Numerous patents for programme selection, rinse and ‘Automatic’Patented washing machine with no-hassle ‘Automatic’ programme

“The Miele ‘Navitronic’ is a world in itself,” says Dr. Markus Miele

Gütersloh, September 11, 2003. – Miele does not just hold 681 patents worldwide, but recently at a world premiere in Gütersloh introduced washing machines and tumble dryers which automatically select the right programme. The appliances are equipped with the completely new ‘Navitronic’ control which Miele itself has developed. The navigation system for the perfect wash has a special user interface, patented rinsing process with sensor technology, a patented ‘Automatic’ programme as well as programmes for jeans, shirts and outdoor clothes. In addition, there is also the new, patented honeycomb drum for tumble dryers where the hexagons of the drum arch outwards. “The Miele ‘Navitronic’ is a world in itself,“ said Dr. Markus Miele in Gütersloh, “because here we are presenting progress in laundry care which has never been seen before. This is also shown by the numerous patents granted to Miele.

According to the manufacturer, the patented ‘Automatic’ programme for Miele washing machines is especially innovative. ‘Sensors determine what kind of laundry is in the washing machine and automatically select the right programme,’ explained Dr. Markus Miele, Managing Partner at Miele & Cie. KG in Gütersloh. This programme always selects the best programme for gentle laundry care, which makes it ideal for everyone because the laundry can just be left to the washing machine without any great knowledge about textiles and their care. Even a newcomer to laundry care can feel safe when washing laundry. And a load washed in the ‘Automatic’ programme in a washing machine can also be dried in the same programme in the matching tumble dryer.

Miele’s latest machines offer three dedicated programmes – ‘Jeans’, ‘Shirts’ and ‘Outdoor’ where the washing, rinsing and spinning as well as the drying programmes are all geared to the respective requirements of the laundry. The way you wash is the way you dry – it is that simple. ‘Laundry care made easy’ is how Dr. Markus Miele summed up in a nutshell the new developments.

The company from Westphalia also proves how innovative it is with a new rinsing process which has also been patented. Sensor technology is also the magic term here which has made this development possible. A complex process determines how long the laundry has to be rinsed and how much water is needed to remove detergent residue. A longer or shorter rinse time as well as more or less water can be necessary according to how the load is made up, i.e. the size and absorbency of the load.

The design of the new ‘Navitronic’ washing machines and tumble dryers is especially eyecatching. The control panel in aluminium-look with the display and the multi-function selector looks high-quality and both machines match each other perfectly. Dr. Miele emphasizes the fact that users ‘do not have to be afraid of the new technology’. At Miele, the multi-function selector is similar to Miele’s traditional single knob controls and programmes can be selected and confirmed by turning and pressing it lightly. Further special programmes and functions are just as easy to select in the same way. Here, the big display is clear and the programmes are shown in legible, local language text.

There is now a honeycomb drum in Miele tumble dryers, as there has been in Miele washing machines since 2001. What makes the honeycomb drum in the tumble dryer so special is the hexagons which arch outwards. During drying, this offers the advantage of creating air pockets in the convex hexagonal sections within the drum. Suction in these air pockets transports the laundry and allows an exchange of air and moisture in two directions. This leads to more even drying and lower operating temperatures, which means the laundry is handled even more gently. A certificate from Germany’s renowned and independent Hohenstein Institute also confirms the special care given to laundry in the new tumble dryer honeycomb drum. This certificate from the research institute for textile care, founded in 1946, certifies that the Miele honeycomb drum dries the laundry more evenly and reduces creasing.

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Captions:
Photo 1	Modern outdoor clothing with sensitive membranes requires special care during washing and drying. The Miele ‘Navitronic’ offers a special programme for these textiles to treat them gently. Photo: Miele
Photo 2	Photo: Miele
Photo 3	The ‘Navitronic’ is causing a revolution in laundry care. An ‘Automatic’ programme determines the right programme sequence, making laundry care child’s play. Photo: Miele
Photo 4	Photo: Miele
Photo 5	Jeans are not just casual wear. They are also acceptable in the office. Miele’s ‘Navitronic’ machines now offer special washing and drying programmes for jeans, taking special care of this material. Photo: Miele
Photo 6	Photo: Miele
Photo 7	Valuable and expensive shirts and blouses need extra special care. The ‘Navitronic’ machines have a special programme for this, where washing rhythm and spin speed ensure less creasing. Shirts and blouses are often dried so well that they do not have to be ironed at all. Photo: Miele
Photo 8	Photo: Miele
Photo 9	Honeycomb drum now also in tumble dryer: The special feature of this honeycomb drum (on left) are the hexagons which arch outwards. Compared with the honeycomb drum in the washing machine (on right) where the hexagons point inwards, this particular feature offers the advantage of creating multiple air pockets which means the laundry is handled even more gently. This is certified by Germany’s renowned and independent Hohenstein Institute. Photo: Miele
Photo 10	Photo: Miele
Photo 11	Modern laundry care – the ‘Automatic’ programme as well as programmes for outdoor clothing, shirts and jeans offer solutions to suit all needs. Photo: Miele
Photo 12	World premiere in Gütersloh on September 11, 2003: Dr. Markus Miele (left) and Dr. Eduard Sailer with the new 'Navitronic' models. Photo: Miele
Photo 13	The production of the new Miele 'Navitronic' models has begun at the Gütersloh plant. Photo: Miele

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