The Triple Wow Effect

Bei dem von Fernsehmoderator Markus Brock (r.) moderierten „Design Talk“ boten Juliane Hehl, geschäftsführende Arburg-Gesellschafterin, Jürgen R. Schmid, Geschäftsführer von Design Tech, und Heinz Gaub, Arburg-Geschäftsführer Technik, spannende Einblicke in die Entwicklung der neuen Maschine Allrounder 1120 H. (Foto: Arburg) / At the “Design Talk” moderated by TV host Markus Brock (right), Arburg Managing Director Juliane Hehl, Design Tech CEO Jürgen R. Schmid, and Arburg Managing Director Technology Heinz Gaub offered interesting insights into the development of the new Allrounder 1120 H machine. (Photo: Arburg)

Beim Rundgang erläuterte Heinz Gaub (5.v.r.), Technik-Geschäftsführer bei Arburg, den Gästen die technischen Highlights der neuen Maschine Allrounder 1120 H. (Foto: Arburg) / At a walking tour of the company, Arburg CTO Heinz Gaub (5th from the right) explained the technological highlights of the new Allrounder 1120 H machine. (Photo: Arburg)

Die Design-Highlights der neuen Maschine Allrounder 1120 H präsentierte Jürgen R. Schmid (4.v.r.) den Gästen zusammen mit Juliane Hehl (2.v.l.), geschäftsführende Arburg-Gesellschafterin, und Heinz Gaub (2.v.r.), Arburg-Geschäftsführer Technik. (Foto: Arburg) / The design highlights of the new Allrounder 1120 H machine were presented by Jürgen R. Schmid (4th from the right), together with Arburg Managing Director Juliane Hehl (2nd from the left) and Managing Director Technology Heinz Gaub (2nd from the right). (Photo: Arburg)

- Arburg: Host of “Design Talk" for Design Tech
- Renowned industrial designer Jürgen R. Schmid visiting Lossburg
- The importance of excellent product design on the example of the Allrounder 1120 H

On Thursday, April 6, 2017, the “Design Talk” of Ammerbuch-based design office Design Tech was held at Arburg. The event revolved around the question of how much design is required for the making of high-quality capital goods. In front of an audience of high-level representatives from the Baden-Württemberg business community, Juliane Hehl, Managing Director of Arburg, and Heinz Gaub, Arburg Managing Director Technology, talked to Jürgen R. Schmid, Managing Director of Design Tech about the designer's concept of a triple wow effect.

The “Design Talk” was held in the exclusive ambiance of the Customer Centre Lounge and was moderated by the popular TV host Markus Brock. The audience gained in-depth insight into the significance of machine design and the decision and development phase of the new Arburg injection moulding machine. With visible pride, Jürgen R. Schmid declared: “Our goal was to achieve a triple wow effect: The design of the Allrounder 1120 H already draws attention from a distance of 20 meters. Close up, it reinforces the impression of high quality. The third wow comes when the injection moulding machine is used, and users experience its outstanding, innovative technology and ergonomics.”

At Arburg, machine design has been a priority for decades

Juliane Hehl, the managing partner in charge of marketing, pointed out the high priority that design has been accorded at Arburg for decades: “Under our motto 'ugly doesn't sell', even Arburg's first standard machine in the 1950s was continuously improved using a wooden model until the engineers had a design that adequately matched the high-level technology.”

Another milestone was the colour change of the machines from Reseda green to the mint green and canary yellow combination, which she initiated in 1995 and which Arburg is known for all over the world today.

“After another 20 years, the next decisive step was to involve external design experts in the development of the new Allrounder 1120 H from the start, in addition to our in-house technology experts”, Juliane Hehl explains. “As the shareholders, we knew from the beginning that our new flagship product also required a visionary design.”

Arburg stands out for its boldness in design

Jürgen R. Schmid had a clear answer to Markus Brock's question about the role of product design in mechanical engineering: “Among 100 companies, only ten engage with this topic, and only one at Arburg's level.” In this context, he highlighted that while machine production is engineering-driven by its nature, it is still necessary to use the full range of options and differentiation factors, including design – just like Arburg did in its cooperation with him.

“Over many discussions, we compiled numerous pieces of information in order to understand not only the technology, but also Arburg as the brand that communicates the design. A great challenge was to include the ergonomics and functionality of this high-end machine in our considerations. We approached the matter carefully and really pushed the envelope at Arburg”, the designer said. “I think it's sensational that Arburg settled for our most daring and visionary proposal.” This is even more relevant when one considers that the new design isn't just intended for these large machines but will be successively implemented across the entire portfolio.

Great challenge for engineers and designers

CTO Heinz Gaub continued in the same vein: “During development, we always needed to keep an eye on the machine's performance and feasibility of production. This was a great challenge, which we successfully mastered and that we and our engineers are very proud of.” With a smile, Gaub added that engineers also appreciate good, functional design, an impression that Juliane Hehl was able to confirm by the reactions from the developer teams at the machine's presentation at the K 2016, the world's leading exhibition for the plastics industry.

The Allrounder 1120 H wows international experts

“Arburg and Design Tech absolutely nailed it with the Allrounder 1120 H. The machine's fantastic reception worldwide has become apparent both at the K 2016, the world's leading exhibition of the plastics industry, as well as at he Arburg Technology Days in March 2017”, Juliane Hehl reports about the thoroughly positive feedback from customers, technical journals, and even the competition.

Design of the future: the Allrounder 1120 H with Gestica controller

After inspecting the Allrounder 1120 H with a Gestica controller as part of a tour of the company, the participants of the Design Talk unanimously subscribed to this opinion. “The machine stands out not only for its size, but also for the leading-edge design of the machine and controller by Design Tech”, said Heinz Gaub, who explained the technological innovations of the Allrounder. At the event, the Allrounder 1120 H showcased its high performance with the fully automated production of the coveted Arburg folding step stool that also was developed in cooperation with Design Tech.

Tour of the company highlights the products and history of Arburg

The walking tour of the company also included the Customer Center and the “Evolution” company museum, where CTO Heinz Gaub explained about the function of injection moulding machines and gave the audience an overview of the family-owned company's success story. The exhibits of the Evolution museum include Arburg's first standard machine from 1956, where design already played a role, as well as the Freeformer for additive manufacturing of plastic parts where Arburg collaborated with Design Tech for the first time. This machine was introduced in 2013 and received a Red Dot Award in 2014.

Presentation highlights the importance of product design

The event was rounded off by a presentation titled “From Sales to Being Purchached” by Walter Zimmermann, a renowned business expert, coach, and author. He focused on the complex topic of “perception” and the significance of product design. This topic, as well as Arburg's new machine and its outstanding design, were among the subjects of intensive discussion at the final get-together afterwards.