Just a heads up to anyone considering Fisher & Paykel or its premium brand DCS.

deegeaux, I read an appliance cooking specialist review from 2003 today on open burners on Blue Star, DCS, Viking and Jade. He ran it through boiling, simmering, searing comparison tests (time, quality etc). Blue Star rated highest, DCS second in his five categories. Wonder what happened to DCS? I'm sure it's a bit of story.

DCS is still very much alive and kicking. There are a number of us forum members who are very pleased with our DCS ranges both pre- and post- sale to F&P. I think they're not so popular on this forum because they have sealed burners but I LOVE the dual stacked sealed burners with the incredible simmer. The founders of DCS sold the company to F&P and then started Capital. I'm amazed that the people who invented the dual stacked burner for DCS can't achieve a decent simmer on the open burner Capital Culinarian.

Haier tried to buy the remnants of Maytag too, before they got into a strange bidding war with Whirlpool who eventually paid more than Haier thought they were worth (they were right - most of Maytag's plants were losing money and Whirlpool wound up closing many of them). I think they just didn't want Haier to become a major competitor.

Haier already sells many of their appliances in the US under their own name, but they have only a small presense here, mostly at the low end.

The Capital Culinarian has a more than decent simmer on all its burners.

DCS can be found at some Southern California Lowes.

Yes, weissman, I recall you have a DCS and are very happy with it. :) I watched a couple of videos on it with the dual stack burners-nice touch.. How is your DCS oven? Even heat? How about service, have you had many calls? You got yours what, five years ago? I know DCS is still around and kicking. If they are going anywhere, maybe Mexico would be better-economy is turning around, strong middle class who want sound products and manufacturing jobs. But it's always about $$ when takeovers occur.

The DCS oven is great - nice even heat - the self-clean could be a little bit better - it doesn't clean the bottom front part of the oven too well.

I've had the range 10 years now. Haven't needed a service call since the first year. I did have to clean the gas simmer orifice on one of the burners recently but I figured out how to do it myself.

Thanks for answering. It's always exciting to know a happy appliance consumer, backed up by a decade of lack of maintenance issues. Sounds like you got a winner!

It's a done deal. As of today, Haier now owns Fisher & Paykel and DCS, acquiring the 80% of the company they didn't already own for US $570 million.

A National Business Review article notes they they hope earnings in North America will rise to $20 million in then next five years. Quite ambitious given they only earned $1 million in the last year.

Haier evidently wants F&P's direct-drive motors and refrigerator compressors, as well as their distribution network. F&P hit on hard times a few years ago during the economic crisis and became a penny stock, making them an attractive takeover target.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bloomberg - Haier buys F&P

Bloomber says Haier has made an offer and the single largest shareholder as accepted.

But Haier still does not own 51% of the stock although it is likely.

I thought Whrilpool might bid as they were going to buy Fisher and Paykel variable speed compressors that they evidently like more than their own.

New Zealand Herald Reports other buyers may bid on F & P.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By Christopher Adams

5:30 AM Friday Sep 14, 2012

Fisher & Paykel Appliances chairman Keith Turner says Haier's takeover bid for the whiteware maker has prompted 'credible approaches' from other interested parties.

German appliance giant Bosch is understood to be looking at either purchasing a blocking stake in - or potentially making a rival bid for - the Kiwi company.

Darryl Robinson, general manager of Bosch Siemens Home Appliances in New Zealand, declined to comment on the matter yesterday.

Turner would not reveal which companies were showing an interest in F&P Appliances, or what their intentions might be.
Haier is proposing to offer $1.20 per share for the 80 per cent of the stock it does not already own. 'These circumstances generally give rise to a wide range of interests ... whether [interested parties] end up making an offer that's of significance or not is entirely uncertain,' Turner said.
Turner said the approaches were more than just 'tyre kicking'.

Earlier in the week market commentator Arthur Lim said Haier would become an even more formidable force if it owned 100 per cent of the New Zealand company.

That would 'certainly be of concern to some other white goods competitors our there', he said.

F&P Appliances said yesterday that it had appointed Grant Samuel as independent adviser to prepare a report on the proposed offer. Its shares closed up up 1.3 per cent at $1.18.

Here is a link that might be useful: LINK