• Company specialises in medical technology services

• Miele invests in expansion of laboratory division

• Professional Executive Christian Kluge: 'Further step towards system provider'

Miele's Professional business unit brings together the sale of machines and services in the field of laundry technology and commercial dishwashing as well as products and services for cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation in hospitals, medical practices and laboratories. With the acquisition of SMP GmbH, based in Tübingen, Germany, Miele is expanding its expertise and accelerating its growth. In addition to validation, the service portfolio will in future include the provision of test challenges and laboratory tests to Miele as well as to users and manufacturers of medical devices.

SMP GmbH was founded in 2000 and today, as an accredited test laboratory, offers a complete range of services supporting cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation processes. Background: The medical sector is subject to strict regulation with respect to hygiene and infection control. Processes for cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation, in which surgical instruments, for example, are reprocessed, must be validated regularly and must demonstrate the necessary process safety according to hygiene plans and country-specific requirements. For these tests, SMP produces standardised test devices, among other things. One example of this are intentionally contaminated crile clamps. After cleaning, the SMP laboratory inspects these items for residues of the contamination, thereby evaluating cleaning performance. SMP is one of the few suppliers providing and evaluating test devices on the German market.

SMP GmbH, with its current staff of 50, will remain an independent company in Tübingen as a 'Miele Group Member' and will continue to provide services for medical device manufacturers as an accredited test laboratory. The SMP team of engineers, physicists, biologists and chemists is also active in research, developing customer-specific test procedures, and has an established network of links to national and international players in the medical field. In addition, testing for technical homologation and the compilation of reprocessing instructions constitute part of their range of services. Due to additional order volumes from the Miele Group and the further internationalisation of its business, SMP will grow strongly in future and expand its capacities. Miele is therefore investing in the expansion of laboratory facilities in Tübingen.

The two SMP proprietors and Managing Directors Klaus Roth and Dr Ludger Schnieder are selling their business for age-related reasons but will continue to be available to the company in leading positions over the coming years. 'In Miele, we have found a strong, reliable and internationally positioned buyer with which SMP and our employees in Tübingen can look to the future with confidence', says company founder Klaus Roth. 'We will continue to provide services for our customers in the same proven quality. Trust and confidence have top priority here', adds Ludger Schnieder.

With this acquisition, Miele is further expanding in the medical technology sector. Regular validation, maintenance and service are essential for the long-term operation of equipment from Miele's Bielefeld plant and its subsidiary Steelco. 'With SMP, we are taking another big step towards becoming a full-line system provider of hygiene solutions in the marketplace', explains Dr Christian Kluge, Senior Vice President of the Professional business unit. 'With Steelco, we significantly expanded our portfolio for hospitals and pharmaceutical companies in 2017. We also offer our own process chemicals and can now provide our customers with additional laboratory services', Kluge continues.

The Professional business unit of the Miele Group comprises five production sites. The plant in Bielefeld is responsible for washer-disinfectors for medical practices, dentists and laboratories. Steelco products (Riese Pio X and Cusano di Zoppola sites) are designed to cater for larger capacities in the hospital and pharmaceutical sectors. The Miele plant in Bürmoos, Austria, supplies stainless-steel baskets and inserts, conveyors and load carriers for Steelco and Miele machines, among other things, and oversees small sterilisers. Miele's commercial laundry technology is all located in Lehrte, Lower Saxony. Other professional products such as the Little Giants (semi-commercial washing machines and dryers) are supplied by other production plants.

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, air purifiers, washing machines and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications. 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 2021 business year amounted to around € 4.84 bn. 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 22,300, of which approx. 11,200 employees work in Germany. The company has its headquarters in Gütersloh in Westphalia.