Klüber Lubrication has won the German Innovation Award presented annually by the German Design Council. The global market leader for speciality lubricants was recognised in two categories: in “Material Surface” for the innovative technology of its hydro lubricants and in the “Design Thinking” category for the equally cutting-edge process used to develop them.
“Our new hydro lubricants represent a revolution in lubricant technology”, explains Samira El Allam, innovation manager at Klüber Lubrication. “Using water as a functional constituent in lubricants opens up entirely new applications that offer our customers in various industries sustainability and performance advantages. These advantages range from extremely low friction coefficients to improved workplace safety and sustainability.”
Klüber Lubrication released its first hydro lubricant for gear lubrication in early 2018; hydro lubricants for other applications are currently in development.
Design Thinking
In addition to the product itself, the jury also found the innovative and agile development process worthy of an award in the “Design Thinking” category. The new product was created in close and flexible cooperation between various departments at Klüber Lubrication and with dynamic customers. An iterative approach and cross-functional staffing enabled the project team to assume new viewpoints in order to identify customer needs early on and translate them into concrete concepts.
For Klüber Lubrication the hydro lubricants project paved the way to innovative project methods. In future, agile methods such as design thinking will be used wherever possible in order to foster innovation.
The German Innovation Award
The German Innovation Award recognises innovations that have a lasting impact. The award was initiated by the German Design Council, an organisation that has been working to strengthen design as an economic factor for over 60 years.
About Klüber Lubrication
Klüber Lubrication is one of the world's leading manufacturers of speciality lubricants, offering high-end tribological solutions to virtually all industries and markets worldwide. Most products are developed and made to specific customer requirements. During its more than 80 years of existence, Klüber Lubrication has provided high-quality lubricants, thorough consultation and extensive services, which has earned it an excellent reputation in the market. The company holds all common industrial certifications and operates a testing section hardly rivalled in the lubricants industry.
Klüber Lubrication, set up as a retail company for mineral oil products in Munich in 1929, is today part of Freudenberg Chemical Specialities SE & Co. KG, a Business Group of the Freudenberg Group, Weinheim. Klüber Lubrication has about 2,000 employees in more than 30 countries.
For further information, please click http://www.klueber.com
About Freudenberg Chemical Specialities
Freudenberg Chemical Specialities develops, manufactures and markets chemical specialties. To be close to its customers, the company is represented globally in the market with its five brands, Klüber Lubrication, Chem-Trend, OKS, SurTec and Capol. Freudenberg Chemical Specialities is one of the global leading manufacturers of specialty lubricants, release agents, chemotechnical maintenance products, and solutions for surface and galvanic technologies. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the Business Group runs its own companies in some 40 countries. In 2015, Freudenberg Chemical Specialities employed about 3,300 people and generated sales of about € 960 million.
For more information, please visit http://www.fcs-munich.com
