Agile product development for the BLANCO UNIT

BLANCO invests in a new Product & Innovation Centre

BLANCO is investing a seven-figure sum in a new Product and Innovation Centre at its headquarters in Oberderdingen. The specialist in premium system solutions for the kitchen water place in private homes is having a multi-storey building converted so that it will now be geared towards future-oriented product development. The Product & Innovation Centre will house various teams from the Global Products and Research & Development (R&D) areas, which are currently spread across different locations.

“We are delighted to be able to make this tremendous investment at our headquarters thanks to our successful growth. The Product & Innovation Centre will offer employees an optimal setting for working on the BLANCO UNITs of the future in collaboration and across different disciplines,” says CEO Frank Gfrörer. “We will pool our collective expertise here to develop needs-based solutions for international markets, using agile methods and making the most of the superb interaction between all of those involved,” says the BLANCO Group boss.

The high-quality system solutions for all drink, prep and clean activities enhance the level of convenience and the joy at the water place which is one of the most active areas in the kitchen. All of the UNIT components – from the mixer tap, the water system and the sink to the cleverly configured base cabinet – are developed and designed at the headquarters.

In the 2020 business year in particular, BLANCO has invested over €18 million in machinery, systems and tools for production sites, logistics and digitalisation in numerous areas and locations worldwide, triggered by strong demand. The new BLANCO Test and Training Centre at the headquarters was only recently put into operation.

The spatial consolidation of the teams within the new Product & Innovation Centre will open up completely new possibilities in agile product development. In addition, the three-storey building, which covers 1,600 square metres, will incorporate contemporary office concepts. For example, some of the workstations are mobile and free for anyone to use, which also supports working from home. The cuttingedge concept deployed here also features fixed workstations, leisure rooms, areas for project work, technology pools, communication zones and areas for focused work. The conversion work should be largely completed by mid-2022, ready for around 95 employees to move into the building in the third quarter.

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BLANCO invests in Product & Innovation Centre
BLANCO UNIT drink.hot

With BLANCO, even kitchen chores turn out to be sources of joyful moments. BLANCO is the premium brand for the well-thought-out kitchen water place in private homes. At its core, the BLANCO UNIT is based on three founding pillars: »Drink.Prep.Clean.« and it is characterised by a wide array of seamless combinations of sinks, high-end mixer taps, water optimisation, filtration, cooling and complementary accessories – from the soap dispenser down to the food waste disposer. This range of functions as well as the design, color and material options make it easy for every kitchen lover to find the perfectly customized UNIT at BLANCO.

Founded over 95 years ago, the company is now an international prestigious premium brand for the kitchen water place. With subsidiaries in Europe, North America and APAC, plus its trading partners, BLANCO has a presence in about 100 countries all over the world and offers its customers a portfolio that is perfectly tailored to consumer needs. The company headquarters and key production sites are in south-west Germany.

In the business year 2020 the BLANCO Group generated consolidated annual sales of 408 million euros and had 1,542 employees (full-time) worldwide by the end of the year, of whom 1,102 worked in Germany and 440 at the international locations.

Founded in 1925 by Heinrich Blanc, today BLANCO is part of BLANC & FISCHER Family Holding and has won multiple employer awards. www.blanco.com.

Contact Persons

Jan Ribbeck
Director / Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49704544-81298
Jan.Ribbeck@blanco.de

Antje Hilbert
Tel: +49 7045 44-81404
Fax: +49 7045 44-81195
Antje.Hilbert@blanco.de

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