| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder(s) | Chris Duncan |
| Headquarters | Chard, Somerset, United Kingdom |
| Website | www.numatic.co.uk |
Numatic International Limited is a British company with a large manufacturing facility located in Chard, Somerset in south-west England.[1] Numatic manufactures a range of domestic, commercial and industrial cleaning and maintenance equipment for distribution worldwide;[1] and incorporates wholly owned distributors in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa. The company employs over 700 people, and produces 4500 units per day, over 40% of which are for export.[1] Numatic is solely owned by its founder, Chris Duncan, who created the prototype for its flagship "Henry" vacuum cleaner in 1968.[1]
Numatic manufactures a number of products, including a range of vacuum cleaners, aimed at both commercial and domestic markets. It is the last major producer of vacuum cleaners in the UK.
One of Numatic's most popular products is a vacuum cleaner called Henry, which is easily distinguishable by the large smiling face on the front of the canister (there are two screen printed eyes and a mouth, and the vacuum's hose forms its nose). Since the introduction of Henry in 1980, over 7 million have been produced worldwide.[1]
Since Henry's original release in 1980, a whole family of vacuum cleaners has been introduced in different sizes and colours and with different specifications and uses (including a wet and dry model and a multi-functional wet/dry and carpet shampoo cleaner. All the original series were named after members of the British royal family, but Numatic have since diverted away from this.