118 · TRENDS
TRENDS · 119
WATER GAMES
Immerse yourself in the world of Hansgrohe
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EXPERIENCE · 121
120 · EXPERIENCE
BY SANDY STRASSER
F
rom the first shower rail to multiple-stream showering pleasure at the touch of a button: since 1901, inventions from Hansgrohe's Black Forest-based think
tank have influenced bathrooms around the world. A lot of
what was conceived, developed and designed here has provided the international sanitary branch with stimuli. Some
ideas wrote bathroom history and some even cultural history.
Over a century after founding the company, the descendants
of the south-German shower pioneer are contributing actively
to the success of the company. We spoke to Richard Grohe
about the passion for his company and posed the question of
how you can harmonise traditional inventive talent and digital transformation.
Mr Grohe, your company has cherished its passion for the
element of water for over three generations. Today it is one
of the market leaders and international leaders of innovation in the sanitary field. What distinguishes the inventive
talent of Hansgrohe?
RICHARD GROHE: We have the mentality of Swabian tinkerers. The shower rail was invented at our company, and
therefore a large problem was solved using basic materials. At
the beginning of the 1970s, the first multi-spray hand shower (TRI-BEL) with rotatable head was developed under the
management of my father, Klaus Grohe. The colourful hand
shower wrote cultural history. With this, we won the first design prizes. To date, 500 additional design awards have followed. However, we are not resting on the laurels of our past,
we will carry on the tinkering in the future. Almost 4,000
employees, who are on fire with innovative spirit and passion
for our products, work for Hansgrohe. This passion can be
felt at all locations and distinguishes our inventive talent.
It was with passion, great care and a sense of people's needs
that your grandfather Hans Grohe courageously and steadily ventured into the then young sanitary field at the beginning of the 20th century. The cornerstone for the worldwide success story was laid. What were the essential factors
which would soon lead to the company becoming one of the
leading providers?
R. G.: You know, for a long time the bathroom was merely
a functional wet room. We worked on making these spaces
really comfortable. Living and showering came closer. With
forward-facing innovations, we have contributed to turning
the bathroom into an oasis of well-being. Part of this has
been the invention of the shower head from 1953 and our
Select Technology for showers and fittings.
Our innovations are not just limited to the product range. Important steps towards our company success were definitely the early orientation towards export and entering international markets. The first foreign delivery to Amsterdam
was sent in 1907, our product catalogue already appeared in
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Richard Grohe joined his
parents' business in 1987 and
built up the French plant in
Wasselonne. From 2003 until
2015 he managed the brand
Hansgrohe. Since 2008 he
has been Vice Chairman of
the Executive Board for his
company. His area of responsibility within the company
encompasses the area of
research, development and
products.
multiple languages in 1933 and from 1979 Hansgrohe began
founding the first foreign subsidiaries. In doing this we are
have always been aware of our origins. In 2015 alone we invested 50 million euros in our German locations. For 30 million euros, our new logistics centre at the Offenburg location
is currently being built in order to efficiently deliver to our
customers worldwide.
Around 30 percent of your yearly turnover is made with
new products which are not older than three years. How
do you manage to keep this standard consistent? What is
indispensable for an innovative development of ideas?
R. G.: We have managed to build up a good culture of
innovation. That is a competitive advantage which can bring
an advance of up to a decade with it. It's a little bit like wine,
producing a good year now and then is no great feat, the real
challenge lies in producing the same top quality each year,
no matter how the weather was. That only works as a result
of long-term experience. When we make products, 300 years of sanitary experience goes into it. We make our experienced, long-standing employees into innovators. We give
them enough freedom to develop. For example, we have a jet
laboratory where we test how jets of water feel on the skin.
This is where we pursue the question of how, with lower
water consumption, the same or even more comfort can be
provided when showering. In the development of our products, we work together with external designers. That also
opens the perspective for new ideas. At the last ISH alone,
the Hansgrohe Group presented 465 novelties. Our ideas are
never exhausted.
What major role does design play in addition to functionality? How can both these elements be brought together
harmoniously?
