Vax
FounderAlan Brazier
Area served
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia

Vax UK Ltd is a British based brand that manufactures electrical goods and cleaning products in the floor-care and air treatment sectors, and which has its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The brand is owned by a company called TTI Co. Ltd Group, which is based in Hong Kong. Vax UK Ltd has its main headquarters and R&D centre located in the city centre of Birmingham, West Midlands and a service, warehouse and depot operation in the village of Hampton Lovett, near Droitwich, Worcestershire.[1][2] Vax branded machines are manufactured in China. Vax employs over 400 staff across its Birmingham and Droitwich sites in the UK.[3]

History

Vax UK Ltd was founded in December 1977 by Alan Brazier, who had prior experience in the field of industrial carpet cleaning. Brazier developed a prototype of a machine suitable for a household but capable of washing carpets and handling accident spillages or flooding. In 1979, Vax launched an "orange tub" multi-functional floor-care machine to fulfil this purpose and initially engaged with consumers by door-to-door sales of the device. This product was a world first.[4]

Trademark conflict with DEC and advertising slogan

Although Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX minicomputer was introduced October 25, 1977[5] and Vax UK Ltd was formed months later, DEC (for a while) still had a trademark problem.[6]

In 1986-87 and some later advertisements, the company adopted the slogan, "Nothing sucks like a Vax!" This echoed its competitor's slogan from the 1960s, "Nothing sucks like Electrolux". Playing on the double meaning of the word "sucks", the slogan "Nothing sucks like a VAX!" was used by critics of the VAX computer and complex instruction set computers in general.[7]

Vax products were first offered for sale by high-street retailers in 1982, and the 111 Orange Tub model went on to become a top-selling vacuum cleaning product.[8]

James Dyson and beyond

In June 1990 Vax contracted James Dyson to produce an upright vacuum cleaner aimed at the British market. This deal involved a £75,000 licence. By July 1991, he had left the company to produce this product independently.[9]

In July 2010, Dyson attempted to bring legal action against Vax, over its Mach Zen vacuum cleaner, in the High Court for infringement of design patents.[10] However, in 2011 the UK Court of Appeal rejected this claim.[11]

In 2011, Student Placement Engineer Jake Tyler developed Vax ev, a working prototype of the world's first cardboard vacuum cleaner.[12] This product was featured across a number of tech and environmental online editorials including Gizmag[13] and TreeHugger,[14] and on the BBC Television series Bang Goes the Theory.[15] The cleaner is referenced as a key point in the history of Vacuum Cleaner development by the Best Cordless Vacuum Guide.[16]

In 2014 Vax diversified its product range from vacuums, carpet washers and steam cleaners to include pressure washers, air purifiers and de-humidifiers.[3][17]

References

  1. ↑ Comdevelopment Ltd. "VAX LIMITED". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  2. ↑ TheBusinessDesk.com. "Vax invests £1m in new R&D lab in Birmingham city centre". Retrieved 15 February 2017. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. 1 2 Insider Media Ltd. "NEW RANGE HELPS VAX CLEAN UP". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Alan – a man who really cleaned up". Worcester News. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "VAX 11/780".
  6. ↑ "The VAX Vacuum". ... legally, if DEC had used VAX in the U.S. before that ..... "reasonable person" has no difficulty distinguishing between the two uses
  7. ↑ VAX - Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing
  8. ↑ "Iconic Vacuum Cleaners: The Vax 111 Orange Tub". A look at the Vax 111 Orange Tub cleaner, which put Alan Brazier's Vax UK Limited on the wet and dry vacuum cleaning map for the last four ...
  9. ↑ Against the Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson ISBN 978-0752809816
  10. ↑ Rebecca Smithers. "Dyson sues rival Vax over vacuum cleaner design". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Vax's Court Battle With Dyson: What You Need To Know". spotlessvacuum.co.uk.
  12. ↑ "Background to Vax ev - Industrial design". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Vax unveils a prototype vacuum cleaner made from cardboard". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Vacuum Cleaner Made From Its Own Cardboard Packaging". TreeHugger. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Bang Goes the Theory. bbc.co.uk
  16. ↑ "Vacuum Cleaner History". Cordless Vacuum Guide. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Lightweight Self Propelled Vacuum Cleaners". Cleansecarpet.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
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