SharkNinja: domestic appliance innovation around the clock

The market for domestic appliances is crowded, with many manufacturers ranging from (literal) household names like Hoover and Kenwood, to companies that operate in a number of markets, such as Bosch. While these are not often thought of as innovative engineering companies in the same way that automotive and aerospace manufacturers are, the amount of innovation that it takes to launch new products, often in a variety of sectors such as floor care (vacuum cleaners) and food preparation is considerable, and SharkNinja, a relative newcomer to the sector, represents an interesting study in how such companies operate.

SharkNinja produces bagless vacuum cleaners under the Shark brand, and food preparation products - notably multifunction blenders and food processors - under the Ninja brand. Originating in the US, the company operates technical centres in three locations: Boston, Massachusetts, London and Shanghai, with manufacturing based in East Asia. Paul Bagwell, a design engineer who leads the UK operation, explains that the three locations help the company to operate a 24-hour development cycle.