R. G.: Together with our partner Phoenix Design, we design products which are an intelligent combination of design,
function and comfort. We nurture close collaboration which
links the water and design competencies. Actually, they are
already a part of us. For us, this has the great advantage that
they work like internal designers but they bring their experience of other fields with them. In this way we have been able
to achieve great successes in the past and create innovations
together which win customers over in the areas of design and
function. Still today, design is wrongly reduced to the aesthe-
tic form. Our aim is to make the people for who the products
are made the focus. The functionality should not lose points
here.
Being a leader in the branch also means going with the
times. How do you solve the current challenges of digital
transformation?
R. G.: Of course, Hansgrohe has been in the digital age
for a long time. Many processes run digitally, especially in the
development of new products. But even in communication
and customer contact. Facebook and Twitter are not foreign
words for us. Despite that, one should not forget that it is a
real product which emerges at the end. Design, functionality
and jets of water can not be captured purely digitally. Even in
20 years time we will still need water to wash our hair.
What effect does this have on your company DNA and the
afore-mentioned inventive talent?
R. G.: The business models in the sanitary branch are
changing. We are developing new digital business fields. We
are a multi-channel provider and go wherever the customer
searches for the product. This means we even have to prove
our inventive talent within business processes. »
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122 · EXPERIENCE
What does the bathroom of the future look like in your opinion? What user concepts will revolutionise our lives in the
coming years?
R. G.: In the future, the focus will increasingly be on the
ageing population and therefore on the planning of an oasis
of well-being for all generations. The bathroom will be the
'home healthcare centre'. It will convey safety, comfort, significance, atmosphere and perfect functionality at the highest
quality.
How do you bring the different needs of different generations together?
R. G.: Individual bath solutions which adapt to the changing needs of the user throughout the course of his life and
which allow the user to configurate the bathroom with his
products individually are a must. This ranges from the walkin shower to sink taps, hand and head showers with intuitive
Hansgrohe Select user technology. The flow of water can be
started and stopped at the simple touch of a button. Light
pressure with the hand, the elbow or the arm is enough.
What goals have you set yourself in order to influence the
shower and bath culture worldwide in the coming years?
R. G.: We concentrate on our own strengths. That means
that we impress our customers with high-quality products as
we have also done in the past. In this way we will shape the
bath culture even in the coming years and will remain to be
the original from the Black Forest.
www.hansgrohe.de
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
A brief portrait of Osudio
Osudio helps companies succeed in the
everchanging world of e-business. We
are entrepreneurs at heart. We translate complex e-business requirements
into easy-to-use online environments.
Having worked in e-business since the
90s, we understand what works, what
doesn’t and what drives growth. Osudio helps you reach B2B and B2C clients with seamless experience in every channel where they are active. Our
business is about people and how they
interact with technology. That’s why
we place such a high value on UX and
digital communication skills. We are
constantly searching for the right balance between cutting-edge user experience and robust technology. Osudio
helps clients create user friendly environments which easily guide buyers
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to digital transactions or to bricks-andmortar shops. We provide a comprehensive range of services that include:
digital strategy & consultancy, user
experience design, e-business operations and IT services. So over the last
20 years, Osudio has helped Europe’s
top companies evolve their business
model so they can stay at the forefront.
For our clients, standing still is not an
option. They look to us for guidance.
Our job is to earn their trust, build
a lasting partnership and help them
move forward. To make this a reality,
we need to create an atmosphere where success can happen. An atmosphere
where we are straight, open and honest
with one another. An atmosphere where passion, creativity and innovation
takes hold. That’s what you can expect
at Osudio. So let’s be straight and let’s
move forward. All of us, together.
www.osudio.com
OSUDIO UND HANSGROHE
In order to provide information about
product specifications to retailers and
plumbers we implemented the e-business platform for Hansgrohe in the domain of PIM, B2B, B2C, Print and Mobile
based on our agile project approach. The
solution we built consists of the SAP
Hybris platform, Celum as DAM, Adobe
Indesign and Werk II priint:comet and
allows Hansgrohe to maintain all product data and media assets within one
application.
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