16.05.2018
State-of-the-art technology that respects and reflects traditional tea culture – this is the basic idea behind the latest product developed by Vorwerk: the Temial tea maker.
"The idea for the business unit arose during an internal management development program and was further developed as a start-up within the company," the Managing Partners of the Vorwerk Group, Reiner Strecker, Rainer Genes and Frank van Oers announced.
The tea maker is the centerpiece of a system that makes the preparation of individual tea varieties possible thanks to the Temial code scanner and accompanying app. The Temial comes with its own range of teas, which initially comprises ten different loose-leaf organic varieties, and also an extensive portfolio of accessories. "With this new world of products, we are entering a new segment that perfectly matches our strategic focus,” the Managing Partners explain."
Other topics covered at the press conference held today at the Group’s headquarters in Wuppertal were its strategic focus, increasing digitalization and figures for the 2017 financial year.
"We did not achieve a new record year in 2017, but we are nevertheless absolutely on the right track as regards the company's long-term development," the Managing Partners emphasized.
The Vorwerk Group reported total sales in 2017 of 2.9 billion euros and a total business volume including new akf group business of 3.7 billion euros. The Thermomix Division generated sales totaling 1.1 billion euros, the Kobold Division, 792 million euros, and JAFRA Cosmetics, 364 million euros. The akf group generated sales totaling 446 million euros. The Vorwerk Group also includes Vorwerk flooring (58 million euros in sales) and Lux Asia Pacific (25 million euros). In the reporting year, Vorwerk increased its participation in the U.S. company Neato Robotics to 100 percent. Neato Robotics generated sales totaling 63 million euros.
A main focus of the press conference in Wuppertal was the subject of digitalization, which Vorwerk is currently addressing on a number of levels. The Thermomix is an excellent example of this: "We already had a complete ecosystem for the Thermomix in place in 2016. The appliance is the platform with which we provide a whole range of digital services related to recipes and cooking," said the Managing Partners. Already, more than 3.5 million customers are active members of the recipe platform Cookidoo today, and more than 1.5 million have activated the Cook-Key, giving them direct access to the platform via the appliance.
In collaboration with Bergische Universität Wuppertal, the Wuppertal-based family enterprise is taking digitalization one step further. In a brief keynote speech, the University’s rector, Professor Lambert T. Koch, stressed the importance of knowledge transfer between science and industry and outlined the basic principles of the Vorwerk-endowed chair, which will devote itself to the subject of “technology and management of digital transformation." "We have every confidence that we will be able to fill the chair in the foreseeable future," said Professor Koch.
The Vorwerk SE & Co. KG family enterprise was founded in 1883. The holding company’s registered office is located in Wuppertal, Germany. Vorwerk’s core business encompasses both the production and sale of high-quality household products (Thermomix kitchen appliance, Kobold vacuum cleaner, Temial Tea Maker) and cosmetics (JAFRA Cosmetics). As a direct sales company, Vorwerk always seeks direct contact with its customers. Here, the advisor is at the center of activities and serves as a central point of contact for the customer. The Vorwerk family also includes Neato Robotics, the akf bank and its sister group, HECTAS. Worldwide, there are more than 590,000 people working for Vorwerk, some 578,000 of whom are independent advisors. Vorwerk generated consolidated sales of 3.2 billion euros (2020) and operates in more than 60 countries.
Vorwerk SE & Co. KG
Michael Weber
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone.: +49 202 564 1247
E-Mail: Presse(at)vorwerk.de
Publication free of charge – Specimen copy requested