Electrolux

Infobox Company
company_name = AB Electrolux
company_
company_type = Public (OMX|SSE81|ELUX B)
foundation = 1910
key_people = Marcus Wallenberg (Chairman of the board), Hans Stråberg (President and CEO)
location_city = Stockholm
location_country = Sweden
industry = Manufacturing and service
products = Home and major appliances
revenue = SEK 104,732 million (2007)cite web |url=http://ir.electrolux.com/files/Electrolux_Annual_Report2007_Part2.pdf |title=Annual Report 2007 |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Electrolux]
operating_income = profit SEK 4,837 million (2007)
net_income = profit SEK 4,397 million (2007)
num_employees = 56,900 (2007)
homepage = [http://www.electrolux.com www.electrolux.com]
intl = yes

The Electrolux Group is a Swedish manufacturer of home and professional appliances. According to the company, it sells more than 40 million products to customers in 150 countries annually. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and cookers sold under brand names like Electrolux, AEG-Electrolux, Zanussi, Eureka and Frigidaire. Electrolux also makes some Kenmore Appliances for Sears.

In 2003 Electrolux began a company restructuring program throughout Europe in order to improve negative trends in operational results. Existing facilities in Western Europe were closed, while new factories in Eastern Europe were opened - despite strong EEU objections. The merits (or failings) of these business moves remain elusive. However, in 2006, Electrolux still managed to retain approx. 57,000 employees and record global sales of SEK 104 billion (about 11 billion EUR). Electrolux owns and operates 22 factories in Europe and, after Whirlpool Corp., is the world's second-largest appliance manufacturer. Electrolux had held the number-one spot prior to Whirlpool's 2006 merger with Maytag. In that same year, Electrolux spun off its lawn and garden and outdoor products division called Husqvarna AB - known in the USA as "Husqvarna Outdoors," with its Husky product line - in accordance with its restructuring plan.

Marcus Wallenberg is the chairman of the board.

Electrolux UK is the co-sponsor with Coca Cola in England's third-highest football league called Football League One.

Electrolux North America [http://electroluxappliances.com] launched an integrated marketing campaign for its new line of premium appliances on April 3rd, 2008. The campaign includes celebrity spokesperson Kelly Ripa.

History

Electrolux was founded in 1910 as "Elektromekaniska AB," and changed its name to Elektrolux after merging with Lux AB in 1919. The merger with Lux was brokered by the Swedish entrepreneur Axel Wenner-Gren. (The direct sales division of Electrolux kept the name "Lux" and is now autonomous. [http://www.electrolux.com/node162.aspx?id=13792] ) The legal name spelling was changed to Electrolux in 1957. The company was organized as a holding company in 1928 and during the 1970s grew rapidly under the leadership of Hans Werthén.

In North America, the Electrolux name was long used by a vacuum cleaner manufacturer, founded by a Swedish businessman who emigrated to the U.S. In 1998, that company transferred its rights to the trademark in North America to the Electrolux Group, and now operates under the name Aerus LLC. Following the return of its trademark, Electrolux of Sweden added a new line of Electrolux home appliances for sale in the U.S. and Canada.

In 2002 Hans Stråberg was appointed president and CEO.

Recent Product Premieres

2000: Premiere of the Screenfridge, an Internet-connected refrigerator designed to be the communications hub for the home as well as keeping track of cold foodstuffs. This concept was developed into a working prototype and even a production version currently available from the company.

2001: Change of brand name from Eureka to Electrolux Oxygen vacuum cleaner, equipped with the Electrolux O2 filter system HEPA 13, which the company claims provides 99.5% filtration capacity, and that the vacuum's exhaust air is actually cleaner than the air on the North Pole.

2002: Launch of robot vacuum cleaner, Electrolux Trilobite.

2002: In India, the world’s first talking washing machine, the Washy Talky is launched.

2003: Electrolux supplies household appliances to Terra Nova Bay base on the coast of Antarctica. The base also serves to stockpile additional products destined for Antarctica's inland region via Concordia base when the local winter season ends in October.

2003: Electrolux introduces the first Design Lab competition for Swedish students.

2005: Electrolux introduces more finish colors and patterns in its appliance lines.

2008: Electrolux introduces the Inspiro, an oven that detects properties of the oven's contents and automatically preselects what it determines is the best heating mode.

2008: In North America, Electrolux launches its new premium appliance line.

Slogan

In the 1960s, the company successfully marketed vacuums in the United Kingdom with the slogan "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." [http://commercial-archive.com/node/139238] [http://commercial-archive.com/node/119924] [http://www.snarkhunting.com/2005/02/corporate-names-taglines-slogans/] British consumers took the slogan literally because "sucks" as a term of disparagement is strictly an Americanism. However, Americans often naively presumed that using this slogan was a brand blunder, and such notions exist even in certain business school textbooks [http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=21;t=001038;p=1] . In fact, the informal US meaning of "sucks" was already well known in the UK at the time, and the company's "marketing people were fully aware of the possible double entendre and intended it to gain attention." [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext02/jarg422h.htm]

That 'unfortunate' (but successful) slogan was also coopted by minicomputer geeks as "Nothing sucks like a VAX", punning on the UK competitor vacuum brand Vax [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=VAX] .

Alternative uses for the product

Jon Fishman of the band Phish uses an Electrolux to perform his "vacuum cleaner solo."

Brands

* AEG-Electrolux
* Arthur Martin
* Atlas (appliances)
* Beam (central vacuums)
* Castor (appliances)
* Chef (appliances)
* Corberó
* Dito

* Electrolux ICON [http://www.electroluxicon.com] ] "premium appliances U.S."
* Elektro Helios
* Electrolux [http://www.electroluxappliances.com] "premium appliances U.S."
* "Electrolux" [http://www.electrolux.com] "corporate"
* Electrolux Laundry Systems
* Electrolux Professional
* Eureka (vacuum cleaner)
* Faure (appliances)
* Frigidaire
* Gibson Appliance
* Juno (appliances)
* Kelvinator
* King (kitchen appliances only,sold in Israel)
* Lehel (appliances)
* Marynen/Marijnen
* Molteni
* Parkinson Cowan
* Progress (appliances)
* REX-Electrolux
* Rosenlew
* Simpson
* Tappan
* Therma (appliances)
* Tricity Bendix
* Volta (appliances)
* Voss (appliances)
* Wascator
* Westinghouse
* White-Westinghouse
* Zanussi (and "Zanussi Professional")
* Zoppas

References

External links

;Main
* [http://www.electrolux.com/ Electrolux Homepage] - Official site
* [http://www.electroluxappliances.com/ Electrolux Appliances Homepage]
* [http://www.electroluxicon.com/ Electrolux ICON Homepage]
* [http://www.electrolux.com/node275.aspx History of Electrolux] ;Other
* [http://www.electrolux.com.au Electrolux Australia]
* [http://www.vacuumcleanerforum.com/f13/ Electrolux Vacuum Discussion] .
* [http://www.corbero.com.es Corberó] .
* [http://designlab.electrolux.com/ Global Design Laboratory] .
* [http://www.aerusonline.com/ Aerus LLC] - Previous owner of the Electrolux trademark in North America.;Data
* [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/41/41778.html Yahoo! - AB Electrolux Company Profile]