floor care genre home care founded june 2 1908 ; 108 years ago 1908 06 02 north canton ohio u.s. founder w. h. boss hoover headquarters glenwillow ohio area served worldwide products vacuum cleaners deep cleaners hard floor cleaners stick vacs laundry products parent techtronic industries bain capital website www.hoover.com hoover is an american vacuum cleaner company that started out as an american floor care manufacturer based in north canton ohio . it also established a major base in the united kingdom and for most of the early and mid 20th century it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry to the point where the hoover brand name became synonymous with vacuum cleaners and vacuuming in the united kingdom and ireland . the hoover company in the united states was part of the whirlpool corporation but sold in 2006 to techtronic industries for 107 million . hoover uk europe split from hoover u.s. in 1993 and was acquired by candy a company based in brugherio italy . it currently uses the same hoover logo techtronic uses outside europe with the slogan generation future . currently techtronic industries is owned by bain capital . in addition to producing floorcare products hoover was also an iconic domestic appliance brand in europe particularly well known for its washing machines and tumble dryers in the uk and ireland and also had significant sales in many parts of europe . today the hoover europe brand as part of the portfolio of brands owned by candy group which is also owned by bain capital remains a major player in the european white goods and floor care sectors in a number of countries . contents 1 history 2 henry dreyfuss and hoover 3 development 4 slogans 5 popular hoover machines 6 the word hoover 7 the hoover historical center 8 ownership transitions 9 hoover in australia 10 free flights promotion 11 current products 12 competition 13 patent issue with dyson 14 see also 15 references 16 external links history edit the first upright vacuum cleaner was invented in june 1908 by canton ohio department store janitor and occasional inventor james murray spangler 1848 1915 . spangler was an asthmatic and suspecting the carpet sweeper he was using at work was the cause of his ailment he created a basic suction sweeper by mounting an electric fan motor on a bissell brand carpet sweeper then adding a soap box and a broom handle . after refining the design and obtaining a patent for the electric suction sweeper 1 he set about producing it himself assisted by his son who helped him assemble the machines and his daughter who assembled the dust bags . production was slow completing just 2 3 machines a week . spangler then gave one of his electric suction sweepers to his cousin susan troxel hoover 1846 1925 2 who used it at home . impressed with the machine she told her husband and son about it . william henry boss hoover august 18 1849 february 25 1932 3 and son herbert william hoover sr. october 30 1877 september 16 1954 4 were leather goods manufacturers in north canton ohio which at the time was called new berlin . 5 hoover s leather goods business was not too threatened by the introduction of the motor car but seeing a marketing opportunity hoover bought the patent from spangler in 1908 founding the electric suction sweeper company with 36 000 capital retaining spangler as production supervisor with pay based on royalties in the new business . spangler continued to contribute to the company patenting numerous further suction sweeper designs until his death in 1915 when the company name was changed to the hoover suction sweeper company with spangler s family continuing to receive royalties from his original patent until 1925 . 6 henry dreyfuss and hoover edit henry dreyfuss patent for dreyfuss 150 design in the early 1930s the company retained the services of henry dreyfuss an up and coming industrial designer to give the hoover line up a much needed update . prior to dreyfuss s involvement with the company the majority of the machines manufactured consisted of a black motor and an aluminum base ; this was the norm for more than twenty years . when hoover introduced the hedlite in 1932 it was rather awkward and unattractive . 7 dreyfuss integrated this into the housing of the cleaner making the machine more aesthetically pleasing and echoing the trends of streamline design . of dreyfuss s designs before 1936 he was able to update the basic hoover machine and keep the company s products relevant with the times . in 1935 he was commissioned to completely redesign the hoover cleaner . in 1936 for a fee of 25 000 usd dreyfuss sold hoover the design which would become the model 150 cleaner . for the first time since the introduction of the hoover vacuum cleaner the mechanical workings were completely concealed from sight by a bakelite cover . this cover was a tear drop styled shell which seamlessly incorporated the headlight . also he totally revamped the base of the machine . since the release of this design all hoover cleaners consisted of a fluid base and a hood to cover the electric motor . these designs suggested efficiency cleanliness and speed . dreyfuss brought excitement and style to an otherwise mundane household appliance . his final design for the hoover company was the 1957 convertible . development edit faced with a total lack of interest by the public in his expensive and unfamiliar new gadget hoover placed an ad in the saturday evening post offering customers ten days free use of his vacuum cleaner to anyone who requested it . using a network of local