7 The Company And Its Values - Miele

The company and its values
7

Dr. Eduard Sailer Horst Schübel Dr. Reto Bazzi
Dr. Markus Miele Dr. Reinhard Zinkann
FOREWORD
Quality, innovation and emotional appeal is what makes Miele so
unique. Of that we are convinced, and that is what we strive to
achieve with our highly motivated workforce and business partners
worldwide.
Miele is the only premium brand in the household appliance
industry represented on all five continents. For us, globalisation
is a great opportunity as we see huge potential in many countries.
Miele has the same simple but exacting goal everywhere: to produce
the best household appliances, and convince its customers with
state-of-the-art technology and superb quality.
Miele is a company and a brand that has earned itself great
trust and confidence, to a degree unparallelled by other manufacturers
in the domestic appliance sector. This is a reason to be
proud, but above all a great obligation. How we fulfil this obligation
is shown in this brochure which we hope will demonstrate the
true essence of both the brand and the company. And why Miele
represents something special.
Senior Management
Miele & Cie. KG

TABLE OF CONTENTS
VALUES Miele – The stamp of quality
CONFIDENCE Miele – The brand promise
EMOTIONS Miele – Brand fascination
TECHNOLOGY Miele – Innovation
RESPONSIBILITY Appreciation of employees
ENVIRONMENT Environmental awareness and product durability
THE FUTURE Global responsibility
MILESTONES
4 | 5
6 | 7
8 | 9
10 | 11
12 | 13
14 | 15
16 | 17
18 | 19
3

VALUES
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“Miele will continue in the future
to have great opportunities
on the global market, because
quality always convinces.”
Dr. Markus Miele
Managing Director and Co-Proprietor
MIELE – THE STAMP OF QUALITY
Miele’s company motto is ‘Forever better’. Without any of the puns so popular today, the message
is clear: We aim to become ‘forever better’ ourselves, and intend to be better than all the others. An
ambitious, even somewhat provocative maxim. This has applied since the foundation of the company
in 1899, and is therefore just as long-lasting as our appliances. Yet always up-to-date, again like the
appliances themselves.
Miele is a family company – even though the workforce numbers over 15,000, including more than
10,000 in Germany. A company with its own sales subsidiaries in 37 countries and also represented by
importers throughout the world, with a turnover of € 2.54 bn. Since its foundation in 1899, the company
has belonged to the Miele and Zinkann families – today each in their fourth generation. Most production
takes place in eight plants in Germany, with one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic and China.
In Germany we have the know-how and specialist personnel necessary to remain innovation
leader. Miele is a German brand for which ‘Made in Germany’ is a very important international hallmark
of quality. And we still see potential for growth in many countries. Our aim is the same everywhere:
Miele appliances must be the best.
5

CONFIDENCE
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“Our customers value the feeling
of complete confidence in highquality
Miele appliances, and that
they always work to perfection.
Simple peace of mind”.
Dr. Reinhard Zinkann
Managing Director and Co-Proprietor
MIELE – THE BRAND PROMISE
The ‘most trusted brand’ of household appliances in Europe, according to an annual comparison carried
out by ‘Reader’s Digest’, is the Miele brand. The company has received this award in each of the six
annual surveys carried out to date.
The Miele Customer Service Department also enjoys the greatest trust and confidence amongst
consumers. This is emphasised by an independent study carried out by ‘Kundenmonitor Deutschland’
(German Customer Monitor). Since the introduction of this survey in 1992, Miele has taken first place
every year. 92% of our customers are so satisfied with their appliances that they buy Miele again when
the time finally comes around. In European consumer tests, our products have been awarded first place
60 times in the last three years alone. All this constitutes an obligation to continue in the same vein.
The brand name of Miele is a promise which the Miele company must keep; something which
we have succeeded in doing for decades. We have been so successful in this respect because we fly
the banner of quality with enthusiasm and dedication. We have succeeded because we have trading
partners who are convinced of the outstanding class of Miele. We place great value on the training of
our dealers to empower them to sell Miele products and provide their customers with expert advice.
Through high-quality product presentation and expertise, they represent Miele’s premium claim perfectly.
7

