Actually,
B/S/H, Liebherr and Miele all cooperate on many levels. Some Miele appliances are 100% B/S/H, just as many higher-end but smaller brands use some of the Miele parts.
Nearly all compressors are made in Italy by one company for nearly the entire German refrigeration market, heating elements for Miele, B/S/H, Electrolux, etc. ovens and range tops also out-sourced.
A production run as small as 10,000 units is often outsourced between the manufactures at mutual profit to both, while the consumer continues to firmly believe in the 'special' quality of 'their' brand.
We had quite a spirited discussion about this awhile back. It is safe to say that in today's world, there is enormously less behind any brand name than even 10 years ago.
Even some of the parts in my Miele Dishwasher are from the House of Siemens...and it cost four times as much as a good MOL Bosch dishwasher...
I remember watching Miele, Bosch and Neff refrigerators all coming off the same production line in Gingen not all that long ago. Same quality standards, same parts, same everything except for some minor alterations in appearance...and a price spread of more than double between the cheapest and most expensive of these otherwise identical refrigerators.
Miele certainly has great customer service in Germany (I know it is not so hot in North America) and their quality is great by any standard...but should my dishwasher fail, the next one may or may not be a Miele, especially if I can get the same quality under another brand name.
