Immer Besser

A few months ago I wrote about Germany's economic and political woes. There was (and is) much to be gloomy about, most of which I won't repeat here. Germany's industrial and manufacturing sectors are vulnerable due a host of external, post-Covid developments: soaring energy costs, rising Chinese manufacturing prowess, likely trade tariffs from the new Trump Administration and a loss of confidence in the United States as guarantor of Europe's security (again, Trump). But German industry is vulnerable also, and paradoxically, due to the unintended consequences of a very particular approach to product design and manufacturing that has had its goods sitting at the top, quality-wise, of numerous categories from cars to tools to home appliances. In my "Limping high" post I linked this approach to the tagline of one such category leader: Miele.

Immer Besser (Always Better) has been Miele's motto for decades. It speaks to the (very German, I would argue) notion of incremental improvement: of refining one's products over decades to the point of near-perfection, thereby consolidating one's reputation as the category's standard bearer. All well and good. But as a friend of mine once remarked about Leica, a German maker of optics and justifiably famous small format film cameras (back in the day), a great product doesn't necessarily go hand-in-hand with a great business. Leica still makes impressive cameras, but its share of the small camera market has fallen considerably since the 1960s and 70s. In order to remain viable it has had to put prices to the moon, thereby moving from a purveyor of tools for the working street or war photographer to a luxury brand selling curios for the well-heeled and aspiring amateur. Whilst this has not happened to Miele, it is apparent that focusing on quality of materials or premium design and build does not always bring the headlines or market success that radical innovation or cost-cutting do. Last year Miele announced thousands of layoffs, acknowledging that efficiency is part of remaining a viable business. Surely the company would have preferred to grow in revenue and headcount [edit, February 21: an opinion piece by a journalist researching a book about the history of German industry, published today in The New York Times, argues that the trouble with Germany's manufacturing sector has been brewing for decades].

Immer Besser is an inspiring notion, but it conceals a certain complacency [edit: in a February 13th profile of Friedrich Metz, Germany's likely new chancellor, The Economist warns against "incrementalism" in facing up to the country's challenges]. In manufactured goods, incremental advances in quality can get costly (by the law of diminishing returns), and exceptionally high quality can become cost-prohibitive, for the maker and the consumer alike. This is particularly true for "mature" categories like home appliances and automobiles. A Miele washer is a jewel of an appliance (Steve Jobs was a fan): hefty, quiet, powerful, and so well made that with periodic maintenance, its owner can expect a service life in excess of 20, even 30 years (we have a 19-year-old W 3365 in Le Rose that a Miele service tech recently declared was around two-thirds through its service life). But Mieles cost two to three times what a conventional washer costs, and this limits their appeal. Still, in the space of 25 years, you can buy three cheaper washers from Indesit (Whirlpool) or Electrolux and, each time you use them, be reminded of the corners that were cut in their design and construction. Or you can buy a Miele once in that quarter century.

Last week we took delivery of a new Miele washer-dryer pair, to be installed in our laundry and linens room, which is undergoing a broad upgrade, including a larger sink and a wall-mounted AC unit so the room stays cool in summer. I'm happy to give Miele a (tiny) boost with this purchase ...and with this blog post. And, ever the incrementalist, I'll continue to think about the experience of Poggiosole's guests the way Miele has thought about their products: Immer Besser.

Postscript, May 20: The Miele washer-dryer pair was installed on a new raised concrete platform around a month ago, but we only just recently sheathed them in new cabinetry next to a new, wider and more functional laundry sink. And the room is finally all tidied up from all the work. Lookin' good. 😎