UK
A major overhaul to Miele Professional’s Little Giants range has packed a lot of useful new features into a small footprint. The company launched its new Little Giants range to UK distributors and customers, along with the press, on 16 July. The new range, which Miele says is its most important launch for 15 years, will officially become available from 1 August and comprises the Performance washing machine and dryer and the Performance Plus washing machine and dryer.

The range offers one of the shortest washing cycles of just 49 minutes, with a load capacity of 8kg, as well as controls to suit a variety of channels and users. These machines, says Miele, have been designed to deliver perfect results in sectors that need to tackle high volumes of laundry while adhering to stringent hygiene standards.

The washer extractors score environmental points, too. Due to the speed of washing cycle they require 22% less water and 28% less energy than the previous models. Reductions in cycle times on heat-pump dryers have been cut by one-third, to under60 minutes. While casing dimensions have remained unchanged, washing machines and tumble dryers now have a load capacity increased by 25%. The Performance washing machines have been given an A+++ energy efficiency rating, while the Performance heat-pump dryer has been awarded A++.

Setting fresh standards in gentle fabric care, the new Little Giants washing machines include Miele’s patented honeycomb drum, allowing textiles to glide gently on a thin film of water while additional perforations in the rear drum panel ensure even more thorough wetting. The new EcoSpeed wash rhythm reinforces this effect – slowing down the drum's speed, so that the scoop ribs can transport as much water as possible to the top of the drum which then rains down onto the load. Then, at higher speeds, water and particles are rinsed out with greater force, thoroughly washing even the most delicate of items.

Shorter cycle times
The new range comprises robust, commercial grade technology and high-performance washing and drying processes, with cycle times of only 49 mins for washing and 38 mins for drying. The new heat-pump dryer has outperformed its predecessor by one third, with a cycle time of less than 60 minutes, using 60% less energy than a standard condenser dryer. These attributes prompted virtual likes from attendees at the online launch.

Easy to use
The Little Giant’s wide range of programmes and user interfaces are tailored to user requirements, with newly developed controls and text displays in up to 32 different languages, facilitating a variety of user profiles. Installed as a washer-dryer stack on a footprint of less than 1m², Little Giants free up space for organisations operating compact on-premise laundry facilities. The fast and powerful tumble dryers offer user convenience through their redesigned fluff filter that has a particularly large filtration area. This reduces the need for filter cleaning, freeing up valuable time and resources.

Advanced connectivity
The new Little Giants from the Performance Plus series incorporate digital networking for efficiency and convenience.  This is brought together through WiFiConn@ct, which allows the Miele appliance to connect to the internet via a WiFi router. Using the Miele@mobile app on a smartphone or tablet, users will be able to check status queries, receive notifications, such as the requirement to replenish the detergent, and place orders on the Miele online shop. The machines also feature the XKM module, enabling users to validate and monitor wash cycles.

Joint executive director and co-proprietor of the Miele Group, Dr Markus Miele, said: “This is the most important launch for Miele Professional for many years. We are now more future-focused than ever before. The new connectivity of the Little Giant range means that we are ideally positioned to move into an increasingly digital world and adapt quickly to our customers’ changing needs. This new range is part of our continual improvement and we call this ‘immer besser’, meaning ‘forever better’. The new Little Giants are the best range yet on the market, with our focus still being on quality as the core value.”

• Read more about the Little Giants story in the forthcoming bumper summer edition of LCN.