Miele celebrates its long activity in Bielefeld (Germany). In 1916, Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann (founders of the company) took the decision to set up a second production plant in the neighbouring town of Bielefeld. The first products to be manufactured there supported production in Gütersloh. From 1924 onwards, the plant was characterised by the production of bicycles, followed by vacuum cleaners in 1927. “It was in Bielefeld that Europe’s first electrically powered dishwasher was built in 1929 – said the company -. Now, 100 years on, Miele in Bielefeld can look back over an eventful and extremely successful history. With a workforce of around 1800 and covering an area of approximately 134,000 m², it is now the second-largest production plant within the Miele Group, resting on three pillars: domestic dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and Miele’s Professional division”. Miele devoted itself to cleaning at a very early juncture. Washing machines have been guaranteeing clean laundry since 1901 and were joined by vacuum cleaners from Bielefeld in 1927. Modifications were quickly made to the first bucket-type vacuum cleaners which were soon followed by cylinder vacuum cleaners mounted on castors or skids and later by stick vacuum cleaners. Over the decades, development continued apace, with products from Bielefeld today boasting high suction power and highly effective filtration systems. Each year, over 1.5 million vacuum cleaners are produced in Bielefeld. As regards to the dishwasher, this product was first introduced in 1929 – explains Miele. Markus Miele, Executive Director, Co-Proprietor and great-grandson of the company founder Carl Miele is convinced that this was a decision that demonstrated the entrepreneurial farsightedness of the founding fathers. Another milestone in the development of the plant was marked by the first fully automatic dishwasher launched in 1960. 82 units were built in the first year in Bielefeld, with unit output soon set to rise rapidly. Currently, annual production is in the order of upwards of 500,000 units. In total, around 16 million Miele dishwashers have been produced between 1960 and the present day. The experience gained in the development and production of domestic dishwashers in Bielefeld was applied to commercial washers in the Sixties. Alongside domestic dishwashers and vacuum cleaners, Miele Bielefeld is also home to Miele Professional. Here, from conceptualisation through to product engineering and production, commercial dishwashers are produced for use in the catering business. These are further complemented by washer-disinfectors for medical applications and washers used in research and industrial laboratories. In the recent years, Miele has invested in innovation such as the construction of an innovation centre for professional cleaning systems.