retailers to facilitate the offer hoover thus developed a national network of retailers for the vacuums . by the end of 1908 the company had sold 372 model 0s . by 1912 sales had been made to norway france russia belgium holland and scotland . in 1919 gerald page wood an art director of erwin wasey & company hoover s advertising agency came up with a succinct slogan which summed up the hoover s cleaning action it beats ... as it sweeps ... as it cleans . at this time it referred to the action of the revolving brushes which vibrated the carpet and helped loosen the trodden in grit . this offered an advantage over competitors machines which used suction alone to remove dirt and therefore were not as efficient as the hoover . seven years later the famous slogan would adapt to even more significance . hoover s business began to flourish and a year after hoover acquired the patent from spangler he established a research and development department for his new business . by 1926 hoover had developed the beater bar a metal bar attached to the rotating brush roll situated in the floor nozzle cavity of the upright vacuum cleaner . 8 introduced on models 543 and 700 the beater bars alternated with the sweeping brushes to vibrate the carpet while sucking . it provided a more distinct tap than the bristle tufts used on the former machines and led to a 101 % increase in efficiency . this cleaning action was marketed by hoover as positive agitation . it beats ... as it sweeps ... as it cleans rang more true now than ever . the model 200 duster and model 575 upright which used the same motor in 1929 hoover introduced the model 200 duster . this would be their first attempt at a cylinder cleaner . it used a model 575 motor with a modified suction impeller which was mounted on a unique aluminum body with runners allowing the cleaner to be pulled behind the user . the duster was produced for only three months and roughly 9 000 were made . herbert w. hoover sr. took over as president of the company in 1922 and as chairman of the board of the hoover company in 1932 . 5 1930 saw the introduction of the world s first handheld vacuum cleaner the hoover dustette . the good design and exceptional durability of these machines mean many are still in service today some at over 80 years old . in 1932 hoover introduced a new optional headlamp called the hoover hedlite on models 425 750 and 900 . by march 1932 it had become standard equipment on models 750 and 900 and a 5 extra cost option on model 425 . the hoover hedlite illuminated the floor ahead of the cleaner useful for dimly lit rooms and corridors and under furniture . several new slogans mentioned the light including it shows you the dirt you never knew you had and it lights where it s going ... it s clean where it s gone . in 1936 hoover introduced top of the line model 150 . it had a time to empty bag indicator ; 9 automatic height adjustment ; a magnesium body which made it weigh less than previous models ; instant tool conversion ; and a two speed motor . one of the first dreyfuss designs for hoover it was the symbol of the machine age ; the beautiful bakelite hood hid the entire motor from view and there were no protruding knobs or gadgets . it was the first hoover cleaner that was not of the traditional coffee can style which hoover had been using since its earliest years . the cleaner sold from 1936 to 1939 and was priced at 80 which is about 1 500 to 2 000 in today s money . citation needed two other lower priced hoovers sold along with the 150 the model 25 1937 38 10 which was the middle of the line cleaner priced at 65 ; and the model 300 1935 38 11 which became the bottom of the line cleaner and sold at 49.75 . due to the backdrop of the depression hoover produced only 166 000 150 s in its three year production run . from 1941 to 1945 hoover ceased all vacuum cleaner production and converted the north canton ohio factory to support the war effort . when the war ended in 1945 hoover started producing cleaners again and unveiled the model 27 for post war america to enjoy . in 1950 hoover introduced the veriflex which was the first rubberized suction hose in the industry . 12 other cleaners at the time were using cloth braided hoses which would deteriorate and lose suction over time . in 1954 herbert w. hoover jr. took over the presidency of the company from his father . 13 a nephew of the founder h. earl hoover also served as chairman and honorary director . 14 debut ad for the hoover model 29 the first hoover cleaner made in red the sombre and restrained colors of the previous decades gave way to bright striking modern color schemes starting with the hoover model 29 in 1950 which was red instead of the regular black and brown colors of the past . 15 this was part of their policy of the continual development and modernization of their output . in 1957 hoover introduced the convertible model 65 the de luxe 652 in the uk . it was the last machine designed by henry dreyfuss the industrial designer who had worked with the company since the early 1930s . 16 this cleaner introduced what hoover called automatic shift a system whereby the tool converter plugged into the rear of the cleaner . this was not a new idea instant tool conversion had been introduced in 1936 with the model 150 cleaning ensemble . however new to model 65 and slightly later in britain on the 652a was the introduction of a switch which automatically shifted the motor to a higher speed as the converter was inserted . the convertible or the senior in britain remains hoover