This year marks an important milestone for Miele which turns 125 years old. On 1 July 1899, Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann found Miele & Cie. with their first product: a cream separator. What begins with eleven employees in a former grain mill in the small town of Herzebrock is to develop into a global high-tech company with more than 22,000 employees in 49 countries and a turnover of 4.96 billion euro. Of the current 15 production plants, 8 are in Germany and one each in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland. Added to this are the two sites of the Italian medical technology specialist Steelco Group, which has been part of the Miele Group since 2017. In order to further expand the business in North America, Miele is currently building its 16th plant in Alabama (Usa). Among the main stages of the company’s growth are: the first Miele washing machine in 1901, the first vacuum cleaners at the end of the 1920s and Europe’s first electric dishwasher in 1929. Besides, in 1989 the company acquires the cooking appliance manufacturer Imperial that had launched the world’s first ceramic hob in 1973, in partnership with glass ceramic specialist Schott. Another important stage is the patented cutlery drawer for the dishwasher in 1987, followed by the patented honeycomb drum for the laundry in 2001. In 1998, Miele paves the way for intelligent domestic appliances with the InfoControl function, which uses a compact radio receiver to signal the end of a washing machine or tumble dryer programme. This is followed ten years later by the automatic control of the hood via the hob. Today, the company is a pioneer in AI cooking and climate-friendly washing and dishwashing.
