.

Mini (50 to 100 liters): perfect for your studio apartment or bachelor pad; just enough for one person to store the occasional can of beer and juices along with bare food items. These are really small, single door refrigerators. Small (170 to 200 liters): just right for a couple or even a small kitchen. This one is small and wont take too much space while giving you just enough to store your weekly groceries. You would go for this if you were on a tight budget. These are single door refrigerators. Medium (200 to 450 liters): This is for the nuclear household. Not too small yet not too big. Reasonably priced these provide ample storage with enough features that are value for money. These could be single as well as double door refrigerators. Large (450 to 800 liters): For the big home and big budget. These refrigerators are right out of the lifestyles of the rich and famous catalogue. You would go for this if you have a large household and are really fond of throwing elaborate dos. The large sized could be double door, three door, bottom mounted, side-byside.

REFRIGERATOR CAPACITY

Size of Family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Refrigerator Capacity in litres 200-230 260 290 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700

Single Door Refrigerators These are one of the oldest and conventional refrigerators. As the name suggests, they come with a single door. The upper portion here is a freezer, the middle portion is a refrigerator and the bottom portion has a vegetable bin. Single-door refrigerators start from 50 ltrs and go up to 300 ltrs. These are entry-level refrigerators and are in the low-price range. Pros

Is available in smaller sizes for smaller usage Fits in a small space Freezer section is more efficient Ideal for small offices/clinics and grocery stores

Cons

Manual defrosting required twice in a week. If defrosting is not done in time, the defrosting water tray might spill, causing a mess Not available above 300 ltrs Since all three sections (freezer, refrigerator and vegetable bin) are together, odour mixture in the food is common Heat-exchanging pipes/coils are visible (not concealed) in most of the single-door refrigerators

Double-door refrigerator Out of two doors, one door is for the freezer section and the other is for the refrigerator and vegetable sections. They either have a freezer section on top and refrigerator and vegetable sections at the bottom or vice versa. They start from 200 ltrs and go up to 660 ltrs. These are the highest-selling refrigerators and are in mid-price range.

Pros

Bigger vessels/ beverage bottles can be accommodated, depending upon the capacity of the refrigerator Available in wired shelves (weight-holding capacity: 90 kg), acrylic shelves (weight-holding capacity: 40 kg) and toughened glass (weight-holding capacity: 90 kg) Refrigerators with acrylic/ toughened glass will have a unique temperature in each compartment

Cons

Deodorizer feature not available in smaller sizes Not available in smaller sizes The vegetable section is smaller compared to a threedoor refrigerator If the refrigerator section located in the lower part, you have to bend down to get the vegetables

Three-door refrigerator A three-door refrigerator has one door for the refrigerator section, one for the vegetable section and another for the freezer section. In this type of refrigerator, the refrigerator section is on top, the vegetable section is in the middle and the freezer section is at the bottom. These refrigerators start at 300 ltrs and go up to 450 ltrs. This type of refrigerator is preferred by vegetarian families as the vegetable section is quite convenient to open. It is in the mid-price range. Pros

Since the refrigerator and vegetable sections are at the top, you dont have to bend down too much

Odor mixing is avoided completely as the three sections are separate Some three-door refrigerators come with automatic ice dispensers These refrigerators have a thin outer body so they take up less space The vegetable section is bigger compared to other refrigerators and is generally divided into two parts

Cons

Limited space to keep bigger beverage bottles Bigger vessels cannot be accommodated Generally comes with acrylic shelves that can take only 40 kg

Four-door side-by-side refrigerator A four-door side-by-side refrigerator is similar to a two-door side-byside refrigerator, more like a cupboard with left and right halves, except that both these halves also have two doors. The entire top half is the refrigerator and vegetable section and the entire bottom half is the freezer section. It comes only in 660 ltrs. Like the two-door side-by-side refrigerators, these also are high-end models. Since these are high-end refrigerators, the price range also is quite high. Pros

