Oberderdingen (Germany), 29 August 2023 – After an intensive conversion phase, subsequent relocation of the teams and a set-up phase for the new working environment, the new BLANCO UNIT Innovation Center was officially inaugurated today. More than 80 employees from the Global Products and Global Research & Development divisions, who were previously housed across the extensive site for space reasons, will, going forward, work together under one roof at the company headquarters to provide impetus for the kitchen water place of the future.
Frank Gfrörer, CEO of the BLANCO Group, sees this as a great foundation for future viability: "The decision to invest several million euros in the BLANCO UNIT Innovation Center was made before the crisis. Now, however, it's all the more important to offer our teams the optimal conditions for consistently expanding the kitchen water place as a system for the relevant markets worldwide. The teams in the BLANCO UNIT Innovation Center are in close contact with experts from all of our locations worldwide. This increases its potential and provides an excellent basis for further developing the BLANCO UNIT in a solution-oriented way, while continuously improving added value for consumers, trade partners and planners."
The pioneer for the kitchen water place is already setting standards with a carefully curated range – from the high-end mixer tap for water purification with natural carbon dioxide, filtration, cooling and supplementary accessories, sinks with accessories to base cabinet organisation for waste and kitchen utensils – and managing to optimally implement customer wishes. Thanks to the modular structure of the BLANCO UNITs and their consistent design DNA, BLANCO also makes planning and designing the individual water hub much easier for its retail customers.
The work and meeting areas in the BLANCO UNIT Innovation Center are designed according to the open office concept. Each of the three floors has quiet zones for concentrated work, meeting rooms for different requirements and practical project rooms with technical equipment to test, demonstrate and assess prototypes. Modern living kitchens with seating and built-in BLANCO UNITs with drink.systems for drinking water just the way they like it are available to employees on all three floors.
The BLANCO UNIT Innovation Center is not only pioneering in terms of work technology, but also in terms of construction. The aim was to be able to operate the building carbon-neutrally in the future: in addition to energy-saving LED lighting and smart building management technology, a particularly powerful heat pump ensures the right indoor temperature.
