Will Kerr, VP of new products at Dyson

How is one of the most innovative hardware companies in the world managed?

In a market as fierce as that of vacuum cleaners due to brand saturation, competition and price wars, the British multinational Dyson has begun a profound strategic restructuring to try to avoid the evils that threaten the technology sector: dependence on a single product, the loss of operational agility and the dosage of launches. We traveled to their Singapore headquarters to delve into their laboratories and speak with Will Kerrvice president of New Product Development, about his clear commitment to diversification, the past and the brand’s ambitious vision for the future.

Where is Dyson now?

On the old continent (geographically speaking) there are few technology companies that are a reference in the sector, but Dyson is one of them. In fact, it is great in technological prestige and billing: in 2025 it entered 6,130 million poundswith an EBITDA of 1,110 million (up 18%) and launched 13 new products, more than ever in a single year. However, if we talk about staff and structure, it is still relatively small for the money it moves: its global staff is made up of only 14,000 people. However, its strong point is its own R&D.

Of course, the Dyson that James Dyson founded in 1991 has nothing to do with the current one: its fiscal headquarters moved to Singapore in 2019 and although its main R&D is still in the United Kingdom, its most iconic products are cooked, tested and developed in the Asian country. And the scenario has also changed: in 2024 its benefits They plummeted 49% despite breaking a product sales record. Last year the company recovered part of its operating muscle, but its turnover is still not what it would be in 2023. Dyson is not a diversified conglomerate, but rather a niche company of small premium appliances.

R&D at two speeds and new operating model

For Dyson, R&D is an essential area and there they spare no expense. Without going any further, of those 6.13 billion pounds of total revenue in 2025, they invested more than 400 million pounds in R&D. The question is: where to invest when the results can take years to arrive or even never arrive, like the electric car that was left in limbo after more than 500 million pounds investment?

For Kerr, the dilemma is “finding the balance of when something is good enough.” They have a team in the UK to provide long-term insights and research, clients pointing out issues and potential improvements, developing key technologies in motors and batteries that have general application across their portfolio. And he gives a clear example: developing the next hair dryer could take five years and be incredible, but there are users who ask for one that is quieter, something that may only require six months of work. Virtue lies in balance.

In any case, the process is always the same. Internally, this process is known as the “product creation framework” and the idea is to ensure that meet standards that can never be lowered. They have periodic checkpoints along the way. On each machine, James Dyson is very involved in the day-to-day: “Two weeks ago, we spent seven hours straight in Malaysia without stopping. He has an insatiable enthusiasm for this. And I say this because he interacts directly with the product, detects details and brings his experience of everything he has done.”

The Dyson manager says that they always try to make sure that, “even when we do something for the first time, the standards are set uniformly across all categories.” Even so, from the technical direction they naturally admit that they are not always infallible: “It is clear that we never do it perfect the first time.”

So that this huge investment does not suffocate the commercial viability of the company, Dyson has structurally separated its operations into two independent phases: “discovery” and “execution” (delivery). In the past, your engineering team worked on ideas and development simultaneously, requiring you to bet too much that new concepts would work. If a project failed, the firm faced periods of one or two years without news in the stores.

Kerr explains the reason for this new organization very clearly: “If those new concepts don’t work, suddenly you’re disappointing customers for a year or two because you don’t have a launch. That’s why we’ve separated the two blocks.” Now, the execution team ensures a constant flow of innovation to the market, while the discovery team works free of commercial urgency looking for disruptive ideas.

The iRobot mirror and the battle of robotics

The recent iRobot bankruptcya pioneer of consumer robotics that sold 50 million units before end up acquired by Asian competitorsmakes it inevitable to think of the phrase: When you see your neighbor’s beards cut…. Or in other words, the need to diversify the catalog becomes evident when observing the international competitive environment. We refer to the facts: a look at the market in different aspiration formats (you can see our buying guides for robot vacuum cleaners and upright vacuum cleaners) makes it clear that the segment speaks Chinese. Meanwhile, Dyson has been expanding into other areas such as hair care or wearables for years.

Dyson assures that market pressure is a welcome stimulus: “We see that the sector is moving quickly. It puts pressure on us, but it encourages us to do things more quickly.to look for new partners, new ways of working and new opportunities in the supply chain. Without that pressure, maybe we wouldn’t be in the excellent shape we are in.”

In addition, the firm prefers to ignore the daily noise of the market to focus on its own objectives: “If we woke up every day worried about those competitors, it wouldn’t be much fun. We try to come to work and focus simply on designing the right products for the right consumers, with totally new technology and innovation,” says Kerr.

This philosophy, paradoxically, also explains why Dyson continues to bet heavily on handheld vacuum cleaners compared to the total automation that other manufacturers opt for. Although the industry is moving inexorably towards the robot vacuum cleaner, the reality of the market is very diverse and they are also strong in that segment.

We might think that corded vacuum cleaners are the past, but Will Kerr gives us some information: “In the US, for example, around 30% of households still prefer traditional corded upright vacuum cleaners.” In fact, Dyson continues to renew its legendary sled vacuum cleaner, a classic that is a real guarantee for thorough cleaning the old way.

“It’s a huge market. So in some markets robotic cleaning is widespread and crucial, but there are also markets where they’ve barely heard of it. That’s why we have to make sure we’re relevant to everyone all the time.”

However, for Dyson, robotics is also relevant: “We believe that robotics is, if not he future, without a doubt a future extremely important. We have been in this field for a long time. We launched our first robot vacuum almost 15 or 20 years ago, I think (note: the DC06 dates back to 2003) and we’re still trying to perfect it. I think that many competitors are also still in that process of improvement. We are very excited about what the previous models have achieved, but we also recognize that this is just the beginning. “We have a lot of room for improvement and we are innovating intensely in this area.”

And it shows: yours truly has been able to test its latest three robot vacuum cleaners, the Dyson 360 Heurist of 2020, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav of 2024 and the Dyson Spot+Scrub AI of 206 and the improvement is more than evident: this year they truly do have a model with which to compete for best robot vacuum cleaner of the year. Aside from the obvious improvements in navigation that he has experienced, it seems that wanting to differentiate himself so much and find his own path has sometimes worked against him.

Planned obsolescence and durability

The European Environment Office has pointed out that cleaning appliances are discarded prematurely due to performance losses and Dyson picks up the gauntlet: “We don’t consider durability and innovation to be at odds. In fact, they reinforce each other. Our priority is to build machines that consistently deliver optimal performance over time.”

And to César what belongs to César: Dyson still has 10-year-old vacuum cleaners for sale like its V8 in the entry-level range, you can still find spare parts and parts and it was a pioneer in making the batteries removable for easy replacement. They are not cheap vacuum cleaners, but as a user and someone who has tried many vacuum cleaners I can say that They are designed to last.

Its strategy against planned obsolescence involves the modular engineering of key components such as batteries, filters or brushes, which can be replaced independently without having to change the product. In addition, they have a program “Never Without Your Dyson” repair and maintenance support. Regarding the loss of performance, Kerr details that “we invest massively in technologies designed to preserve suction power and efficiency throughout the life of the machine.”

The bet on durability against new launches can lead to a conflict of interest, to which Kerr explains that “our objective is not to force replacement through planned obsolescence, but rather to offer customers compelling reasons to choose the next generation of Dyson technology when it provides them with truly significant value.”, that is, that the new technologies implemented offer clear and tangible advantages that improve the experience. He summarizes it in one sentence: Achieving a balance between these two aspects is the cornerstone of our philosophy.

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Cover | Dyson