• 14 cases confirmed so far

• Production at the plant has been suspended since Tuesday evening

• Department of Public Health and plant management are in close discussion

Despite stringent protective measures, infections with SARS-CoV-2 have occurred at the Miele plant in Euskirchen. The British virus variant B.1.1.7, which is considered to be particularly contagious, was found in six of the eight cases that initially tested positive. Last Tuesday, February 23, all of the plant's approximately 500 employees were tested. The results are expected to be available tomorrow.

Due to the increased risk of infection from the British virus mutation, the Department of Public Health of the district of Euskirchen ordered the domestic quarantine of around 200 employees in the plant. As a result, the plant management canceled the night shift that same evening in agreement with the Department of Public Health. Since then, the production at the Miele plant in Euskirchen has been stopped. After initial evaluations, it is clear that more confirmed cases have occurred. As of 5 p.m. on February 24, another six employees have been tested positive, bringing the total number of cases to 14.

‘Miele developed and implemented the necessary measures to protect its employees and third parties from infection at all of its sites at a very early stage, in accordance with legal requirements and beyond,’ says Dr. Stefan Breit, Executive Director Technology at the Miele Group. There is no reliable information on how the virus entered the Euskirchen plant. The spread of the virus is still limited to the production, while no employee from other areas of the 110,000-square-meter plant has been tested positive so far.

What will happen at Miele in Euskirchen in the following days depends on the further test results and the reassessment of the situation by the Department of Public Health. ‘We are in close contact with the department and are carefully coordinating the next steps,’ explains Plant Manager Hendrik Krämer. ‘Above all, however, we hope that the infected colleagues will recover as soon as possible.’

The Miele plant in Euskirchen was built in 1951 for the production of bicycle dynamos. With around 500 employees, it is now the Miele Group's technology center for the development and production of electric drives. The plant also produces the cable drums for vacuum cleaners. The long-lasting, powerful and energy-efficient motors from Euskirchen make a significant contribution to differentiating Miele appliances from the competition. 

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. Their product portfolio also includes dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). Founded in 1899, the company has eight production plants in Germany, one each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Romania and Poland as well as two production plants belonging to its Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco. Sales in the 2020 business year amounted to around € 4.5 bn (thereof 29.5% in Germany). Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries/regions. Throughout the world, the family-run enterprise, now in its fourth generation, employs a workforce of around 20,900, of which approx. 11,050 employees work in Germany. The company has its headquarters in Gütersloh in Westphalia.