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Thread Number: 33427
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
AB Electrolux Sells Eureka Division to Chinese Company |
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| Post# 364321 12/29/2016 at 15:32 (2,667 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
Well, this indeed is the final nail in the casket for a beloved American brandname.
My dear Eureka company will now be owned by Chinese manufacturer Midea located in Guangdong. ☹️ CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
| Post# 364323 , Reply# 1 12/29/2016 at 15:55 (2,667 days old) by vacerator (Macomb Michigan) | ||
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The future of Eureka has been known for some time. More form China, less from Mexico. There hasn't been a quality Eureka product in years. | ||
| Post# 364325 , Reply# 2 12/29/2016 at 16:01 (2,667 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Indeed. There only 4 Eureka products I can think of that were good vacs sold in the last decade: the SmartVac bagged upright, the Mighty Mite III bagged canister, the Quick Up stick vac and the EasyClean handvac with rotating brush. I imagine these four good machines will be discontinued now.
I wonder if this means Sanitaire is doomed too. 🙁 | ||
| Post# 364328 , Reply# 3 12/29/2016 at 16:37 (2,667 days old) by pr-21 (Middletown, OH) | ||
Sorry to hear about the Eureka Company. I recently purchased a Model 2033A NOS off of an Ebay sellar. It has the 3.5 amp 2 speed motor, with switch in the handle and I had a nos square end Vibra Groomer I brush roll that I put in it. Runs great and sounds like the Eureka's of old. This even had the headlight. I did have to obviously put a new belt on it, but while it was off, I just let it run for about 15 minutes, as this was at least a 25 year old model that had just sat in the box in an old vacuum store that went out of business and someone bought their stock. Hope some more of them pop up on Ebay.....The sellar did have some 2097's with cordwinder, but I had one already except it did not have a cordwinder.
PR-21 Bud | ||
| Post# 364335 , Reply# 4 12/29/2016 at 18:00 (2,667 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Bud, you are lucky to have found one of those classic Eureka Williams vacs. That's why I hope we can all still depend on Sanitaire to keep these great designs on the market.
I now know how people felt when Kodak went under. The famous American corporations of my childhood are disappearing fast. How has Germany been able to hold onto their famous brandnames like Miele and BMW and Braun for so long? At least with Miele, I know that the brandname on the product is what it says it is, and not some fake branding used to hide a run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter vac from the Far East. Rant over. Guess I am becoming a grumpy old fogey. 🙁 | ||
| Post# 364351 , Reply# 5 12/29/2016 at 22:58 (2,667 days old) by Mpbyrd (Connelly Springs, NC) | ||
I certainly hope  | ||
| Post# 364352 , Reply# 6 12/29/2016 at 23:03 (2,667 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 364358 , Reply# 7 12/30/2016 at 02:01 (2,666 days old) by pr-21 (Middletown, OH) | ||
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| Post# 364360 , Reply# 8 12/30/2016 at 05:53 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 364363 , Reply# 9 12/30/2016 at 09:01 (2,666 days old) by pr-21 (Middletown, OH) | ||
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| Post# 364374 , Reply# 10 12/30/2016 at 09:33 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Powr-Flite Model PF-70 looks almost identical to the yellow Eureka commercial vac that used to be made just up the road from St. Louis in Bloomington, Illinois. It's even in Eureka's old blue colour!
Tacony should market a domestic household version for the home - because these vacs are so simple, they could put them in the Simplicity line-up. | ||
| Post# 364384 , Reply# 11 12/30/2016 at 10:49 (2,666 days old) by ronni (USA) | ||
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Does this mean that Midea will be manufacturing Aerus products, too? | ||
Post# 364386 , Reply# 12 12/30/2016 at 10:58 (2,666 days old) by gottahaveahoove  (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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Well, there's always a chance | ||
| Post# 364390 , Reply# 14 12/30/2016 at 11:27 (2,666 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
John Long see I can say you name 😜 | ||
| Post# 364395 , Reply# 15 12/30/2016 at 11:50 (2,666 days old) by Kirbysthebest (Midwest) | ||
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Maybe they are assembled in China, then shipped here where they are disassembled and then reassembled again.
