• 18 Covid-19 cases confirmed / Department of Public Health orders quarantine for 206 Miele-employees in Euskirchen until March 9th
• Shortfalls of deliveries affect appliances plant in Gütersloh, Bielefeld, Uničov und Ksawerów as well as the center for plastic components in Warendorf
• Department of Public Health praised protection in place at Miele

After complete evaluation of the tests of all 500 employees at the Miele plant in Euskirchen, 18 cases of Covid-19 have currently been confirmed as positive there. The British virus variant has been detected in a total of ten employees so far. As a consequence, the Department of Public Health has ordered the quarantine of 206 employees up to and including March 9th, 2021. This is a result of the particularly high risk of the British virus variant.

Due to the continuing quarantine, the plant in Euskirchen, which supplies many of our appliance plants with motors, will no longer be able to re-commence manufacturing. As a consequence, the production in the appliances plant in Gütersloh, Bielefeld (vacuum cleaners and dishwashers/household), Uničov and Ksawerów have to stop next week. This is also unavoidable at the plant in Warendorf, since no more plastic components can be assembled there. ‘We will do everything in our power to restart the production at all affected plants as quickly as possible and to minimise the consequences of the interruption for employees and our customers,’ says Dr. Stefan Breit, Executive Director Technology at the Miele Group.

It is still unclear how the virus entered the plant in Euskirchen and spread. In particular, there is no evidence that the identified Covid-19 cases are due to inadequate protective measures. ‘Miele developed and implemented the necessary measures to keep the risk of infection as low as possible for its employees and third parties at all of its sites’, says Stefan Breit. Department of Public Health has specifically praised the protection concept at the plant in Euskirchen.

The Department of Public Health still sees the spread of the British virus mutation as a cause of significant concern. That is why the plant management will carefully examine whether and, if so, how infection protection at the plant should be adapted to the new situation. In this context, Miele is in close contact with the Department of Public Health in Euskirchen.

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.