Vorwerk Kobold - Michelle J.V. - Ingenious

How a vacuum cleaner saved

a Company

Michelle Vanspall

S3137096

“Vorwerk Kobold vacuum cleaner. Resembles a small broom with a small motor attached to it. A small dust bag connects behind the motor. Wooden handle, originally painted brown, has a metal hoop at top.”

There is a history behind this vacuum cleaner as it began the history of a long established company.

The si

gnificance of the Vorwerk Kobold had started this chain reaction which provided the foundation of the success of a company which still grows today.

The Kobold is a combination of wood, plastic and steel with a linen dust bag. Its ‘broom stick’ like wooden handle is fixed with a metal hoop at the top to allow for the vacuum to be neatly hung out of

the way as tidiness was a reflection of the household and the housewife. In addition to aid the idea of tidiness the handle is fixed with two hooks, one of metal and the other being plastic coated, so that the wire can be trimly wrapped around to allow for easier mobility as well as a neat store away. The simplicity of this design can clearly been seen in the way the dust bag is connected which is with a small metal hook screwed into the handle and a string connected

to the top of the dust bag which is tied for easy removal. The linen bag, too small to cover even a football is reinforced using a circular leather strap to allow for more suction. A three fingered metal clamp on a metal tube is what holds the connection be

tween the bag and the motor. The motor is covered using bakelite plastic which is reinforced with a hand held screw. The plastic mould would have been cheap to manufacture as plastic had become the new material for in home appliances. The Kobold is topped off with a wooden brush head with short bristles. This simple design paved the way for other vacuums of the time using the Kobold to improve on their designs, the main changes being the attachment of the on/off switch at the top of the handle for easy use rather then at the bottom on the motor itself. Also the size in dust bag and bigger brush heads, mainly pl

astic molded to allow for more effective suction. The Vorwerk Company endured many obstacles to get this design into the world as they knew it would revolutionize cleaning for the everyday household.

The Vorwerk Company had quite a large share of struggles, both within the company itself and outer events, and had there not been the revolutionary new vacuum cleaner, the company would not have been able to start their success story of which today is still growing strong. The firm, based in Germany, initially manufactured high quality carpets, often of bold designs, and upholstery fabrics, and then later manufactured the looms to create their own fabrics. They went thr

ough a string of management from the very birth of the company yet control had always been within the family. Starting in 1883 the Barmer Teppichfabrik Vorwerk & Co was founded by the brothers Carl and Adolph Vorwerk. That very same year, the brothers parted ways and Carl Vorwerk continued to run the company.

Carl Vorwerk’s son, Carl jr., was to be his successor as company director, but he passed away just a few months after taking the control in 1903. Thus, upon the death of the company founder in 1907, his son-in-law, August Mittelsten Scheid, became sole managing partner. The company then builds up a reliable work force and under his leadership, the company diversified, manufacturing

products such as car axels, gear boxes and electric motors for gramophones.

In 1929, one small motor throws Vorwerk into the electronics industry. As the invention of the radio grew in popularity after its release in 1926, naturally the gram

ophone sales dropped precipitously. Then the onset of the world economic crisis in 1929 brought the gramophone industry to a complete standstill. This dire situation forced Vorwerk to focus on other products giving them its first experience of electrically driven products. Chief engineer Engelbert Gorissen created, using the original gramophone motor to construct the heart of a completely new vacuum cleaner, a high-p

erformance electric upright vacuum cleaner. On 25 May 1930, exclusive rights were granted for the Kobold “Model 30” and were released in the German Reich. It was revolutionary at the time, being far less bulky than the other vacuums available then, reduced down to just the motor, dust-bag and handle. Even this first model was notable for its power and versatility. Until then, vacuum cleaners had been so big, they had to be transported by horse and cart and it took two men to carry one. On top of this, very few households had the means to afford this luxury. Therefore this new ‘money maker’ had to be exposed.

Vorwerk was well known for their carpet making industry, and as that was no longer in production, they had to create awareness on their new and improved line of work. Therefore they launched a new image campaign based on the concept of family. They had to become more appealing to the public if people were to allow them to enter their homes. They launched the slogan “Vorwerk- Our best for your family”. This had become their core philosophy. It was to “to raise public awareness for a neglected area in social policy, i.e. the lack of recognition for work within the family” or “to promote greater recognition for the achievements represented by childrearing and housework and to stand up for better public acceptance of these activities”. This allowed the company to grow in their popularity as this concept appealed greatly to their target audience of housewives. It was also essential to be a family run business as it also emphasized their notion of a user friendly image. They core philosophy and values have been consistent through the years, but have just adapted to its time.

In 1929, advertising was a lot harder to spread quickly, thus sales of this completely unknown appliance in Germany was very low, despite their cheap price of only 20 Reeichsmarks. Something needed to be done as it was well known that this appliance would a necessity to almost every household so word needed to get out about it. So in 1930 one of the sons of the company owner, Werner Mittelsten Scheid, started a type of distribution completely new to Vorwerk & Co. The notion of direct sales "from door to door" which kicked off their success story. They believed that nothing is more convincing than a recommendation from a friend or a product demonstration in their own living room of a completely new appliance. They felt that this was the most ideal and direct path to pursue. They felt that by having a salesperson display a product in an area where it is actually going to be used to be the best way to convince the buyer why they needed it. And they were right. By 1935, 100,000 Kobold Vacuums had been sold, by 1937 half a million and by 1953 one million. The approach of direct sales still remains Vorwerk’s main source of revenue while many companies have abandoned the approach.

World War II had a substantial effect on the company as it had on many other companies of the time as the sales were forced to cease activities when the main plant in Wuppertal-Barmen was bombed and severely damaged in May 1943. However the company kept its head out of the water by selling a variety of products and discontinued operations. Straight after the war, reconstruction work begins on the building and on expanding the business once again and this time expanding throughout Europe as well. The German defeat enabled Vorwerk & Co. to resume production of its Kobold vacuum cleaners in 1945 using the pre-war stockpiles of material. The Kobold quickly regains its leading position as a well-known Vorwerk product. This postwar reconstruction was then referred to as the “German economic miracle”. This aided Vorwerk with their campaigning as well. In 1959, the company continued to improve on this product by launching a new line of accessories for the vacuum. Electric-powered carpet brushes, nicknamed the ‘Europas’, became the new addition.

Had there not been the invention of this remarkable vacuum the company would have lost all assets during the war like the majority of businesses had, the invention of this, what now would be considered simple, had put the company of Vorwerk on the road to success. To this day, Vorwerk Kobold vacuum cleaners have an unrivalled reputation for quality and performance. And they’re still amongst the most versatile on the market, “allowing you to tackle carpets, hard floors, mattresses, furniture, and even the most inaccessible corners with ease.”

References

§ Vorwerk (company)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Date Accessed: 18-05-2007

last modified 14:18, 19 March 2007

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorwerk_(company)

§ Convenience, Performance, Design

Vorwerk Kobold

Date Accessed: 18-05-2007

http://www.vorwerk.com/html/kobold_systems.html

§ The Ultimate Cleaning System

Date Accessed: 18-05-2007

Copyright 2006 VK Direct Limited. All rights reserved

http://www.vorwerkdemo.co.uk/heritage.html

§ Vorwerk & Co. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Vorwerk & Co.

Date Accessed: 18-05-2007

Copyright © 2007 - NetIndustries, LLC.

http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/63/Vorwerk-Co.html

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