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| Post# 364414 , Reply# 16 12/30/2016 at 16:30 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Midea will not be taking over Aerus. Aerus and AB Electrolux are two separate companies. The Electrolux canisters made in Hungary like the UltraOne will still be part of the line-up being sold by Electrolux Home Care Appliances of North America.
The good Eureka vacuums that may be on the chopping block with this sale are true remnants of the original Eureka company: the Boss Upright 1934, the SmartVac 4870, the Mighty Mite III canister, the Quick-Up Boss Lite Cordless Stick Vac and the corded EasyClean hand vac with on-board hose. All five of these vacs have received good to excellent marks in Consumer Reports tests over the years. I guess the Swedes at Electrolux used Eureka to its benefit for 30 years and now see no need for the brandname after tarnishing its reputation with junk plastivacs over the last 10 years. As soon as they closed the building in Bloomington, it was downhill from there. | ||
| Post# 364423 , Reply# 18 12/30/2016 at 21:46 (2,666 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
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Where in the heck do you people | ||
| Post# 364424 , Reply# 19 12/30/2016 at 21:47 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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I get the sense that for about 25 years after AB Electrolux bought Eureka in 1974, most of Eureka's American design and manufacturing team stayed in place with minor management and supervisory changes being made by the European owners. Until the early 1990's when we started seeing more canisters made in Sweden added to the Eureka line-up, there was very little commonality between what Elux sold in Europe and what was sold in North America. Eureka's new vac designs in the 1980's may have reflected some design elements from Europe - with sleeker and lighter canisters (the Express and the Mighty Mite), and sleeker and lighter uprights (the Ultra and the Victory). So it is possible that some of the industrial designers were Swedes or influenced by Electrolux's design team in Sweden.
In the 1990's there was indeed more integration between Bloomington and Stockholm - vac designs were going in both directions. 110-volt Electrolux and Volta canisters were rebranded as Eurekas for sale in North America and 220-volt versions of Eureka uprights were rebadged as Electrolux and sold in Europe. The death knell for Eureka happened when AB Electrolux re-acquired the rights to use their brandname once again in North America beginning in 2001. With their ability to save money by shrinking the Eureka division and just importing Electroluxes from Europe, the writing was on the wall. Upright manufacturing moved to Juarez Mexico and canisters were being imported from China and Europe. I really don't know how many American jobs were lost when Eureka's Bloomington plant closed. For all I know, those refugees from Bloomington ended up rescued by Tacony and other American companies. The "Sanitaire by Electrolux" division remains a mystery. It remains to be see | ||
| Post# 364425 , Reply# 20 12/30/2016 at 21:51 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 364426 , Reply# 21 12/30/2016 at 21:52 (2,666 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
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No where in the history does it say Eureka was purchased by
Aerus LLC, formerly Electrolux Corp. USA, manufactures vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners and air purifiers. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has over 500 independently owned franchises in the U.S. and Canada. Aerus is the successor to Electrolux USA, the iconic manufacturer of vacuum cleaners. However, the Electrolux name is now used in the U.S. by the Electrolux Group of Sweden, which also manufactures Eureka vacuum cleaners.
Aerus/Electrolux !!! Electrolux was founded in 1924 by Gustaf Sahlin, a Swedish businessman who emigrated to the United States. Its tank vacuum quickly became an industry standard, and was very popular for many decades. In 1968, Consolidated Foods Corporation (now known as Sara Lee Corporation) acquired Electrolux. In 1989, Electrolux Corp. USA created Purelux the first residential under-the-sink water purification system combining ultraviolet (UV) light and activated carbon filtration. Actor Lloyd Bridges was the company's spokesperson. In 2000, the North American rights to the Electrolux brand name were sold to Electrolux Group of Sweden, which was previously unaffiliated since 1968. The corporation that originally manufactured Electrolux vacuums has been known as Aerus since 2001. | ||
| Post# 364431 , Reply# 22 12/30/2016 at 22:39 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Sorry to have to complicate the recent history of the Eureka Company, but indeed I did find an article which states that Aerus moved their assembly to a Eureka-owned factory in El Paso, Texas in 2003.