All shelves are made of toughened glass that can hold a weight of 90 kg Bigger vessels/ beverage bottles can be accommodated easily Comes with a water dispenser, but does not need to be connected to a permanent water connection, so no permanent plumbing is required You dont need to open the entire section to take out a particular item

Cons

Not available in smaller sizes Very bulky and hence difficult to move around Does not come with an ice cube dispenser

REFRIGERATOR PRICE AND BUDGET There are plenty of features for you to choose from. However, knowing the cash you'd like to spend will narrow the range making it easier for you to select. The price range is very extensive starting from Rs 4,800 going up to Rs 1,45,000. Frost-free refrigerators starting from Rs 10,000 have made defrosting a fading memory. There are also models that have an automatic defrosting option which defrost the fresh-food compartment automatically, but the freezer still has to be defrosted manually. Models such as this are priced at Rs 6,000 onwards. REFRIGERATOR FEATURES Type of shelves There are three types of shelves - wired, acrylic and tempered glass. The sturdiest ones are the tempered glass as they can hold up to 100 kgs. Clean back Most refrigerators come with clean backs these days. The clean back (or coil-free) refrigerators have condenser coils that are mounted at the bottom of the refrigerator and not at the back (as in most old refrigerators). Clean backs make cleaning easier and provide a safety cover for the compressor. If your refrigerator is placed in your living

room, a clean back looks better since the black coils at the back are absent. Noise You should check the noise level of the fridge. Some refrigerators use patented technologies to reduce the humming sound else the fridge can make noise which can disturb your sleep and peace. Quick-freeze compartment A quick-freezing component in a fridge may be available as a small colder compartment within the freezer or as a knob that allows you to adjust the temperature of the freezer. If you are a party person or need ice regularly at a short notice, this feature would be particularly useful for you. Deodorizer This eliminates the odor from your refrigerator and keeps the food fresh and tasty for a longer period of time. Child lock The door lock option prevents children or other people from opening the refrigerator without supervision. You would definitely want to have this feature if there are kids, in the house. Separators Look for separators since they help organize your refrigerator better. A separator also helps you store more fruits and vegetables and prevents the softer ones from being crushed under heavier ones.

Moisture and humidity control Moisture and humidity controls in a refrigerator help to retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables. This feature is particularly useful if you shop in advance for the whole week or require storing food for long periods of time. Reversible swing door Another cool option is a reversible door swing option, which allows you to change or adapt the door swing of the refrigerator from left to right or from right to left to suit your requirement. This facility is useful if you are undecided about the placement of your refrigerator or need to change residence frequently. If your work requires you to change homes regularly, this feature allows you to easily fit into any kitchen. Water and ice dispenser This is not an absolute must have. This feature is in fact available only in the high-end refrigerator models. It lets you drink chilled water and gives crushed or cubed ice without opening the door.

COMPARISON OF REFRIGERATORS Single Door Double Door 2 door side by side 550-810l 4 door side by side 660l

Feature

3 Door

Capacity

50-300l 200-660l

300-450l

Defrosting Manual Automatic Automatic Automatic Automatic Ice / Water No Dispener Permanent No Plumbing Deodorizer No Water dispenser only No Yes

No

No

Yes

No Yes

No Yes

Yes Yes

Shelves

Wired / Wired / Wired / Acrylic / Acrylic / Toughened Toughened Acrylic Toughened Toughened Glass Glass Glass Glass Small Medium Medium Big Very big

