Miele

For other uses, see Miele (disambiguation).

Miele & Cie. KG

Type	Private
Founded	Herzebrock, Germany (July 1, 1899 (1899-07-01))
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 (Forever 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, Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Germany. The company was founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, and has always been a family-owned and 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 alterations 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
1963 Miele launches in the UK
1966 First humidity sensing dryer, the T460
1976 First top-loading washer-dryer, the WT489. Also. on June 25 that year, the foundation for the Dutch headquarters in Vianen was laid.
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 manufacturer Cordes
1990 Kitchen appliance manufacturer 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 drying cycle, the machine does a short spin cycle to heat the clothes before just before drying.
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 an "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 Meteor V5760 Front-load washing machine

Miele car "K 1" (1913), Miele museum in Gütersloh

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, Asko, Jenn-Air, and Thermador.

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 2 "Miele at a glance". Miele Presse Deutschland. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miele.

Official websites

Supplier websites

Spillers of Chard (Miele Centre)

Coordinates: 51°54′50″N 8°24′07″E / 51.91389°N 8.40194°E / 51.91389; 8.40194

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 130380816 LCCN: n2002103761 GND: 212100-1

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