World market leader – the ultimate success! Such a big title wants to be earned. ENGEL machines already had what it takes to set new standards. The outstanding quality was known on the market and the title “Mercedes among injection moulding machines” was justified. However, the technical possibilities were not yet visible in the design of the machines. That was the last hurdle to achieve the status of world market leader.
But how do you express what the interior is capable of? The inner strengths of ENGEL machines had to be convincing both at first glance and in terms of ergonomic handling and their safety – consistently for all products in the portfolio.
The PESCHKE industrial design team took on the challenge and helped ENGEL achieve exactly that.
Every project has its own set of constraints, some of which require particularly creative solutions in order to achieve the project goals. For ENGEL, we considered numerous parameters and potential hurdles and planned these into our solution approaches:
One of the main requirements for the design was the ability to apply it to all products in the portfolio. Since ENGEL’s portfolio includes a wide variety of machines of different sizes and functions, this requirement was a particularly exciting challenge.
Part of the objective was to increase efficiency in assembly as well as to save costs in logistics. To achieve this, we had to develop a common parts strategy and platform strategy for all design-relevant parts.
Safety standards: Design hurdles?
Compliance with safety standards is a must in the area of production machinery – and naturally has an influence on the design possibilities. To realise an appealing industrial design without violating these standards is a challenge.
Maximum ergonomic handling within limited budgets
Another common constraint in product design projects are budget limitations: It is not easy to achieve the best possible ergonomic result for the operator without massively increasing production costs.
Being aware of potential financial difficulties of a project early on gives you the chance to work with and around them. We analysed the financial realities at the beginning and put a strong strategy in place, hence integrating our deep knowledge on production techniques and their influence on costs into our design process.
Put simply: We have more to offer than ‘just’ decades of experience and excellent industrial designers. Some of our additional advantages stood out to ENGEL in particular:
Transparent and clearly defined processes are important to us. They allow both us and our clients to track our progress from project start to finish. In case plans change, we are able to act flexibly and in time. Our consulting competencies can be relied on during each and every step.
Projects like ENGEL product series follow our industrial design process – while also covering client-specific needs. Some process-related insights into our collaboration with ENGEL:
Getting to know the company, the products, the technology and the handling of the products is the beginning of a cooperation. With the quality and richness of the information we gained from ENGEL, the starting points for the development of new approaches and solutions were improved. The information on product development, users, production, logistics, costs and marketing is the base for a constantly repeated process of analysis which, through the growing knowledge on the subject matter, enables increasingly precise approaches to solutions, even for detailed areas.
PESCHKE’s approach is characterised by concrete analyses – but without losing the advantage of the outside view or the freedom to communicate this view to the development team later on.
The focus of our design concepts is always on the user and the company with the aim of working out advantages of use, ergonomic improvements, optimisation of production and logistics, as well as the design of a consistent company or product image.
industrial design can make a significant contribution to the success of a company, there is no doubt about that. However, especially in the capital goods sector, it is necessary to balance design and economy as well as the positioning of the product with a prioritisation of the requirements. In order to cater to these multi-layered requirements, it takes a team of decision-makers willing to change the status-quo. Drafting design concepts for ENGEL was not only challenging, but a true joy as we got to think big and present concepts that would make a difference in the industry, rather than playing it safe.
Once a design concept has been chosen, we go into design definition. In the design process, great importance must be given to the visualisation of quality, especially during implementation. For the implementation, the design must be defined according to the client’s possibilities and supported in the development process in order to achieve the best possible result, even if there are changes, additions or difficulties in the implementation. Design begins with the initial idea and ends with the serial product. There are no shortcuts in the process.
The standard and quality that were achieved in the designs for ENGEL speak for this workflow. The consistent product appearance is not only found in the injection moulding machines, but also in the entire automation technology – the robots. The product appearance is defined by the visualisation of technical details and a consistent implementation of formal and colour elements. With the weight optimisation of moving parts through designed recesses, it was not only possible to save energy in operation and to extend service life, but also to set a visual signal. The design conveys: ENGEL is looking for the best option.
Even after the start of series production, PESCHKE does not lose sight of the product. Especially capital goods with a long product life cycle are subject to constant further development. Not only the technology, but also the working environment requires additions and changes, e.g. due to safety requirements or new standards. The necessary adaptations can significantly change the appearance and negatively influence the original design line. In the case of ENGEL’s larger machines, new safety superstructures have been integrated into the overall design in terms of both shape and colour, which still ensures a consistent appearance.
