Miele execs and local officials celebrate the manufacturer’s first U.S.-made products. (Photo: Erik Meadows)
Alabama plant begins producing built-in ovens
YSN Staff
The first U.S.-made appliances by BrandSource luxe partner Miele have rolled off the production line at the company’s new manufacturing facility in Opelika, Ala.
The plant, announced last December, will initially produce the German manufacturer’s Generation 7000 built-in ovens, designed specifically for the North American market, before expanding to range assembly next spring.
See: Miele to Produce Appliances on U.S. Soil
“The facility is up and running as part of the first phase of development,” said Uwe Brunkhorst, senior vice president of Miele’s Business Unit Cooking. “We are especially pleased that despite the tight timeline, the team has achieved their goal and production has started ahead of schedule; the first oven has officially come off the assembly line.”
Faster Fulfillment
Appliances from the Opelika plant will be distributed to retailers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which will greatly reduce delivery time from weeks to days while also lessening the company’s environmental impact, the vendor said. The shorter turnaround time represents an important strategic step for the luxe appliance maker, which described the U.S. market as a key growth opportunity.
Related: Meet BrandSource’s New Luxe Appliance Partner
“It is always an exciting moment to see the first-ever product completed at a new plant,” said Søren Rye, president/CEO of Miele USA and Mexico. “It is especially monumental that the first product assembled in the U.S. is, in fact, one that was made with this market in mind.”
Miele’s Generation 7000 built-in ovens are 30-inch convection models with multiple cooking modes including several smart assists, plus four user interface options, giving consumers the choice between dial controls and a smart-screen display. The units also feature dual fans to bring the ovens to temperature rapidly, plus ergonomically-designed weight-assisted doors and easy-slide racks.
Cross-Border Training
Ulf M. Kranz, managing director of the Opelika factory, attributed the plant’s successful launch to “collaboration between the production sites in both Germany and the U.S., together with the newly hired and thoroughly trained staff.”
The plant’s initial 35 employees were trained at Miele’s Oelde facility in Germany and in turn are instructing the next wave of U.S. hires as the Alabama operation ramps up. The factory is expected to ultimately employ 150 staffers.
Family-owned Miele was founded in Herzebrock, Germany in 1899 as a maker of cream separation equipment, and today sells its “timelessly elegant” kitchen, laundry and floor care products in 50 countries. Its guiding principle of “Immer besser,” or “Forever better,” has helped Miele establish a worldwide reputation for quality, innovation and value.
In the U.S., Miele USA supports the brand with 10 company-owned “Experience Centers” across the country, and a formal partnership with BrandSource that was forged in 2020.
Miele Group currently operates 15 appliance production facilities worldwide, including eight in Germany and one each in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania.