EMOTIONS
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“The combination of the fascination
of an international brand
and traditional Miele quality will
continue in future to ensure our
success in the high-end segment.”
Dr. Reto Bazzi
Managing Director
MIELE – BRAND FASCINATION
Quality, durability, innovative power, tradition – these are all strong arguments in favour of Miele.
But there is another factor which has contributed to our success:
Miele generates a ‘feel-good’ factor because Miele is a fascinating brand. This involves many
less tangible aspects because Miele is an experience in its own right. Cooking or washing with Miele
appliances or drinking an espresso prepared with a Miele coffee machine – all this appeals to the
senses. Miele products, being something special, stimulate the senses of hearing, sight, smell, touch
and taste in a radically different way. This is also conveyed by our showrooms with their Worlds of
Experience, whether it be the Miele Forum in Gütersloh, the Miele Experience Centre in Great Britain
or the Miele Gallery in Milan.
Throughout the whole world, Miele is a coveted brand - loved, and in many countries even
revered. Miele is considered the first choice when it comes to high-quality residential projects in Asia,
Australia or the USA. With their numerous features, Miele appliances bear the hallmark of class and
pedigree. Residents of the Ardmore Park in Singapore or the Majestic Quay in Perth experience the
pleasure of cooking in their Miele kitchens and can be considered to have made it.
9

TECHNOLOGY
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“Our growth impetus comes from
technology leadership, from our
power of innovation. We have never
launched as many new appliances
as in the past two years.”
Dr. Eduard Sailer
Managing Director
MIELE – INNOVATION
The patented honeycomb drum, the innovative steam cooker, smart Navitronic sensor-touch controls,
the S 4 compact vacuum cleaner, completely new ranges of laundry-care appliances and dishwashers,
and refrigeration appliances with LED lighting are just a few of the highlights of recent years. All of which
goes to make one thing clear: Miele can justifiably lay claim to being innovation leader in the industry.
This lead has not been achieved by chance: investments in research and development amount
to around 7% of annual turnover, or in other words around € 150 m every year. Each of our eight
production plants in Germany includes a development centre specialising in the appliances produced
at the respective plant. Gütersloh is also home to a second factory producing electronic controls where
such key components are developed and manufactured in-house for the sake of maintaining quality
standards. From 2001 to 2005, Miele registered a record 350 inventions with the German Patent Office,
as well as filing 112 European and 62 US patents.
At Miele, we manufacture the great majority of our components ourselves. This guarantees the
quality for which Miele is a byword. It goes without saying that our production facilities are state-ofthe-art.
Our dishwasher manufacturing plant in Bielefeld, for example, has been modernised at a total
cost of € 60 m, adopting a manufacturing process developed and patented by Miele which is unique
throughout the world.
11

RESPONSIBILITY

“The main asset of any company
are the people who work for it,
and the spirit in which they do so.”
Heinrich Nordhoff
(1899–1968), Captain of industry
APPRECIATION OF EMPLOYEES
The glass partitions of Miele offices ensure transparency and a sense of closeness. Corporate culture is
characterised by open dialogue; hierarchies are flat. If a blue-collar worker on the production line feels
the need to speak to a member of senior management, he simply does so. This is the way it has always
been. In this respect, too, Miele is committed to the values and standards of the company founders.
Even in the most difficult times, the founding fathers and their successors made every effort to
create and preserve jobs. This responsibility has also been accepted by today’s generation of management.
Many times in the history of the company, the need for workers’ accommodation has been met by
the construction of company housing. The company health insurance scheme was established in 1909,
while additional financial support is provided by a benevolent fund and the company pension scheme.
Personnel management has also developed accordingly over the years: Miele offers no less than
100 different working time models, promotes the employment of women, particularly in technical professions,
and offers a wide range of vocational training. High priority is also given to health and safety at
work, while the doors are always open to new ideas submitted through the company suggestion scheme.
In addition to these facts, it is the positive atmosphere which turns ordinary workers into motivated
employees: aspects such as fairness and the readiness to engage in dialogue, the opportunities
enjoyed by all those who are ready and willing to give of their best, and the feeling of being acknowledged
and appreciated.
13