The move from Bristol, Virginia seems to indeed have involved the signing of a contract between Aerus and AB Electrolux. Yikes! It's enough to make one go cross-eyed! But I don't think that Midea of China bought the El Paso facility... it was not a strictly Eureka plant. But who knows? If someone here at Vacuumland who lives in El Paso, Texas could tell us what vacuums are coming out of that plant now, that would be helpful! :-) Click the link below for the full article: CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
| Post# 364432 , Reply# 23 12/30/2016 at 22:46 (2,666 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Here's another article about Eureka's agreement to assemble Aerus vacs in 2003. Just wonder how long this corporate relationship lasted. If it is still active today, maybe the Midea sale will affect Aerus?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
| Post# 364468 , Reply# 25 12/31/2016 at 08:58 (2,665 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Hi Mike,
Indeed, that is what AB Electrolux did: they needed to install 110-volt motors and North American wiring and plugs on their European models. I imagine the vacs were shipped to Eureka's Bloomington / Kitchener factories without the electrical components (and with the Eureka branding on the vac), and the North American plant would install the correct motor and wiring and plug. I'll give you one example I remember from Canada: In 1980, AB Electrolux bought the German vacmaker Progress. Not long after that, the Canadian department store Eaton's started selling an "Eaton Viking" Power Team vacuum made at Eureka's factory in Kitchener, Ontario which married a Progress canister from Germany with a Eureka Roto-Matic Power Nozzle from North America. We also saw some Progress stick vacs relabelled as Eureka in Canada. Here is a link to a webpage that shows the Progress Model 93 that was brought in to North America by the Eureka Division of AB Electrolux. The photo shows a German power nozzle, but Eureka changed that to their tried-and-true Roto-Matic nozzle when they packaged them for sale in the Eaton's stores. I seem to remember that the colour was changed from green to a nice cream/beige colour for the Canadian version. CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
| Post# 364469 , Reply# 26 12/31/2016 at 09:03 (2,665 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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And this is the Progress "Minor GI" stick vac that we saw rebadged as Eureka in some vacuum specialty shops in Canada in the 1980's:
CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
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Post# 364481 , Reply# 27 12/31/2016 at 14:16 (2,665 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I know several people who loved that 'canned ham' cl My late brother had one, aswell as a Hamilton Beach canister, a few Eurekas (they kept wearing out), and a Hoover Convertible. I had an aunt (now deceased) who had a "Boss".. didn't last long, went back to a Hoover.... Just saying.... a lot of thses companies get sold, some improved, some dissolved, etc.. To quote Sonny and Cher, "History has turned a page, uhuh". I'm very fortunate to say that Tom Anderson and I were treated very royally, (no pun intended) here...... 
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Post# 364482 , Reply# 28 12/31/2016 at 14:17 (2,665 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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We were everywhere | ||
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Post# 364483 , Reply# 29 12/31/2016 at 14:18 (2,665 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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My partner | ||
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Post# 364485 , Reply# 30 12/31/2016 at 14:25 (2,665 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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no bashing from me | ||
| Post# 364527 , Reply# 34 1/1/2017 at 16:04 (2,664 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
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Thank you John | ||
| Post# 364530 , Reply# 35 1/1/2017 at 16:51 (2,664 days old) by tig21er (Indiana) | ||
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I know the whole story they told at the time but can not divulge it as it is confidential information and don't want sued. | ||
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Post# 364532 , Reply# 36 1/1/2017 at 17:26 (2,664 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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John, You've given a perfect, concise, and true account. It's great when people post the true facts. So many times, facts get mixed up, distorted, or just plain discarded. Although I personally am not an Electrolux,Aerus, fan, I appreciate those who are. I don't even eat Sara Lee productas, as a rule. Thanks, John L. | ||
| Post# 364546 , Reply# 39 1/2/2017 at 10:27 (2,663 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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This purchase by Midea may not be such a bad thing for Eureka. It seems to be a real appliance power house with experience in the design and manufacture of home appliances. Best thing is, they seem to be on the verge of major infrastructure investments in the USA which hopefully means more jobs for Americans.
Here is a news article about the groundbreaking for a new R&D facility in Kentucky. All the men in the photo seem to be American executives of the Chinese company: CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
| Post# 364547 , Reply# 40 1/2/2017 at 10:32 (2,663 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 364549 , Reply# 41 1/2/2017 at 10:42 (2,663 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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And here's a little promo clip for a Midea canister vacuum - it's bagged....yay!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK | ||
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