Specialised in optical and acoustic signal devices WERMA won Red Dot award for innovation
• Interview • South-East European INDUSTRIAL Мarket - issue 5/2005


Andreas Gebert, sales director of WERMA Signaltechnik
WERMA is well known as specialized and very innovative European producer. Recently the company won Red Dot design award for your deSIGN 42 signal tower. How would you comment it and please tell our readers more about Red Dot design competition?
The Red Dot design award is one of the most important design awards, especially for industry products. Design nowadays becomes more and more important. The design of machines has changed over the last years and the design of signal devices should fit to the design of machines. Therefore WERMA invests a lot in modern design of their products. The design of our Red Dot winner deSIGN 42 was done in house by our R&D department. We are very proud to win this important award.
What is unique and specific for WERMA corporate strategy and technology policy?
Major parts of our strategy are innovation and customer’s satisfaction. We develop and produce innovative products which are of customers benefit. Due to our considerable inhouse production level we are also able to do customized solutions. Every year we market 5-6 new product/product groups. Some of them are world firsts such as our GSM element which sends the machine information from signal tower to the mobile phone of the user. Or our self adjusting sirene which adjusts its volume to the surrounding noise level automatically.
Beeing innovative company, please tell us about the world technology trends in optical and acoustic signallization.
In optical signalisation the major trend is to LEDs. WERMA is using different LED technologies such as COB (Chip on board) - LEDs or SMD-LEDs. The general advantages of LED are the long lifetime up to 100 000 hours, the very low power consumption and the high shock resistance. In our new products LED replace more and more filament bulb devices. In audible signalisation our concentration is on one hand side on innovative products such as our self adjusting sirene and on piezo technology which enables very loud buzzers and sirens with very low power consumption.
What technologies and products would be WERMA development of the future?
Our main products are and will be signal towers. We are market leader in signal towers and with new innovative products we will strengthen this position. One important product group for the future will be our EX-products, means products for hazardous areas. Next year we will complete our range with some new products which are unique in the market.
Let’s talk about WERMA market. How the sales and distribution activities are organized in South-Eastern Europe?
Our European sales activities are organized via local agencies, e.g. in Bulgaria company Akhnaton. Those agencies ensure a direct contact to each market and a local stock.
What is the importance of well organized and optimal stock availability of products nowadays? How WERMA product service and maintenance activities are organized in the region?
Availability is very important nowadays, very often more important than the price. As our products are C-parts for machine builders they are not prepared to wait with their machine export for a signal device. It is very important for us that every agency carries a sufficient stock in every country. Also service and maintenance activities are available locally.
What are WERMA market position in South-Eastern Europe? What are your expectations for the future?
With new innovative products, market oriented prices and the marketing activities we will strengthen leader’s position.