ENVIRONMENT

“Our aim is to manufacture and
market durable products to the
highest quality standards, using
economical and ecologically
compatible processes which not
only demonstrate a high level of
performance, efficiency and safety,
but also place the least possible
burden on the environment.”
Leading principle of the
Miele company philosophy
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND PRODUCT DURABILITY
Washing clothes and doing the dishes without water is inconceivable – at least if the job is to be done
properly. But no one gets by with less water than Miele and produces better results. All our appliances
are the best performers when it comes to saving energy and water. All of them: Miele is not in the game
of packing all its environmental credentials into a single showcase product.
All Miele appliances are designed to last at least 20 years. That it is better for the environment
for household appliances to be long-lasting than to have to dispose of two or even three appliances over
the same period is obvious. And in this respect, Miele products are clearly the better choice because
they are made to a very large extent from metal, which is much easier to recycle. The cast-iron counterweights
used by Miele are not only much more resistant in the long-term, but also much kinder to the
environment than the concrete blocks used by all other manufacturers.
Ongoing optimisation of production processes minimises waste, effluents and emissions. There
is no superfluous packaging, and the materials used are recyclable. Critical materials such as coatings
and solders are reduced to the absolute minimum. Miele uses district heating and has implemented
numerous energy-saving programmes in production and administration. Our logistics are designed for
maximum efficiency, and all our vehicles are low-emission.
15

THE FUTURE

“The Miele strategy for the next
decade can be summarised
in three words: Sustainable
growth worldwide.”
Horst Schübel
Managing Director
GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
Commercial enterprises must grow in order to survive. The only question is how to go about it.
A company which views itself the way Miele does cannot do this without considering the impact on
humanity or the environment. We act ethically and in awareness of our responsibilities. We concentrate
on those countries and geographic regions where Miele has its own subsidiaries and sales offices.
The Miele Foundation has been financing charitable projects since 1974. The company itself
supports youth, cultural and sporting interests. High priority is given to environmental issues: In fact,
Miele has in many cases taken the lead internationally in calling for environmental protection guidelines,
such as regulations governing the disposal of old appliances. Our membership of the UN Global Compact
in 2004 – an association for human rights, just working conditions and environmental protection
and against corruption – was no more than a logical consequence. The same applies to compliance
with the SAI 8000 guideline, a social charta to ensure humane working conditions and health standards,
according to which we now audit all our suppliers.
The implementation of these standards places a huge administrative burden on Miele, a burden
though that we are more than willing to accept because the principles of responsible company management
have always come second nature to Miele. Our maxim of being ‘forever better’ applies to all
aspects of life at Miele and will continue to do so in the future.
17

The founding fathers Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann
1899
1900
1912 –1914
1914
1924 –1960
1927
1929
1956
1958
1978
1997
2001
2003
2004
2005
2006
MILESTONES
Foundation of Miele & Cie.; production of cream separators
Production of butter churns and washing machines
Production of motorcars (125 vehicles)
First washing machine with an electric motor;
Branches set up in Brussels, Buenos Aires, Paris, Warsaw
and Vienna
Production of bicycles and motorcycles in Bielefeld
Production of first vacuum cleaners
Production of Europe’s first electric dishwasher
First fully automatic washing machine
First domestic tumble dryer
First microprocessor-controlled washing machines, dryers and
dishwashers
First washing machine with a programme for hand-washable woollens;
first mobile receiver to process data transmitted by Miele domestic
appliances
Launch of the patented honeycomb drum
Navitronic washing machines and tumble dryers with ‘Automatic’
programme
New G 1000/G 2000 dishwasher series using patented production
process
TouchControl operation for dishwashers, cookers, steam cookers
and microwaves
37th Miele subsidiary set up in Korea
New washing machine/tumble dryer series with innovative design

Miele & Cie. KG
Carl-Miele-Straße 29
D-33332 Gütersloh
PO Box, D-33325 Gütersloh
Tel.: 00 49 (0) 52 41 89-0
Fax: 00 49 (0) 52 41 89-20 90
E-Mail: info@miele.de
Further information:
www.miele.de: General information on the company
and its products
www.miele-presse.de:
• Miele Company Report
Facts and figures 2005/2006
• Responsibility –
The Sustainability Report 2006
Miele & Cie. KG
Public Relations
Text and concept: Ursula Wilms
Graphic design: Kerstin Schröder
Photos: Miele
This brochure is printed on paper bleached without
the use of chlorine.