Blum‘s Blumotion soft-close system has won the European Inventor Award 2013 in the Industry category. The international award is presented by the European Patent Office (EPO), and is designed to put the spotlight on innovative developments created by companies with technical, scientific and intellectual expertise.
Blum’s team of developers picked up the award in Amsterdam last month. Employees from different departments were involved in the various development stages and they all greatly contributed towards the success of Blumotion.
Gerhard Kleinsasser, head of research and development, comments: “Being nominated was an honour in itself. Holding the award in our hands is a great feeling and recognition for the hard work done by the entire team.”
Blum decided to focus on soft and effortless closing for furniture early on. The company’s first soft-close system for doors was designed for drilling into the cabinet wall on the handle side, or for screw fixing to the inside of the cabinet with an adapter plate.
The next big development step brought attachment to Blum hinge arms, as an optional feature for easy tool-free mounting. The latest hinge generation has the entire soft-close system seamlessly integrated into the hinge boss. Blumotion is a successful Blum product development that has achieved international recognition.
Product innovations such as Blumotion are designed to safeguard the long-term, sustainable success of the corporate group. Thanks to consistent investments in research and development, the family-owned company has asserted its position as an innovative industry leader over the years.
“We apply for patents to protect all our latest developments, that are designed to meet our customers’ current and future needs,” says Jürgen Wilke, who is responsible for patents at Blum. “Blum holds some 1200 property rights all over the world. In 2012 alone, the Austrian Patent Office granted the company 57 new patents and designs. Blum is second in Austria’s overall patents ranking.”
