Miele
 | |
| Private | |
| Founded | Herzebrock, Germany (July 1, 1899) |
| Founder | Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann |
| Headquarters | Gütersloh, Germany (since 1907) |
Key people |
Markus Miele (Co-Proprietor, MD) Reinhard Zinkann Jr. (Co-Proprietor, MD) Olaf Bartsch (Finances, Administration) Axel Kniehl (Marketing, Sales) Eduard Sailer (Technology)[1] |
| Products | Domestic appliances and commercial equipment |
| Revenue |
 €3,15[2] billion (2012/2013) |
| Owner |
Miele and Zinkann families (approx. 51% and 49% respectively; currently 56 family shareholders) |
Number of employees | 17,250 (January 2013)[1] |
| Slogan | Immer Besser meaning Always Better |
| Website | www.miele.com |
Miele (/ˈmiːlə/ MEE-lə; German: [ˈmiːlə]) is a German-based manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances, commercial equipment and fitted kitchens, based in Gütersloh, Germany. Miele has always been a family-owned and -run company, founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann.
About
Miele is a German manufacturer of domestic appliances and machines for commercial applications. The company was founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann and has always been a family-owned, family-run company.
History
Miele's first products were a cream separator, butter churn, and tub washing machine, under the Meteor brand. Carl Miele supervised manufacturing personally, and Reinhard Zinkann apprenticed and handled finances and sales.
The Míele trademark was used very early on and appeared on all machines, nameplates, printed materials and advertising produced by the company. From the mid-1920s, a recognition feature of the logo has been a sloping dash used as the dot on the "i".
The trademark has remained unchanged apart from three minor "face-lifts" to reflect contemporary tastes. A survey by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's leading daily newspapers, found that the "i" alone was sufficient to identify the Miele brand.
Miele exports products to global markets and is represented in 47 countries. Their expansion into the United States came in 1983, when they established corporate headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey. They later relocated to a Michael Graves designed headquarters building in Princeton in March 1999. Products are manufactured in Germany, the Czech Republic and Romania and shipped to the United States, where there are showrooms in ten states.
Milestones
- 1899 Foundation of Miele & Cie.; production of cream separators
- 1900 Production of butter churns and washing machines
- 1912-1914 Production of motorcars (125 vehicles)
- 1914 First washing machine with an electric motor; Branches set up in Brussels, Buenos Aires, Paris, Warsaw and Vienna
- 1924-1960 Production of bicycles and motorcycles in Bielefeld
- 1927 Production of first vacuum cleaners
- 1929 Production of Europe's first electric dishwasher
- 1955 Dutch slogan "Miele. er is geen betere" invented
- 1956 First fully automatic washing machine
- 1958 First domestic tumble dryer
- 1966 First humidity sensing dryer, the T460
- 1976 First top-loading washer-dryer, the WT489. Also at June 25th that year, the foundation for the Dutch headquarters in Vianen was made
- 1978 First microprocessor-controlled washing machines, dryers and dishwashers
- 1982 Launch of "The New Miele-class" with innovations like a 1,200 RPM final spin
- 1986 Introduction of the Hydromatic ball valve which reduces soap usage
- 1987 Introduction of the world's first dishwasher with a cutlery tray, the G 595 SC
- 1988 First front loading washer-dryer by Miele, the WT745. Also in that year, Miele acquired the appliances manufactuer Cordes
- 1990 Kitchen appliance manufactuer Imperial taken over
- 1991 900-series washing machines launched with Novotronic surface-mount devices technology. Also introduced in that year and with the 900-series: 1,600 RPM final spin.
- 1997 First washing machine with a program for hand-washable woollens, and Miele InfoControl: first mobile receiver to process data transmitted by Miele domestic appliances. Also in that year, Miele released the WT945 washer-dryer with Thermo-spinning (German: Thermoschleudern), during the final spin with drying on, the heater activates itself to partially heat up the laundry before the real drying starts.
- 1998 First fully automatic built-in coffee maker by Miele, the CVA620. Also in that year, Miele introduced a gas-fueled dryer for domestic use, the T 478 G
- 1999 First washing machine with a 1,800 RPM final spin, the W397. Also in that year, Miele celebrates their 100th anniversary
- 2001 Launch of the patented "Softcare" honeycomb pattern drum
- 2003 Navitronic washing machines and tumble dryers with a "Automatic" program
- 2004 New G 1000/G 2000 dishwasher series using patented production process
- 2005 TouchControl operation for dishwashers, cookers, steam cookers and microwaves, 37th Miele subsidiary set up in Korea. Miele stops making kitchens in this year.
- 2006 New washing machine/tumble dryer series with innovative design
- 2013 New washing machine and dryer series called W1 and T1
- 2014 New slogan for The Netherlands, "Miele. Er is geen betere" has been changed by the international slogan, "Immer Besser."
Products
Miele produces domestic appliances including laundry appliances; vacuum cleaners; dishwashers; rotary irons; built-in convection, steam, and speed ovens; hobs (cooker hoods, cook tops); freestanding and built-in refrigerators, freezers, and wine coolers; and coffee systems. The company also produces commercial laundry equipment including wet cleaning machines, lab glassware washers, dental disinfectors, and medical equipment washers.
In 2007, Miele was given an award for being the most successful company in Germany that year, beating the previous year's winner Google, which placed second, and Porsche, which came in third.
Rankings for this Best Brands prize are the result of market research covering such key criteria as current economic market success and brand recognition and popularity among consumers. Miele was recognized as Best Company and also achieved a top-five place in the category Best Product Brand. Miele was honored as Best Domestic Appliance Brand in the UK by Which? in 2007 and again in 2008, being only one of two brands to win twice in a row. They have since won again in 2010.
In North America, Miele is marketed as a high-end major appliance brand. They compete against brands such as Küppersbusch, Gaggenau, Fagor, Viking Range, Dacor, AEG and Thermador.
Steve Jobs was the owner of a Miele washing machine, and publicly praised the firm's design philosophy.[3]
Slogans
Miele's slogan in German is immer besser or "Forever Better". In the Netherlands until early 2014, the slogan was Miele. Er is geen betere (There is no better).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Miele at a glance". Miele Presse Deutschland. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ↑
- ↑ Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing (continued) By Gary Wolf
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miele. |
- Official websites