As a result of our long-term cooperation, we have established an extremely efficient communication style throughout our projects. Our projects with ENGEL are therefore a prime example of effective cooperation and communication. For our projects with ENGEL, our design team is also part of the product development team even though we are external partners. This means that the communication between designer and engineer needs to be especially smooth because both disciplines need to understand each other and work as partners – and always with the same goal.
On the basis of these projects, we were able to analyse which factors enable smooth cooperation, which we now apply in other clients’ projects too. The main factors include short communication channels and consolidated feedback from various decision makers.
The message “ENGEL is looking for the best option” formed a great starting point for marketing and sales activities, which we delivered marketing concepts and materials for – of course developed by our in-house graphic design and 3D & animation experts.
The visualisation of ENGEL’s unique selling points and the user benefits serve as a strong foundation for a sales strategy that enables arguments beyond the price discussion: Showing a strong understanding of users’ challenges, identifying real product benefits and incorporating these into brand-consistent storytelling always pays off.
The outcomes of our long-term, continuous collaboration of over 15 years – an exceptionally long period of time that speaks for us and our client – are the greatest compliment for our product design team. During this time, ENGEL has been able to establish itself as the world market leader in injection moulding and is now seen as the absolute benchmark for its portfolio design and the benefits it offers.
ENGEL has succeeded in maintaining its desired leading position in the field of machine control in parallel with the technological development of operation and user interfaces. Starting with a vertically mounted user interface and a swing-out control unit (2006) to improve readability, through to the introduction of a touchscreen (2013) with all the advantages of the largest possible user interface, PESCHKE has been able to exploit the technological possibilities both for the user and for the overall appearance of the product in the design. The current machine control system is the perfect combination of improved ease of operation by means of the technological possibilities of a touch screen, individual adjustability and an appearance that impressively documents ENGEL’s claim to market leadership.
The highlights of our collaboration so far include the design of several specific products and product series:
At ENGEL, we have also implemented a large number of small projects, all of which have contributed to the quality impression and brought with them enormous savings potential. It’s not always just about the big machine – sometimes it’s a conveyor belt next to the machine or additional ergonomic support for the operator that makes the big difference.
The implementation of this thought in connection with a new operating philosophy has been realised in the form of the so-called E-move. In addition to touch control, an operating element for the fine adjustment of the complex and cost-intensive injection moulds was to be a part of the machine control.
In the implementation, the two handle elements together with the rotary control formed the operating cockpit with 2K technology for better haptics, which can be considered the central operating zone: Having the machine in your hand – visualised in one detail.
Design, i.e. the design of products, should be seen as an investment. Intelligent cost savings through the reduction of parts in production and for the logistics of the cladding parts is not only an essential economic starting point, but also presents the possibility to plan and implement a consistent product appearance in the design. Across the entire portfolio of machines, the use of new materials and technologies, for example bonded, screen-printed polycarbonate panels or the use of negative plastics deepdrawing, has made it possible to both standardise the appearance and improve the cost situation.
PESCHKE has a very deep knowledge and understanding of how to build a vision for the future. They bring these ideas to the ground and provide concrete solutions such as realizing a new product ecosystem and integrating connected products. They also have a deep technical understanding of marketing and create great designs for UX/UI. Their comprehensive service is what makes PESCHKE so unique.
Our customers confirm that the design and UX are great. Meanwhile, the PESCHKE team is highly flexible as they grow with us and our developers. Overall, we’ve had a great collaboration.
We’re very happy with the quality of PESCHKE’s work and their feedback. They’re very responsive and helpful. They’re always focused on finding a solution that meets the requirements for manufacturing, but that is also satisfying for us from a design point of view.
Communication was very easy and fast. The entire team is motivated and helpful. Their fast responsiveness, eye for detail and patience for contradicting requirements is impressive.
PESCHKE was focused on fulfilling our objectives. Dedicated to meeting expectations, they produced functional and well-designed deliverables. Upon applying the design to the machinery, we noted an additional improvement regarding ease of use. Accommodating and responsive, the PESCHKE team was receptive to feedback and quickly implemented our idea in the designs.
PESCHKE has successfully collaborated with us on multiple tasks involving UX design, MVP and product development, product ideation, web optimisation, and WordPress development. PESCHKE excels in prototype development and have received excellent marks from internal and external testers regarding product usability. The team has delivered on time and within budget. Moreover, their communication is excellent.
You’d prefer to contact us directly? Of course! Here’s how to reach us:
You’d prefer to contact us directly? Of course! Here’s how to reach us:
Mail: contact@peschke.at
Tel: +43 1 47 07 922
Sure! Directly book a non-binding initial consultation to share your vision and ideas with us – free of charge, of course. We look forward to meeting you!
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