Author: Möbelfertigung

Cleaf and Rotpunkt share a common design vision and a similar approach to implementing these ideas in industrial-style Italian and German furniture. Roberto Caspani, Managing Director of the Italian surface specialist and Andreas Wagner, Managing Partner of Rotpunkt Küchen, met to discuss aspects of the partnership between the two companies.

“The characteristics that define a Rotpunkt kitchen are sustainability and individuality,” explains Wagner. “Since 2017, our actions have been guided by the UN’s 17 global goals for sustainable development of the 2030 Agenda, the so-called Sustainable Development Goals. This decision has already produced many good ideas – including some technical innovations. For example, we can produce in batch size 1 at the Getmold site and thus significantly reduce material waste. All the panels we use, including those from Cleaf, are FSC® certified.

As far as customisation is concerned, we introduce new surfaces every year because we trust that materials can give a new look without changing the shape. After all, the height of our kitchens is 91 cm, not 80 cm. We think it’s more comfortable to do food preparation at that height,” says Wagner.

The German entrepreneur continues: “The collaboration with Cleaf came about in 2011 with the idea of giving our kitchens a new look. In these twelve years, our kitchens have also changed in some technical aspects. And the Cleaf surfaces in our range have increased significantly.

We want to be the first among the ‘Made in Germany’ kitchen manufacturers to make new proposals in terms of feel and look. When it comes to wood materials and laminates, I can say that Cleaf expresses an avant-garde level that is unmatched by anyone else. We are pleased to be able to meet with Cleaf’s R&D team to select the effects we find most interesting for our products,” says Wagner.

Roberto Caspani on the collaboration: “Rotpunkt’s industrial approach and innovation research immediately inspired us to work together back then. In these twelve years we have grown together step by step and got to know each other better and better.

I am very happy and proud of the path we have travelled together and of the ideas we have passed on to each other. Keeping our Italian identity while meeting the needs of the German market is a very interesting process that we can also push forward thanks to the partnership with Rotpunkt.”

“For the German market, September is the most important month. The exhibition format of the Küchenmeile, the week of open showrooms of the most important German kitchen manufacturers along the mile east of Hanover, is the most important moment for us to meet customers and present the new products to them. We will certainly also present some new Cleaf surfaces,” Andreas Wagner sums up.

“This year, the ‘Salone del Mobile’ and ‘Interzum’ fairs give us the right energy to present our latest research in the field of surfaces in the best possible way. We will introduce two more new textures, but I don’t want to give anything away yet,” says Caspani.