News about WERMA

WERMA design forge

WERMA’s head of development Christian Höhler chats about the seven secrets of perfect design.

Mr Höhler, how important is an attractive design for you personally?
“Very important – as long as it is not at the expense of the functionality! For example, I have just bought a new kitchen. It has to have an attractive design, but it also has to be functional.”

Where do you get your inspiration for WERMA product design?
“Seven factors are decisive for us. Our products must have as few parts as possible and must be simple to assemble. If the developers really want to include a screw in the product, then this has to be specially approved by the boss” states Mr Höhler in an assertive manner.

“Our signal devices also need to be simple to assemble and maintain for our customers” he explains further. That is why there has been a “customer attorney“ at WERMA since 2004: “He assembles or screws the product together repeatedly and asks awkward questions. He always finds something to criticise!” says Mr Höhler, laughing. “We then change this before it is launched onto the market.”

And further?
WERMA ensures that there is a common thread running through all its product designs and a recognition effect within the product families.
Aesthetics and quality are highly important when selecting materials, colours and surface characteristics. A brushed stainless steel body not only ensures the deSIGN 42 is robust and rustproof, it also gives it a sophisticated look.

“However if you only pay attention to the appearance, forgetting the functionality, then you only end up producing duds. We avoid this right from the start by e.g. providing the audible products with a special resonance body for optimal sound.

Naturally it is also very important that the products match their application environment, e.g. machines or buildings. That is why we take a close look at future machines and follow the design trends. Finally, our signal devices need to be inconspicuously conspicuous. They need to blend in with the machine but still stand out in the event of a fault or hazard. Naturally this is not easy!“, he declares. According to Mr Höhler, maintaining the balance between remaining discreetly in the background and providing an alarm in the event of an emergency is one of the biggest challenges associated with the design of signal devices. “For our customers this means attractively designed products which blend in perfectly with their surroundings.”