You should probably know that Fisher & Paykel of New Zealand was recently purchased by Haier of the People's Republic China.

This post was edited by deeageaux on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 15:42

Thanks so much for responding. The purchase by Haier is disappointing -makes me think again, but I need two counter depth refrigerators and others similar are so much higher. Thanks again esp. for the pics!

Sorry to hear they are or will soon be, a Chinese product. Maybe the quality will be fine, but who wants to be a guinea pig? I need to buy a F&P fridge because it is the only counter-depth short enough to fit in a space I have.

Do you think if we bought one soon, it would still be one manuf. in NZ? And how would you know? (I assume the manufacturing is moving, am I wrong about that?

There were some recent threads on FP refrigerators. Not sure of the outcomes but might be worth checking out.
I think they look great but their DW drawers have the highest rate of repair (4 times higher than best performers), so I would look closely. I have not looked up repair rates on fridges. Maybe the Chinese will do better than NZ.

Google Fisher Paykel Haier 2013.

That will show you the latest scenario with F&P + Haier.

So far it looks like they are going to leave production and engineering "as Is".

Haier in fact has a production plant in North Carolina that they expanded, alto not for F & P production.

Read for yourself, but at least, (at this point in time), nothing has changed as far production and Engineering locations go, alto they may expand production into other countries, depending on sales.

Gary

My guess is that although they still are made in NZ the percentage of foreign(ie Chinese) content has gone up.

And at some point they will no longer be "made in NZ" but "assembled in NZ." Possibly farther into the future made in China.

Sure, if US or European demand makes "made in EU or inside NAFTA" economic sense they will do that.

What is the point of buying F & P if not for "synergies?" I am sure Haier wanted F & P's new refrigerator compressor but not enough to buy the whole company at a premium over the going stock price.

Whats the new compressor, a "linear" ? deeageaux?

Gary

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Fisher & Paykel Appliances reveals refrigeration compressor technology set to revolutionise energy consumption

New compressor technology has the potential to save consumers up to 30% on refrigerator power use  Refrigerator design, storage capacity, temperature control and environmental impact will be significantly enhanced 

Fisher & Paykel Appliances’ team says this innovation will lead refrigeration industry in coming years

Fisher & Paykel Appliances today unveiled a revolutionary refrigeration technology, developed under a joint development agreement with Embraco (owned by Whirlpool Corporation).

The new technology is not only significantly more energy efficient than conventional compressors by up to 30%, it has the additional benefits of increasing storage capacity and refrigerator design options, while enhancing the temperature control to improve food quality and safety.

In the most significant step to date in bringing the patented engineering and technology innovation to market, Fisher & Paykel Appliances has exclusively licensed the technology to U.S. owned Brazilian compressor manufacturer Embraco (owned by Whirlpool Corporation).

Fisher & Paykel Appliances developed the compressor design concept and technology, and has worked closely with Embraco over the past few years to fine tune the compressor. In partnership with Embraco, the next stage will take it into field trials, and then mass production.

Fisher & Paykel Appliances Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Broadhurst says the development of a compressor that will significantly reduce energy consumption is a tribute to the vision and ingenuity of the engineering team.

“In most households, the refrigerator is one of the larger appliance power users and reducing energy consumption is a consistent goal of our product development team.

This new compressor delivers a leap forward in energy efficiency that has previously been unachievable in conventional compressors used in the majority of today’s refrigerators.”

Current compressors must remain upright as they contain oil. The new environmentally friendly compressor doesn’t contain oil and therefore allows more flexibility in the installation and positioning of the compressor.

“In addition to energy savings, the shape of the compressor will allow around 15 litres more space inside the fridge, the equivalent of five 3 litre containers of milk, or an extra fruit and vegetable compartment,” said Broadhurst.

For Fisher & Paykel Appliances, the development of the compressor follows previous break-throughs in appliance technology including the revolutionary SmartDriveTM laundry technology in 1993, and the DishDrawer® in 1999.

The project was affectionately dubbed the ‘Britten’ internally, following an address by renowned Kiwi inventor John Britten as part of the company’s internal leadership programme.
“Britten’s philosophy resonated with our engineering team. Like John Britten, our new compressor challenges conventional thinking and approaches to energy use and design,” said Broadhurst.

Drivers of the project went on to consult and work with a number of organisations both locally and internationally. Each one helped the company advance its compressor design further. Fisher & Paykel Appliances also received vital New Zealand support for the project, including a research and development grant from Tech New Zealand.

“Right from the outset the key driver for this project was to create energy savings. Developing a compressor that can also impact refrigerator capacity and enhance the quality of food stored through more sophisticated temperature control makes this a significant leap forward for refrigeration technology and design.”

Fisher & Paykel Appliances says the next phase of the compressor’s journey starts now, with further testing and field trials beginning in the next few months.

____________________________________________________________________________

If you want to see PDF link google Fisher & Paykel compressor and it is the first item that pops up.

