Häfele interzum 2019 review：Thinking ahead – intelligent solutions from Häfele

Digital networking in modern living worlds

Integrated and digital – Häfele, the international market leader in furniture fittings technology, electronic access control systems and LED lighting for furniture and rooms, made its appearance at interzum with ambitious claims. Under the motto “Thinking ahead”, the company presented a firework of innovations that are ready for the market, which will facilitate and enrich the lives of its partners in the furniture industry and joiner/cabinet maker area as well as their customers starting immediately.

Häfele stood on the podium three times with its new products at the interzum award 2019. The smart Häfele Connect Mesh system with its innovative firmware, wall switch, and remote control, the new filigree flap fitting for furniture, Free Space, and the Easiness furniture fittings with tool-less installation (claw connector, rear panel connector, and furniture knob) were all awarded for high product quality.

The digital networking of living rooms and other living environments was the big topic of the present and future at the trade fair in Cologne at the Häfele trade fair booth. Häfele shone, on the one hand, with tangible products - e.g. with Loox5, the 5th generation of the LED lighting system and its intelligent connectivity to the smart world of living.

Market-ready innovations and visions for the furniture world

But again and again, interzum is also the place for visions of the future, e.g. for looking at where the journey in terms of digital networking will continue. Digitalisation will only have a secure future in the furniture and living environment, Häfele is sure about that, if it meets the demands of furniture manufacturers and the convenience of users alike. Digitalisation must therefore be easy to implement, both in terms of integration into the furniture and in terms of its operation. Therefore, whenever “Thinking ahead.”, it is always important to keep our eyes on easiness as a guide. The task of furniture industry suppliers therefore has to be both, integrated and digital, says Häfele. That is the only way to succeed.

On an exhibition space of 1480 square meters, Häfele's international trade fair team demonstrated how much the company has internalised this high standard and is therefore able to implement it in practice and get the industry excited.

Digital networking, innovative furniture technology, and integrated solutions: all this was impressively brought to live at the trade fair booth in Cologne for visitors from all over the world. With the Häfele product range and the many new products, the smart world can be easily implemented by both, joiners/cabinet makers and the furniture industry.

“Smart furniture meets smart home” – what seemed more like a pie in the sky at interzum two years ago, the Häfele Connect Mesh technology makes now possible to do in no time at all. The company provided proof of competence using the example of a micro-apartment, networked with smart components, and a kitchen with sophisticated lighting and integrated sound, controlled by a smartphone or tablet.

Häfele Connect – the system that grows with its tasks

Living becomes digital. In other words: Different devices, systems, and network platforms need to speak a common language to make digital life as easy as possible. Häfele Connect brings these components together and ensures that they are able to communicate with each other – with a coordinated system that is gradually expandable at any time. The “translators” are either the Häfele Connect chip, as the heart of the Häfele Connect Mesh system, or the Häfele Connect Hub, depending on the following networking tasks: Wireless networking of all Häfele lights, networked Häfele systems and components, integration of external devices and platforms, and integration into smart third-party systems.

More light in furniture and rooms

Anyone interested in new ideas will find them at Häfele. The future has already begun in many areas, with Loox5, the new generation of the LED lighting range, for example. It will be available from autumn 2019 and makes the quantum leap, becoming a turbocharger for the electrification in furniture and the connection to the room light. Loox5 is strong enough for the high demands of modern design with light, but at the same time extremely easy to plan, easy to install, and easy to control. Loox5 also lays the foundation for Häfele's new, smart product range. With the Häfele Connect Mesh app, networking and control of smart Häfele products, including the connection to third-party systems, becomes a reality.

All-round service for the industry

Häfele offers its partners an excellent service with expertise about the entire process chain, from planning and production to logistics. A kitchen equipped with networked lighting allowed experiencing it in real life at interzum. In addition, there was plenty of furniture technology against the background of a holistic view, using the example of three kitchens as well as living and sleeping worlds, equipped with the latest products.

Nimbus, the LED lighting pioneer and youngest member of the Häfele family, is already joining in with sophisticated design and leading technology, expanding the product range as well as the light expertise everywhere, from furniture to the rooms.

Product highlights at the Häfele booth in brief

Other big topics at this year's Häfele trade fair booth included:

-    The fifth generation of the Häfele Loox LED lighting product range. Loox5 is a completely reinvented system. Easy, linear, logical – that's the essence of four generations of successfully developed and marketed LED technology. Häfele Loox meets the increasing demands for lighting in furniture and rooms just as well as the growing need for networking and digitalisation and maximum simplicity and flexibility. Loox offers new, surprising possibilities for digital networking via the Häfele Connect app, including the connection to third-party systems.
    
-   The designer lights by Nimbus. At the beginning of the year, Häfele announced the takeover of the Stuttgart-based LED light and acoustics specialist. At the interzum, Nimbus was already an integral part of the Häfele presentation. Apart from its appearance in its own exhibition area with its designer lights, the architectural brand shone everywhere else at the booth. Nimbus and Häfele – what belongs together grows together.

-   The sensational innovation in the Free flap product range by Häfele: an innovative, extremely small, and at the same time extremely powerful flap fitting. With its compact design, the Free space creates more storage space in furniture than any other popular models in its class.

-   Also shown was the study of a flap fitting with iPad dimensions. This fitting is so small that it can be easily integrated into any cabinet side panel, while being powerful and flexible enough to master all conceivable flap functions right down to the bar cabinet flap stay. The trendsetting fitting was shown as a fully functional prototype. It will celebrate his premiere at the interzum 2021.

-   The latest developments in the Häfele Ixconnect furniture connector product range, which for the first time allows for the completely tool-free assembly of entire furniture cabinets and can be integrated into any standardised production process without conversion.

-   The extended Häfele Matrix drawer program. It offers the optimum solution for every application. The exhibits at the exhibition booth demonstrate the entire range of possibilities, from the functional entry-level model to the high-end system solution.

  

-   The DressCode cabinet organizer system, in a single design language and from one source. It allows upgrading wardrobes as appropriate to the segment. The system is available internationally. All elements can be assembled and disassembled without requiring tools. This reduces assembly time by 50% compared to screwed connections. The award-winning connector is at the heart of this system for wardrobes and shelves.

-   The ingenious Häfele Axilo plinth adjusting fitting system – the extended arm for levelling cabinets, has recently won the Red Dot Award.

-   Officys table bases. They are now also available in the trendy colour graphite black, for a modern ambience in traditional offices, for shared spaces, and coworking areas. The highlight here was the Häfele Officys TE 651 height adjustable table base.

-　 Innovative Häfele caravan fittings. They were shown in a caravan replica at the exhibition booth. This comprehensive product range was rounded off with a caravan-specific lighting system from the Loox LED product range and charging stations for smartphones and co.

-　A new range of wire goods for the kitchen from the company's own development. This completes Häfele's kitchen fittings. The product range excels with a uniform Häfele design and excellent quality at an attractive price. The Häfele wire goods are colour-matched to the Häfele drawer side colours and are now available worldwide.

-   The new furniture handles of the Häfele H19 collection are fully in line with the latest trends with their Textile, Nouveau Art Deco, and Cube design series. The models of the H1910 series, named “Textile”, have been honoured with the Red Dot Design Award for their exclusive trend design. Häfele is thus increasingly becoming the international trendsetter for furniture handles. The H19 collection includes a total of 14 new handle designs in various sizes and with cutting-edge surface colours.