Description
Case Study: Compeo – Buss AG
How a Technical Innovation Paved the Way for a New Design Language
Buss AG is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of extruders and has been synonymous with the highest level of technical expertise for decades. After the turn of the millennium, however, sales figures declined steadily. This is because even capital goods are subject to changing expectations: in addition to performance and reliability, cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, and a contemporary appearance are becoming increasingly important.
Management therefore decided to undertake a fundamental redesign of the machine family. The goal was to reduce manufacturing costs while creating a modern, distinctive appearance.
After a careful selection process, Target Design was commissioned as the development partner. Already during the initial briefing, the chief designer made it clear how critical he was of industrial design: “I don’t think much of decorative panels at all. After the first service, they end up in the corner—and that’s where they stay.”
This statement made it clear: What was sought was not a cosmetic design, but a structural solution with real added value.
Great product design starts with engineering
Our concept presentation took the development team by surprise. Instead of simply giving the existing steel frame a new finish, we proposed a completely new construction principle: a load-bearing sheet metal-concrete sandwich frame.
The initial reaction was skeptical: “We’re not bricklayers, after all.”
But the chief structural engineer had the proposal reviewed. The calculations revealed an unexpected result: The new concept was not only significantly stiffer than the previous square-tube steel frame, but also more cost-effective to manufacture. This paved the way for a completely new product architecture.
From a Single Project to a Successful Product Family
Building on this technical foundation, Target Design developed a consistent design language for the entire machine family. Step by step, the Compeo series took shape—from the compact laboratory machine to the large-scale system. The result was far more than just a new look: The technical innovation enabled lower manufacturing costs, a modern brand identity, and a future-proof platform for the entire product line.
Compeo became a major market success and contributed significantly to the successful repositioning of Buss AG.
Compeo received the 2023 Baden-Württemberg International Design Award for Capital Goods in silver—gold was awarded to another product designed by Target Design.
The previous generation:
While it is functional and world class in performance, the design in no way communicates the quality of the technology. Moreover, the production is complex and expensive. Especially important: there are no optical recognition features, no CI of the company for the different machine series. These are exactly the points where we started and developed a completely new concept for the customer.
The idea
A new frame concept makes the system much more rigid, reduces costs and perfectly arranges all aggregates. At the same time, it is designed in such a way that it is suitable for all machine versions / sizes. This makes the new machine unmistakable, modern and the perfect reflection of the “Premium Kneader Technology” from Buss. This concept is chosen by the management for further elaboration.
Here the smaller version Compeo 55, which will be the first model to be built.
The new machine
The new design was designed in close cooperation with Buss engineers. The result – the perfect implementation of our concept. The Compeo 55 version was presented at the NPE in Orlando in May 2018.
