Electrolux and Laundrylux celebrate 60 year partnership
March 10, 2015 – Keith McLoughlin, Electrolux AB President and CEO, recently invited Neal Milch, CEO of Laundrylux, to Sweden for a special ceremony. On behalf of Electrolux, McLoughlin presented Milch with a crystal award to celebrate 60 years of doing business together.
"We have a unique relationship with the Milch family and Laundrylux, and it has only grown stronger over the years," stated McLoughlin. "We value our partnership and look forward to working together for many more years to come."
"I was honored to receive this award and have our partnership recognized in such a meaningful way," shared Milch. "We have a great deal of mutual respect and work closely together on many initiatives such as marketing and product development. Now with my son entering the business, the third generation at Laundrylux, we will be taking our partnership to even greater heights."
A partnership that began with an accident at sea...
To learn how this great partnership began, we have to go back to the mid 1950s. A young man with an engineering background and experience in laundry equipment sales and service was hired to assess damage to the laundry equipment aboard the Swedish American Line’s M/S Stockholm after the ship collided with the Andrea Doria, near the Island of Nantucket. The young man’s name was Bernard Milch, founder of Laundrylux.
This was Milch’s first introduction to the Swedish-made Wascator (later named Wascomat) front-load stainless steel washers. He was extremely impressed that the machines remained functional after the water-filled laundry area was drained. Milch made inquiries to the Swedish company and eventually purchased a Wascator washer for testing and technical investigation.
Milch’s testing confirmed his initial confidence in the Wascator machines. He was convinced that commercial front-load washers could revolutionize the industry. Milch obtained the sales and marketing rights for Wascator machines in North America and, since he ate lunch at the “Automat” and liked the sound of the name, decided to use the name Wascomat for marketing. He seized the opportunity and the industry was changed forever.
Electrolux, which later purchased Wascator, credits Wascomat’s growth in North America to the extraordinary marketing efforts of Milch and his team. Since then, Laundrylux has become a valued partner representing the Electrolux Professional and Wascomat commercial laundry brands in North America.
About Electrolux
Electrolux is a global leader in household appliances and appliances for professional use, selling more than 50 million products to customers in more than 150 markets every year. The company makes thoughtfully designed, innovative solutions based on extensive consumer research, meeting the desires of today's consumers and professionals. In 2013, Electrolux had sales of SEK 109 billion and about 61,000 employees. For more information go to http://www.electroluxgroup.com.
About Laundrylux
Laundrylux distributes Electrolux professional and Wascomat commercial laundry equipment in North America through its extensive distributor network. The company offers state-of-the-art commercial laundry equipment for the vended and OPL markets, as well as PLUS Professional Laundry Utility Service, financing, and marketing. To learn more, call (800)645-2205 or visit www.laundrylux.com.