ASKO is a household name across Western Europe but only imports dishwashers and washing machines across North America via its exclusive distributor ASKO Distribution North America, LLC, owned by Sub-Zero Group, Inc. The partnership is a nod to ASKO parent company Gorenje’s strategy for boosting the brand’s presence beyond Europe and promoting its upmarket products.
The new dishwashers match the high quality and durability of previous ASKO products, and they feature things like high quality stainless steel that keeps in mind Scandinavian sensitivity to the environment and economy, increased program options that include “silent,” “green,” and “intensive,” decreased noise levels, no display on the front of the units, larger capacity, and updated basket options with more adjustability, allowing for more flexibility when loading stubborn dishes.
“Our new dishwasher lineup is a testament to our commitment for product innovation,” said Jonas Lidberg, managing director of ASKO Appliances. “High quality design, innovative features, and reliable performance are always top of mind and we are thrilled to debut the new generation of our dishwasher line.”
ASKO’s current line of dishwashers use 40 percent less energy and its inner casings are incredibly durable. ASKO engineers developed a machine to open and close the dishwasher door 300,000 times to ensure that the door lock, hinge, and loading tracks will last. This is equivalent to opening the door 30 times a day for 20 years.
ASKO Appliances is a part of the Gorenje Group, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of “white goods appliances,” meaning large electrical goods used domestically, such as refrigerators and washing machines, typically white in color. The company has over 11,000 employees and its products for home, services, and companies are present in over 70 countries.
ASKO Appliances, for being one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the modern age, has somewhat humble beginnings in Vara, Sweden. In 1950 an ambitious young Swedish farmer named Karl-Erik Andersson used his wits and his knack for engineering to fashion his mother a different kind of washing machine. He crafted a unique, energy and water-efficient machine that offered superior cleaning power and reliability and that even featured state-of-the-art stainless-steel drums.
The young farmer built his innovative washer, and met his mother’s expectations — which were said to be quite high. The company started producing a fully automatic front-loading washing machine and a compact dishwasher in 1965, and started exporting its products in 1967. Andersson ended up building a world-class engineering and manufacturing facility right on the family farm, where it stands to this day.
