The name Hoover is almost synonymous with a vacuum cleaner, and the company’s red and white logo has come to suggest efficiency and excellence.
It all started in 1907. Murray Spangler suffered from the respiratory disorder, asthma. Every night when he worked as a janitor, his asthma would be aggravated while sweeping. Deciding to do something about it, he created his first weird-looking yet functional contraption. He took a fan, a tin soap box, a sateen pillow cover and a broom handle and worked it together to pull the dust away from him. And it worked! He soon realised that his “suction sweeper” had huge potential and so he decided to look for financial assistance.
Spangler found leather goods manufacturer W.H. “Boss” Hoover who bought the patent from Spangler in 1908. Hoover took on Spangler as a partner and they started producing the first “Hoovers” in their leather goods shop. Six employees were hired and they assembled nearly six units a day.
As a next step to increase sales, Hoover placed an advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post with a promotion: anyone interested in a Hoover suction sweeper could get it for free for a ten day trial period. Next, he teamed up with one reputed store in a selection of cities from where customers could purchase a Hoover directly. The store managers were allowed to keep any commission on the sales. He also offered the store managers a dealership for Hoover vacuum cleaners. To this date, this national dealership network operates for the distribution of all Hoover products and services.
In 1926, Hoover had a breakthrough innovation with the beater bar. With the help of a strong suction, a metal bar was so designed to tap the carpet releasing all the dirt/dust which was then quickly mopped up by a brush. Their advertising campaign for the bar became legendary: “It beats, as it sweeps, as it cleans.” Even now, the beater bar is part of most Hoover vacuum cleaners, though it has undergone various enhancements. Numerous other firsts have seen the Hoover brand extend innovative and creative solutions for consumers. Some of the famous improvements include the vacuum cleaner headlight, the disposable paper bag, the self-propelled feature, the Allergy/HEPA filter, the side-mounted hose feature and the multi-floor cleaners.
In 2007, Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. (TTI) took over Hoover from the Whirlpool Corporation to create TTI Floor Care North America, the biggest company in North America in this sector. TII’s strength in power tools, solar power and outdoor equipment coupled with the iconic Hoover brand will see greater synergies that benefit the customer. The company employs over 23,000 people worldwide.
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