Multiple accolades: Krones wins three German Design Awards

Our future is digital and it’s changing with incredible rapidity. In the online world, particularly, it’s not only the display and communication options that are proliferating – but also the users’ expectations. In order to meet these to optimum effect, Krones has put in place a modularised design system for all the group’s online manifestations, in conjunction with the technical service provider comspace and the design team headed by Prof. Wolfgang Gauss. The idea was to create a platform that meets the requirements of all visitors – irrespective of whether they’re looking for product details, general information on the company or career opportunities. We are aiming here, of course, to marry our technology to our corporate values and philosophy in the form of top-class design, and showcase them to the outside world. And this plan has succeeded: in the Corporate Identity category, the krones.com design system was awarded a “Special Mention”.

“Wow” – this reaction was not uncommon when clients, staff or visitors entered Krones’ stand at the drinktec 2017. In an entire hall, Krones created its own world of technology, in which the visitors could immerse themselves from the very first step. They marvelled at a perfectly harmonised mix of impressive exhibits in gleaming stainless steel, generously dimensioned LED screens and abundant lighting units throughout the entire hall. Krones implemented its impressively conceived trade fair concept in conjunction with its partner Expotechnik. This has meanwhile been recognised outside the sector as well: the German Design Council has now awarded this project the most prestigious design prize in Germany – in gold, no less. An even greater success when it’s remembered that trade fair projects don’t often win design prizes.

Once again, Connected HMI is on the list of winners, and this time in the Human-Machine Interface category, thanks to its outstanding design quality. It was chosen as a winner at the 2019 German Design Awards. The new machine visualisation was developed in close collaboration with the Hamburg-based design agency HID (Human Interface Design) and serves in the production operation as an interface between humans and machinery. With an innovative navigation structure and a highly functional design, the HMI marries intuitive operator control to contemporary styling. But it’s not only these that score highly – at the same time, the operator control platform also ensures an impressive degree of digitalisation: using open, standardised data interfaces, the HMI links up to higher-order IT systems in the plant.