Further growth planned/High utilisation of capacities in Gütersloh

Following significant growth in turnover over recent years, Miele is now consolidating its growth strategy: The family-owned company is for example set to sell more than 900,000 washing machines during the current 2016/17 business year, and this upward trend shows no sign of abating. Production at Miele's parent plant in Gütersloh is already running close to full capacity.

In order to lay the groundwork for further growth, Miele is to set up a second production plant for washing machines, and the choice has fallen on Poland. 'Our neighbour has a good infrastructure and offers considerable logistical benefits compared with countries further afield', says Dr. Stefan Breit, Executive Director responsible for technical affairs within the Miele Group. Currently, several potential locations in Poland are under scrutiny and evaluation; a decision is pending shortly. The start of production with a capacity of approx. 250,000 appliances is planned for 2020. 'The integration of a Polish plant into our production network will give us greater latitude when it comes to our model and pricing policy whilst at the same time safeguarding Miele's proverbial quality standards', Breit continues.

An additional production location will also strengthen the position of Miele Gütersloh as the primary plant within the laundry-care sector. With this in mind and with a view to the growth in production output needed short-term, the Gütersloh plant is to be modernised and extended to provide further capacity. In the long term, though, employment figures in Gütersloh are likely to drop below current levels. However, it is anticipated that this will be managed through natural fluctuation and will not involve actively cutting jobs, says Stefan Breit. And: 'In this new constellation, we are initiating developments with even greater vigour for sustainable growth in our laundry-care division – and hence within the Miele Group as a whole.'

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has 8 production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2015/16 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.71 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for around 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 19,000, 10,500 thereof in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.