Internorga: 2017 Future Prize goes to The Benchmark Machines

The new washing machines from Miele Professional are economical and fast in the extreme, despite achieving first-class cleaning results. That's why they are today featuring prominently at the Miele press conference at the Internorga in Hamburg, the leading exhibition for hotels and restaurants attracting trade visitors from Germany and neighbouring countries. At the exhibition kick-off, the new washing professionals offering load capacities ranging from 10 to 20 kg were promptly awarded the Internorga Future Prize 2017.

'The Benchmark Machines', a term which Jürgen Schäfer, chief product manager for laundry technology at Miele Professional explained as follows: 'Anyone claiming to set a benchmark is laying claim to doing certain things better than others'. For example, these new washing machines have again reduced water consumption by 20% and electricity by 30% compared with models from the previous series, which were in themselves extremely economical. 'This puts us 20% and more below other manufacturers', Schäfer continues.

These new machines from the Performance and Performance Plus lines are manufactured at Miele's Lehrte plant near Hanover. 'Our entire team is very proud of these products', says Ralf Kretschmer, Managing Director of the Lehrte production plant and responsible for Miele's laundry technology competence centre. And expectations of success in the marketplace are commensurately high'. Schäfer and Kretschmer anticipate additional unit sales 'firmly in the double-digit range'.

Top results thanks to new honeycomb drum and EcoSpeed

The new machines were subjected to excrutiating trials in the laboratories at Lehrte and out in the field - all passed with flying colours.

This resulted, for instance, in a new and patented drum design which circulates no less than 500 l of water during the main wash cycle, showering it onto laundry from above, although actual water consumption is only 30 l. Considerable water and electricity savings are also achieved through the new outer drum, also patented, which has a unique oval cross-section, along with EcoSpeed wash technology which operates at a variety of rotational speeds.

Features such as these obviously impressed the jury of the Future Prize, says Jürgen Schäfer, citing their reasoning: 'With their Benchmark Machines, Miele is setting new standards in the 10 to 20 kg size category'. 'The Performance and Performance Plus ranges excel with functionality and economy, energy, water and material consumption as well as low maintenance and longevity, and unite innovative new developments'. The jury sifted through more than 100 potential candidates. The Miele machines were awarded first prize in the category 'Trendsetting products, technology and features'.

Single-source supplier to hotels and restaurants

Miele Professional is presenting a broad range of products in Hamburg tailored to the needs of laundries and kitchens: Tumble dryers with alternative heating methods such as heat-pump and hot-water dryers, flatwork ironers and commercial dishwashers operating on the tank and fresh water principles. And because these machines are so consistently driven by generating user benefits, they are highly adaptive: With special programmes, automatic liquid dispensing and many other options – as presented at the exhibition, in many cases with the opportunity for hands-on interaction. Schäfer: 'I am confident that this range of products will allow us to consolidate and expand our worldwide position as single-source supplier to hotels and restaurants'.

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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.