Those familiar with Xiaomi would have known that, apart from its lineup of mobile devices and accessories, the company is also known for its other range of appliances and household products (which it incidentally has yet to officially release here in Malaysia). These other products that were sold under the Mi banner were actually manufactured by other OEMs that Xiaomi had interests or had investments in. Now, Xiaomi has announced a new MIJIA branding for its 2 year old Mi Ecosystem that will distinguish products that have been manufactured by Xiaomi itself. The brand’s first product, the Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker (MIHPRC) is available now on the Mi Online store for China with a CN¥ 999 (~RM 601) price tag.
What better way to establish oneself as a household name than to actually start the brand off with a household product. MIHPRC is also relevant to Xiaomi’s name, which by itself is a play on rice/millet. The cooker is the result of Xiaomi’s quest for a local product that could compete with some of the best rice cookers that Japan has to offer. According to Xiaomi, those high-end Japanese rice cookers are widely recognised for producing better cooked rice because of their utilisation of these three core technologies: pressure control, heating method, and lining material (the metal pot in which the rice is contained).
Xiaomi’s version employs a magnetic relief valve that enables precise control of the internal pressure of the rice cooker and to bring it up to 1.2x the atmospheric pressure. This allows for a higher boiling point of 105 degrees Celsius which according to Xiaomi produces a more flavourful rice. MIHPRC uses electromagnetic heating technology which provides a higher thermal efficiency, and it also ensures that the rice gets cooked evenly. As for the lining/pot, grey cast iron that has undergone a 69-step process is used as this produces a surface that heats up evenly and has a strong thermal performance. The lining is also treated with food-grade Daikin PFA powder coating to provide a non-stick surface that prevents the rice from clinging to the bottom of the pot. Xiaomi pointed out that this combination of grey cast iron and PFA coating took their expert team 18 months and over 30,000 tests before they arrived at the perfect combination. Most importantly, Xiaomi was able to do all of the above and still kept the pricing at 40% lower than its Japanese counterparts.
Having sorted out the physical portion of the MIHPRC, Xiaomi then started on the software part (yes, it is a Wi-Fi enabled device and is probably the world’s first IoT rice cooker); allowing the cooker to be controlled via the Mi Home app (available on Android, and iOS). The app allows users to scan the pack of rice to identify the type, brand, and origin of the rice, which it will then use to set an optimal heating methodology for that particular type of rice. The system currently holds more than 200 brands with more to come in the future, but if it’s not yet available, users will still be able to set their own preferences from within the app. In addition, the app comes with other recipes too for the cooker, including brown rice, crispy rice, and even cakes. Setting a cooking method is a breeze as the app currently supports up to 2450 heating options.
Coming back to the Mi Ecosystem sub-brand, or MIJIA, Xiaomi disclosed that is has so far invested in 55 companies that design and manufacture products that are outside its 3 core product categories of smartphones, smart TVs, and smart routers. 29 out of these companies, including a company called Zhimi which makes the Mi Air Purifier and Viomi which makes the Mi Water Purifier, have been incubated by Xiaomi from the day the companies were founded. Xiaomi also confirmed that over 20 of the Mi Ecosystem companies have even gone on to win international design awards, numbering 28 in total.
With a vision to inject a new thinking into the ‘Made in China’ product label, Xiaomi is doing more than just being a regular venture company. It nurtures these companies and shares with them its approach in making quality products, its methodologies, as well as its existing resources. The last of which includes supply chain, e-commerce platform, marketing, and of course the Mi branding.
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