Electrolux 2007 Annual Report Download - page 44

The story of Insight
Axel Wenner-Gren
unfolded a sketch made
during a board room
meeting for a team of
Electrolux engineers to
examine. On the page
was a drawing of a vac-
uum cleaner. Rather
than standing like the
traditionally shaped
bucket, however,
Wenner-Gren had
sketched the vacuum
cleaner laying on its side, with rounded edges and sled-like
runners attached to the base. “This will be our next model,”
Wenner-Gren explained.
The idea had come to him a few days earlier
when a young salesman visited his office to
report that a customer was having a difficult time
with her vacuum cleaner. The lady had told the
salesman that her vacuum cleaned well, but that
she found it tiring to lift and carry the machine
throughout the house.
From that moment, Wenner-Gren was resolute
on making the vacuum cleaner move easier.
Electrolux today
Insight into consumer behavior is the basis for all
product development within the Group.
Electrolux developed Ergorapido, a cordless
vacuum cleaner, for people who want the vac-
uum cleaner easily available. Sleek in design
and lightweight, Ergorapido is too good looking
not to be left in sight.
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The story of Vision
Axel Wenner-Gren
barely noticed the
stores as he walked
down the biggest shop-
ping street in Vienna.
The year was 1908,
Wenner-Gren was on
his way to a meeting
and his broad steps and
freshly pressed suit sig-
nalled a sense of pur-
pose. That is, however,
until something caught
his eye, brought him to a stop, and pulled him to a shop win-
dow for a closer look.
Propped on display was a machine that must have weighed
20 kilos with a price tag that could suck up the savings of
almost any wealthy household. Window shoppers either
smirked at or ignored the industrial display, but Wenner-Gren
couldn’t take his eyes away from it. In his mind the machine
became smaller, lighter, sleeker and less expensive. He envi-
sioned women gliding small cleaners around their houses. He
would bring convenience to houses around the world.
Electrolux today
“Thinking of you” sums up the Electrolux offering – always put
the users first and foremost. Trilobite, the world’s first auto-
matic vacuum cleaner, frees up time so consumers can do the
things that really matter, like spending time with family and
friends. It uses radar just like
a bat to navigate under
beds, tables and furni-
ture. When the bat-
teries run low, it
returns by itself to
the charging sta-
tion to recharge.
electrolux story
The story of Electrolux
Axel Wenner-Gren, the founding father of Electrolux, established the principles
by which the company still thrives. He was a visionary who helped to develop
products of the future by understanding the needs of people and not submit-
ting to challenges. His dream to improve quality of life has had fundamental
impact on homes around the world. His vision, which began in 1910, has
flourished to become the basis of Electrolux today.
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