The story
Founded by James Dyson in 1991, in Malmesbury.1
Early years
In the 1970s, James Dyson bought a Hoover Junior vacuum cleaner, which lost suction after a period of use. Frustrated, Dyson emptied the disposable paper bag to try to restore the suction but this had no effect. On opening the bag to investigate, he noticed a layer of dust inside, clogging the fine material mesh.
Later, Dyson was working on his ballbarrow at a company he had founded (but no longer entirely owned) where a large vacuum system was used to contain the fusion bonded epoxy coating that was sprayed on the wheelbarrow arms as a powder coating. Dyson found the system inefficient, and was told by equipment manufacturers that giant cyclone systems were better. Centrifugal separators are a typical method of collecting dirt, dust and debris in industrial settings, but such methods usually were not applied on a smaller scale because of the higher cost. He knew sawmills used this type of equipment, and investigated by visiting a local sawmill at night and taking measurements. He then built a 30-foot model for the ballbarrow factory. While constructing this at home, Dyson realised the function of the cyclone was to extract dust without clogging. Wondering whether this could be applied at a smaller scale to a home vacuum, he constructed a cardboard model with sticky tape, connected it to his Hoover with its bag removed, and found it worked satisfactorily.
The directors of the ballbarrow company thought if a better vacuum was possible, Hoover or Electrolux would have invented it. Dyson was undeterred, and was kicked out of his company. Jeremy Fry provided 49% of the investment for cyclonic vacuum development, and the rest came from a loan. In the shed behind his house, Dyson developed 5,127 prototype designs between 1979 and 1984. The first prototype vacuum cleaner, a red and blue machine, brought Dyson little success, as he struggled to find a licensee for his machine in the UK and America. Manufacturing companies such as Hoover did not want to license the design, probably because the vacuum bag market was worth US$500 million and thus Dyson was a threat to their profits.
The only company that expressed interest in the new cyclonic vacuum technology was Dyson's former employer, Rotork. Built by Italian appliance maker Zanussi and sold by Kleeneze through a mail order catalogue, the Kleeneze Rotork Cyclon was the first publicly sold vacuum cleaner of Dyson's design. Only about 500 units were sold in 1983.
In April 1984, Dyson claimed that he had sent the prototype machines, drawings, and confidential information to the American consumer-products maker Amway as part of a proposed licensing deal. The deal fell through, but in January 1985 Amway produced the CMS-1000, a machine which was very similar to the Dyson design. Less than a month later, Dyson sued Amway for patent infringement.
In 1985, a Japanese company, Apex Ltd., expressed interest in licensing Dyson's design, and in March 1986, a reworked version of the Cyclon, called G-Force, was put into production and sold in Japan for the equivalent of US$2,000. The G-Force had an attachment that could turn it into a table to save space in small Japanese apartments. In 1991, it won the International Design Fair prize in Japan, and became a status symbol there.
Dual cyclone
Using the income from the Japanese licence, James Dyson set up Dyson Appliances Limited in 1991, although it was registered as Barleta Limited. The first dual-cyclone vacuum built under the Dyson name, the DA 001, was produced by American company Phillips Plastics in a facility in Wrexham, Wales, beginning in January 1993 and sold for about £200. Vacuum assembly took place in the unused half of the plastic factory. Due to quality control concerns and Phillips's desire to renegotiate the terms of their contract to build the vacuum cleaner, Dyson severed the agreement in May 1993. Within two months he set up a new supply chain and opened a new production facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; the first vacuum built at the new facility was completed 1 July 1993. The DA 001 was soon replaced by an almost identical cleaner, the DC01.
Dyson licensed the technology in North America from 1986 to 2001 to Fantom Technologies, after which Dyson entered the market directly.
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Transparent container
Even though market research showed that people would not be happy with a transparent container for the dust, Dyson and his team decided to make a transparent container anyway and this turned out to be a popular and enduring feature which has been heavily copied. The DC01 became the biggest selling vacuum cleaner in the UK in just 18 months. By 2001 the DC01 made up 47% of the upright vacuum cleaner market.
Cylinder machine
The company introduced a cylinder machine, the DC02, and produced a number of special editions and revised models (DC02 Absolute, DC02 De Stijl, DC05, DC04, DC06, DC04 Zorbster). On 2 January 2001 the company name was shortened from Dyson Appliances Ltd. to Dyson Ltd. In April of that year the DC07, a new upright vacuum cleaner using "Root Cyclone" technology with seven cyclone funnels instead of the original dual-cyclone design, was launched. By 2009 Dyson began creating other technologies: the Airblade hand dryer, the Air Multiplier "bladeless" fan and Dyson Hot, the "bladeless" fan heater. In October 2019 Dyson released the Pure Cryptomic, available in a fan version and a heater + fan version. The device is able to remove formaldehyde from the air; this flammable and colourless gas can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.