Thank you to everyone for the replies! After looking around I think I am going to try the F&P anyway as it is the only one counter depth that fits my size requirements and doesn't cost a bundle. I'll probably get the newest 170 model instead of the 175. Any thoughts about that model in particular? The differences from the 175 that I can see are that there appears to be no bottom grill - is that even possible or are the pictures wrong? ( Maybe it has something to do with the new compressor? ) Concealed hinges, but no gallon door storage. I am buying within a few weeks so I am hoping that the Haier issue will not be too much of an impact - I really don't know much about either company but thought F&P was good. Thanks to everyone!

Thanks for that post about the compressor, deeageaux.

You know , I posted about that kind of compressor, several years ago, maybe even 4 or 5 years ago. I will have to see if I can find that post.

"To Me", this IS the "Latest Technology", not just some
"Marketing Gobble D Goop" by a "High end" fridge maker.

But then I am a "Techquie"

Gary

Teal,

I have had a FP refrigerator for six years. It is very quiet due to the revolutionary compressor technology, but it is not cold. Check the latest consumer reports on kitchens (summer issue) where FP fridges were not rated due to terrible performance. My cold (not freezing) compartment meanders between low 40's and mid 50's depending on who knows, the moon cycle (at the lowest setting in a house hold w/ no kids, little opening, etc.). Fortunately, I don't keep meat in the fridge or I'd probably be under the ground by now... (if I buy fish, I keep it on ice packs). The only reason I keep it around is that no other fridge fits the space which I built for this machine. Also, before you buy, find out where your service comes from. FP is not known (especially in my family) for servicing their machines. You call a sleepy person in New Zealand who promises you great service from someone locally who only sees a FP twice a year - good luck! Anyways, they look good, are reasonably priced, but they'd be better machines if they actually worked.

Wow, Thank you Tomtexas! I'll be thinking twice. My space requirements and FP's price led me to them. I had the house built with a deep pocket so I could put a regular fridge into the space and make it look like it was built in/counter depth - but now I realize it is just causing me problems finding something to fit. Anyway - thanks so much for replying!

Hi, teal123. I am considering getting FP because I have very limited space. I am wondering if you bought one and how you like it.
Also, anyone that has my problem, is there any other Fridge that I should consider? Thanks

Hi, Redhead. We've had ours for a month or so, so not a long history. We like it so far, even though we are still learning where things go-- I didn't realize how ingrained the tracks in my brain were until the 20th time I found myself standing in front of an open fridge wondering if the milk went on the right door or the left one...

We had almost no choice in fridges if we did not want to rip out a wall of cabinets. I had no idea that refrigerators had grown so tall in recent years, but apparently they have. The guys at the appliance store told us they sell a lot of F&P to people in Seattle with old houses for that very reason. A friend of mine did the same, only she chose the single door rather than french door. She is happy with it as well. I just hope they hold up over time-- too soon to tell.

Hi Redhead, I did purchase the F&P refrigerators, model RF170 with the single door - two side by side. They haven't come in yet. Hope they are good! I really liked the way they looked online and got them without seeing in person since two fit the space perfectly. When I get them, I'll post an update. Good luck w/ the decision - always tough!

Thanks Teal123 and lori_inthenw.
I have read some other blogs that talk about compressor noise. I have a greatroom, which means when I am sitting in my chair in the livingroom I am only 15 feet from the refrigerator. I am concerned with how much noise the FP puts out and is it annoying. I don't want to be dealing with a noisy fridge for the next 20 or more years. If you could please comment on this when you get yours I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Well, I will confess when it's the 2 of us, which is most of the time, we eat in the kitchen about 3-5 feet from the fridge and have not noticed it being noisy.

I think that when we first got it, I noticed that it sounded "different" from the 15 yo fridge it replaced, but now I don't hear it at all. Of course it could be that I'm not observant, but I do have really good hearing!

I bought a Fisher and Paykel E522B this summer and have been very happy with it. They use a DC compressor instead of the typical AC compressor - and it does sound "different". It runs almost continuously but at low speed which is very quiet. And even when it speeds up it is much quieter than my old Whirlpool.

Hi, has anyone bought a recently made F&P refrigerator ?
I hear that they have or are changing the compressor and am wondering how much noise it makes compared to the Linear and Digital Inverter compressors. It has been reported to be more energy efficient but does not mention a reduction in noise output like the other ones do.
Also, does anyone know if this new compressor is in production now and if I bought the F &P will that be what I would get or the older style?
Thank you very much for any help on this matter.

I bought a FP french door refrigerator in early June this year. Only counter depth I could find that would fit. It is an adjustment due to the interior configuration. It would not be good for a family I think unless a second refrigerator was available in the garage or something.

I find it extremely quiet. I love the flat water dispense and find we are smarter in our grocery shopping. I am very pleased so far.

Noseyrosie, which model F&P did you buy? Does the freezer have wire baskets or solid drawers? Thanks for posting. For me it's between this or the Bosch FDCD.

Needing a 33" CD frig I only seem to have two options in FD models... Samsung or FP... so am reading all the info I can find but just started. I like the FD configuration with the bottom freezer and the two door on top as they won't need as much space when opening doors... ???