NOW DYSON IS MAKING 80,000 GADGETS A DAY

DEMAND in Asia for Dyson vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and fans ( pictured) in Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea sent sales soaring.

Turnover at the firm founded by billionaire Sir James Dyson grew 40pc during 2017 to £3.5bn, with profits up by 27pc to £801m.

Most (73pc) of that growth came from Asia, where the firm makes it goods in Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Dyson, 70, said: ‘They want new technology, they want better design, they want better engineering, they are very attuned to it, and we have done very well there.

‘As I think anyone who has made a big deal of exporting to the Far East will find out, it’s an incredible region.’ His firm is now ploughing up to £8m per week into research and development, mostly in the UK as it takes a leap into electric cars and robotics.

Dyson produced its 100 millionth machine in 2017 as total manufacturing volume reached a record 80,000 machines a day.

Last year it announced plans to spend £2bn developing a batterypowered electric car, with staff having worked on the project for more than two years already at its headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Dyson said the firm was still on track to produce its first electric car by 2020 but had not yet decided where to make them. The UK is thought to be in contention with Singapore, Malaysia and China for the work.

Dyson said that the company was also ploughing money into robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.