Production locations
Dyson vacuum cleaners and washing machines were made in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, until 2002, when the company transferred vacuum cleaner production to Malaysia. There was some controversy over the reason for this move, as well as over plans to expand Dyson's factory to increase production. Trade unionists in Wiltshire claimed that the move would negatively impact the local economy through the loss of jobs. The following year, washing machine production was also transferred to Malaysia. This move was driven by lower production costs in Malaysia (30% less than in the UK); it resulted in the loss of 65 jobs.
In 2004, the Meiban-Dyson Laundry Manufacturing Plant was opened in Johor, Malaysia. The RM10 million (approx. US$2.63 million) plant is a joint venture between Dyson and the Singapore-based Meiban Group Ltd., which has manufacturing facilities in China, Malaysia and Singapore. Dyson stated that the cost savings from transferring production to Malaysia enabled investment in research and development at their Malmesbury head office.
In 2007, Dyson formed a partnership with the Malaysian electronics manufacturer VS Industry Bhd (VSI) to take on a major role in Dyson's supply chain, from raw material sourcing and production to distribution. VSI also undertook an extensive production plan to supply finished product to Dyson's markets around the globe (America, UK, Japan, etc.).
In 2016, it was said that Dyson has around 7,000 employees. Dyson has not publicly stated where those employees are located, though it is known that VS Industry Bhd (VSI) had around 4,250 employees at their Malaysian facility which manufactures Dyson products, and in 2007 it was reported that Dyson was responsible for 80% of VS Industry Bhd revenue.
In 2009, SKP Resources Bhd moved from being Dyson's sub-contractor to contract manufacturer, by supplying an upright vacuum cleaner. In 2015 SKP continued to expand with a new facility in order to meet Dyson's growing demand. The world's first Dyson hairdryer is produced by SKP.
In February 2022, Channel 4 News reported allegations of "forced labour" conditions at a Malaysian manufacturer of Dyson products. Not long after, Dyson announced termination of contracts with the manufacturer, known as ATA IMS, adding that "We hope this gives ATA the impetus to improve, and enables an orderly withdrawal in the interests of the workers that they employ."
Worldwide expansion
Dyson launched a US$360 million plant in Tuas, Singapore, in 2013, which can produce four million electric motors a year. In 2016, Dyson injected $100 million to increase output to an estimated 11 million digital motors a year.
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In January 2017, Dyson announced its US headquarters and operations would move to the Fulton Market District in Chicago by the end of the year. The move added 100 employees to the company's Chicago headcount with over 40,000 square feet of newly leased office space.
In February 2017, Dyson announced a significant expansion programme in the UK, opening a new high-tech campus on the former RAF Hullavington Airfield in Hullavington, Wiltshire, about 5 miles (8 km) south of its Malmesbury site. It has been suggested that research there will focus on battery technologies, following the acquisition of US start-up Sakti3, and robotics.
Headquarters relocation to Singapore
On 22 January 2019, Dyson announced plans to move its company headquarters to Singapore, citing its intention to be closer with its fastest growing markets throughout the Asia-Pacific as well as stating its unhappiness when dealing with the European Union (EU), which it perceives as being overly bureaucratic.
Its headquarters are at the St James Power Station, a former coal-fired power plant which it leased. The building underwent restoration works from 2019 to 2021. It officially began moving to its headquarters in end-2021; the now restored St James Power Station was subsequently officially completed on 4 March 2022. In 2022, Dyson announced that it would be investing a further S$1.5 billion in Singapore.
In March 2022, Dyson announced plans to invest S$1.5 billion (approximately US$1.1 billion) in Singapore over the next four years. This investment is part of a broader $4.9 billion global strategy unveiled in 2020, which allocates funds among Dyson’s global headquarters in Singapore, its two campuses in Wiltshire and operations in the Philippines.
Cessation of Russian operations
On 22 February 2022, two days prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dyson ceased supplying products to Russia. The company discontinued all online sales, social media presence, and advertising activities within the country. Additionally, the annual James Dyson Award has been suspended in Russia. Dyson has also shut down all directly managed retail spaces and tried to halt activities at third-party retailers.
Beauty technology and smart home innovation
In 2026, Dyson signalled a sharper focus on beauty and smart home devices with the appointment of actor Park Bo-gum and singer Jang Won-young as their Asia Pacific ambassadors. Park is expected to front campaigns "spotlighting the brand’s latest advancements, including its intelligent cleaning solutions" while Jang will "represent Dyson’s beauty category, fronting campaigns for the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x".
From Wikipedia’s article on Dyson (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4