Dyson alleges spy stole 'leccy motor secrets for Bosch
Clean up your act, says vacuum maker
British vacuum cleaner magnate Dyson has started High Court proceedings against German industrial giant Bosch, claiming its rival swiped its designs for a new generation of electric motor.
Mark Taylor, Dyson's R&D chief, said: “Bosch’s VP for engineering employed a Dyson engineer and benefited from our confidential know-how and expertise. We have spent over 15 years and £100 million developing high-speed brushless motors. We are demanding the immediate return of our intellectual property.”
The company claims the worker passed the tech on to Bosch for two years until Dyson staff uncovered the alleged plot.
Sir James Dyson, who owns 100 per cent of the company that bears his name, is said to have invested heavily in the development of low-energy 'leccy motors used in the firm's vacuum cleaner and desk fan range.
Getting heated
Bosch, one of the world's largest makers of electric motors, disputes Dyson's claims.
"Dyson employed an individual with a pre-existing consultancy agreement with Bosch Lawn and Garden Limited in relation to garden products, and not vacuum cleaners or hand dryers as Dyson implies," it said.
“Bosch has sought to establish the full details of what occurred, including attempting to establish from Dyson what, if any, confidential information supposedly passed between Bosch and Dyson.” ®
COMMENTS
Re: Interesting
Have I stumbled into the "Which" forums by mistake? I think the focus of this story is industrial espionage at one of the UK's most innovative companies rather than footling banality about domestic appliances - but I could be wrong.
I also particularly like "My wife's washing machine" - what's the weather like in the 1950's?
Re: Say what you want about Dyson
"While the 'cyclone' tech stuff still works, it's the other non-design stuff (hose, wheels, etc.) that continues to split, fall-off, break, etc."
http://www.dyson.co.uk/spares
Hose is £23
Wheel is £3
not like they are trying to rip you off, and all parts are user serviceable.
I like both brands.
Although I think Dyson stopped making their washing machines due to 'issues'
All my kitchen stuff is Bosch - mainly as I noticed it never broke, so as each other brand died, a Bosch item appeared in its place.
I've got a very old Dyson DC07 that's still going strong after... well I've no idea, but can't be too far off 10.
I've happily replaced the odd hose here and there as they wore out. Motor finally packed in a couple of years ago, and I think I paid Dyson to come round and fix it - was only £20 more than the motor alone on ebay and looked a bit more of a job.
Not only did they fix my motor, I got new replacement parts from the engineer for anything that looked 'worn' - including a new cylinder that they posted out as he didn't have one with him. One of those quite mind-bloggling bits of customer care that has ensured I'll bang on about how much I love Dyson at pretty much any opportunity
Re: Vaccum maker?
"Is a Dyson - or other cyclonic cleaner, strictly speaking a *vacuum* cleaner." - Errr ... Yes!
Although no cleaner produces an absolute vacuum (impossible to obtain in any form) they do all work by producing a region of low pressure which sucks the dirt up and hence can be correctly described as vacuum cleaners.
Re: Bah!
"or dives down the stairs"
Your instruction manual would have said to place the vacuum at the BOTTOM of the stairs and use the extending hose to reach the top. This method works perfectly and prevents damage to you and your vacuum. RTFM