Freezer

LG Company: LG is global electronics and telecommunications company headquartered in Yeouido,Seoul, South Korea. The company operates its business through four divisions: mobile communications, home entertainment, home appliance, and air conditioning & energy solution. LG Electronics is the world's second-largest manufacturer of television sets and third-largest producer of mobile phones. It is a flagship subsidiary company of LG Group, one of the world's largest electronic conglomerates. The company has 75 subsidiaries worldwide that design and manufacture televisions, home appliances, and telecommunications devices. LG Electronics owns Zenith Electronics and controls 37.91 percent of LG Display. Its mobile communications division provides mobile communication terminals, personal computers and communication devices. The home entertainment division offers liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions (TVs), plasma display panel (PDP) TVs, PDP modules, and audio, video and storage devices. The home appliance division provides refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, cleaners, compressors, motors and others. The air conditioning division makes air conditioners and solar cells. Its business solution division sells hardware, software, network, contents and systems. Samsung Company: Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. It is the flagship subsidiary of the Samsung Group. With assembly plants and sales networks in 61 countries across the world, Samsung has approximately 160,000 employees. In 2009, the company took the position of the worlds biggest IT maker by surpassing the previous leader Hewlett-Packard. Its sales revenue in the areas of LCD and LED displays and memory chips is number one in the world. In the TV segment, Samsungs market position is dominant. For the five years since 2006, the company has been in the top spot in terms

of the number of TVs sold, which is expected to continue in 2010 and beyond. In the global LCD panel market, the company has kept the leading position for eight years in a row. Comparison of LG and Samsung Refrigerators: LG Refrigerator: Model: GL254VTG4

(240 Liters Frost Free Refrigerator with 4 Way Cooling Technology) This LG Frost Free refrigerator features 4-Way cooling technology with cell fresh crisper which keeps the freshness of food intact. Price: 16500 Key Features

4 Star Rating Toughened Glass Shelves Cooling Technology (4 Way Cooling) Cell Fresh Crisper Humidity Controller Anti Bacteria Gasket Egg cum Ice Tray

4 Star Rating Electricity bills will be the last thing on your mind. This LG Refrigerator with 4 star rating consumes 20% less power than the conventional Frost Free Refrigerator. Cooling Technology (4 Way Cooling) Door Cooling Technology equalizes freshness throughout the whole refrigerator even at the door basket area by supplying cool air from the front and the back of the refrigerator. It maintains even temperature throughout the refrigerator and keeps food fresher for longer. Vegetables kept in Veg Tray in Door Cooling Refrigerators stay fresh twice as longer than in conventional refrigerators. Humidity Controller Unique designed humidity controller helps to control the flow of moisture into the tray vegetables. Freshness in vegetables & fruits maintained for long time. Egg cum Ice Tray The egg tray to store eggs which can be used as an Ice tray for making ice. Unique Design Patent with LG. Toughened Glass Shelves No matter how heavy the utensils are, the shelves are made of toughened glass. They are capable of holding heavy food items. They can also be adjusted as per need and can take load as heavy as 175kg.^ ^As per LG internal test standards. Cell Fresh Crisper A special latticed-type fruit/vegetable box covers to control moisture so that fruits and vegetables stay fresh. It prevents excess moisture from forming while retaining just the right amount of moisture to increase freshness. The grid patterned crisper cover condenses extra humidity and evaporates moisture from the grid pattern, allowing maintaining the freshness for longer.

Anti Bacteria Gasket The Anti-fungal Door Gasket in refrigerator prevents the entry and build-up of fungi and bacteria inside the refrigerator.

Samsung Refrigerator Model: RT24ADTS

Price: 15,500 Features: Freezer Capacity: 70 Liters. This is comparatively better than the other competitive brands in the country. Total Capacity: 230 Liters. This when compared to LG is less by 10 liters. Air Flow Type: Multi Flow. Where both LG and Samsung stand at the same position. Refrigerator Capacity: 160 Liters. Freezer Capacity: 51-100 Liters. Gross Capacity: 201-350 Liters.

 Refrigerator Type: Frost Free Power Supply (Volts): 135-290 Volts No. of Doors: 2 Child Lock: Yes Temperature Control: Dial Color: Deep Red, White Levy, Titanium Silver, which gives a stylish look to your fridge which no other brand can provide such bright and stunning colors.

By analysis of both the brands its proven that both the brands are providing good features with the best prices, which makes them the market leader and survive in the competitive market. But the consumers more prefers LG due to some extra features which are been provided by LG and after sales services is excellently delivered by LG.