Creating the right combination of technology, functionality and intelligent design: this is Hettich's mission that has led the German company to be considered one of the largest and most successful furniture hardware manufacturers on the international scene today. Despite the size and international prominence it has achieved, the company has remained family-owned, thus free to act independently by offering innovative solutions to meet its customers' every need, with a focus on sustainability, declined in its social and environmental aspects.

We talk about this with Andrea Bergamo, marketing manager at Hettich Italy.

Innovation is undoubtedly the key word that emerged at the latest Sicam in all sectors highlighting the great research work by companies in the subcontracting sector to develop new products. For Hettich, innovation has always been a core value.

Sicam was an opportunity to once again present a product that has now become iconic and reflects our company's ability to innovate: FurnSpin. The mechanism that performs a movement of rotation and translation together, called FurnSpin that we presented for the first time at interzum 2023, unique in its kind and patented by us, is part of the high-end hardware range and has the ability to overturn all design standards, offering the architect and furniture manufacturer a product capable of generating the wow effect and taking functionality and comfort to a decidedly higher level.

Innovating for Hettich lies in just that, which is to offer novel, original and exclusive solutions that can inspire new trends and respond stylishly to space needs in residential and working environments. At Eurocucina 2024, FurnSpin made a fine showing at customer booths, thus increasing the interest of the public and especially of other companies that are always looking for distinctive solutions on the market. The attention of the design world to FurnSpin was also enshrined in the numerous awards it received such as interzum Award “Best of the best” 2023, Red Dot Design Award 2024 “Innovative products” and the most recent Archiproducts Design Awards 2024.

FurnSpin mechanism rotates the cabinet element from closed to open, allowing storage space to be redefined from scratch
 

New technologies offer three-dimensional solutions in various fields of application, especially in the area of surfaces. How do you think they can be incorporated into your production reality?

Surfaces, coatings and finishes in general are the focus of attention because of the variety of existing solutions and the great attractiveness to the end user precisely because three-dimensionality has led to the development of new creative and design choices. Hettich has always been involved in research activities together with players in the furniture production chain to enhance these and other solutions that once applied on cabinets, cabinets, storage furniture need the best technology to achieve their function. Materials, surfaces, and colors are all fundamental aspects that must be considered when designing evolved hardware that takes into account the need to conceal mechanisms or integrate them perfectly and over time.

The topic of ecodesign also ran through all the departments present at Sicam. What are the necessary elements for a sustainable product to really have all the requirements?

Every day our products reach many people around the world. This privilege carries with it a great responsibility for us to apply an ethical model and code of conduct that bases its principles on respect for people and the environment in which we all live. We are a fourth-generation family business, and sustainability is an essential part of our corporate culture.

We have implemented various activities aimed at workplace safety, ongoing employee training and the provision of innovative tools under the banner of digitalization. We continue to verify our standards when it comes to environmental impact, and we do so through the strict control of production processes imposed by the international environmental certification EMAS: Hettich is the only furniture hardware manufacturer in the world that has been able to meet the requirements of EMAS certification for more than 20 years now. Finally, our products are made and tested to last a long time so that they do not have to be replaced frequently, increasing the risk of high environmental impact. All these elements have now become indispensable for a global, yet family-owned company like ours.

The AvoriTech drawer system with slim side profile

The central theme of the upcoming interzum 2025 will be “Rethinking Resources: circular and biobased solutions.” Is your company already prepared for this change?

Resource management is a very serious issue, and our company has been on a virtuous path of avoiding waste, recycling, and diversifying sources of supply for quite some time. Electricity from renewable sources, combined heat and power generation, waste heat recovery-these are just a few examples of our efforts to constantly reduce CO2 emissions and systematically increase energy efficiency. Added to this is the focus on product durability and the search for recycling and reuse solutions that involve a circular management model of the resources used. We are proud that an exhibition event of the magnitude of interzum has decided to emphasize these aspects, and we look forward to presenting our progress in this regard during the event.

According to FederlegnoArredo's recent FURNCIRCLE research, 44 percent of companies in the sector have implemented ecodesign policies and 81 percent plan to do so by 2027. Certifications, training and circular economy are considered the strategic assets for the future.

Knowing the furniture market, I find myself in agreement with the results of the research and the percentages of companies' attention to the issues indicated. I believe that the implementation of ecodesign and sustainability policies is the only way forward for companies that want to stay current and above all competitive in the market. As mentioned earlier these are issues that Hettich holds close to its heart, particularly the evidence and transparency brought about by certifications; in some cases we have been pioneers in this area!

The FurnSpin mechanism performs a rotation and translation movement together

Customization is a very strong trend in recent years, present not only at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and thus with the finished product, but also at Sicam. A product that is expressed through finishes, textures, colors, custon made products. How does Hettich address this issue?

Years ago, Hettich documented some of the trends he was finding in the market, and one of them was personalization. It then created a communication campaign dedicated to it using testimonials with very different professionalism and interests. It wanted to highlight a theme that would initiate new design ideas, responding to non-standardized needs but enhancing the end user and his or her personal lifestyle. “Individualisation” entered the R&D department's priority list, which then led to products such as the slim drawer, profile lighting, rotary and translational mechanism, invisible hinges, and so on. A wide range of products centered on the individual user but also on the manufacturers' demand for solutions capable of distinguishing their brand in the market.

AvanTech YOU Illuminated Drawers
 

The latest economic data is certainly not exciting; in fact, negative signals are coming in from all sectors or indicating at best “cautious optimism” for the future. Your analysis of the market and possible future scenarios.

The general economic situation is causing some concern, certainly weighing on it are the ongoing wars and the difficulties generated by the cost of energy and raw materials. The furniture sector is suffering and even certain policies to support the sector do not seem to be yielding the desired results, or at least not in the short term. We are getting used to market fluctuations but we are also looking for solutions both in Italy and in Europe to strengthen relationships with other companies in the supply chain and in the area, with banking institutions and manufacturing companies in order to share ideas and projects that can somehow allow us to face the situation with a clearer and more conscious vision. I think it will still take some time for there to be a recovery, we are considering targeting other markets and other application areas, such as contracting, yachting and tourist residences.

In light of Trump's election as president of the United States, what are the economic repercussions for the wood-furniture supply chain?

There is talk of a policy to protect domestic production against goods from across the border, major customs duties and other initiatives that could complicate our exports. We are still at an observation stage, difficult to make accurate predictions at this time. Of course, we hope that we will not be adversely affected and expect the full support of our institutions.