By Lorna Brett

Nilfisk is celebrating its 100^th birthday across the globe this month and as part of the celebrations is reiterating its promise to deliver high-quality products with impressive functionality to consumers and retailers alike.

"We are really focusing on our longevity, our technology, our quality of product and design and how the brand has grown over the past 100 years," Nilfisk-Advance national retail sales manager Kim Hiland told www.connectedaustralia.com, describing Nilfisk's floorcare heritage as "long and fantastic".

"Our museum in Copenhagen has displays of homes throughout the last 100 years and the Nilfisk vacuums that people have been using to keep their houses clean," Hiland added. Pictured far right is the Nilfisk canister vacuum cleaner invented by P.A.Fisker (on his bike) in 1910. It was the first such machine in Europe that could be operated by a single person and weighed a 'mere' 17.5 kilograms.

Extraordinary milestone
According to Hiland (pictured), Nilfisk is celebrating the extraordinary milestone with a number of different global promotions. Locally, the company has released its Extreme Free vacuum as the hero product of the celebration.

"The commercial side of the business has really added to Nilfisk's success over the last hundred years. It's meant we are the leaders in filtration, we actually have the highest filtration system in a domestic vacuum, called the HEPA 14 and we also have the most powerful suction in a domestic vacuum cleaner too," Hiland said.

Hiland believes Nilfisk's five year warranties that come standard with every cleaner in the Extreme and Power vacuum range is a great boost for retailers selling the products.

"We're the only manufacturer with the confidence to stand by its machines day in and day out, and offer warranties not as an add-on promotion, but as standard. It's just a demonstration of the confidence we have in our products," she said.

Consumers and retailers take note, Nilfisk is here to stay
Hiland told www.connectedaustralia.com that Nilfisk wants consumers to know they can continue to count on the level of quality they've come to expect from the manufacturer.

"We're going to continue our tradition of quality designs and technology, we're not going to lose that distinctive Nilfisk look and we'll never compromise on the quality of our products. The HEPA filter will always be a feature, and its especially important in Australia with such a high prevalence of asthma and allergies amongst our population," Hiland said.

"Nilfisk is a quiet achiever, most consumers who've bought a Nilfisk vacuum say they would come back and buy another one. We're not a fly-by-the-night company that uses gimmicks, we stick with the basics that have proven to work," she added.

Retailers benefit from company heritage
The message is similar for retailers, whom Hiland hopes will get behind Nilfisk more and more in the future.

"To retailers I'd say again that we're quiet achievers. We've got a strong sales force, great training as well as great promotions. We make them good margins with very few returns and issues on our products. I want retailers to get behind us and try not to be blinded by the flashy marketing campaigns from other vacuum manufacturers," Hiland told www.connectedaustralia.com
 

Hiland says whilst Nilfisk might not have the huge marketing budgets many of its competitors do, retailers should recognise that the reliability and quality of the products speak for themselves.

"We're not just a small company trying to hang-on. We're out there and we're moving forward. We're always looking at the latest technology and if retailers see this they can reap the benefits too," Hiland said.

Hiland said consumers can look for Nilfisk promotions in the Better Homes and Garden magazine and for the company's presence at the Better Homes Lifestyle Show in Sydney this September. Nilfisk will also be revealing details of its Spring and Christmas promotions in the coming months.