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> Safety and comfort in the press

> Indes case: Spinny

> @Indes: Kay Behrendt

Safety, comfort and ease of use are paramount in every development project Indes undertakes. Recently, two studies conducted in various fields were published which support the focus on these three aspects.

A Scottish/Canadian study has demonstrated that a sitting position in which knees and hips are level – the common 90-degree sitting angle – places considerable strain on the lower back. Ideally, the hips should be above the knees in the widest possible trunk/thigh angle. The Ghopec, which Indes designed for JPG Ergonomics, ensures a perfect sitting position. The chair has been designed for dentists and medical professionals but could also improve the posture of other people with a sedentary job.

GHOPEC’s ergonomic principle has been patented, making the chair one of a kind. Indes was responsible for the design and engineering solutions in this project. In addition, we made the manuals, supervised production start-up and assisted in the GS certification procedure.

The findings of the study come as no surprise to Paul Engels, inventor of the GHOPEC. ‘The study supports the principles on which the GHOPEC is built. Indes has invented some smart mechanisms, so that the chair stimulates users to adopt an optimally ergonomic posture.’

Safe car seats for children

The British Medical Journal has published a study demonstrating that babies sleeping in car seats are at risk of suffocation. Most car seats are not suitable for prolonged sitting or sleeping and yet this appears to be common practice.

A baby’s head can easily roll forward in a car seat, restricting the baby’s breathing. The researchers – from New Zealand – studied nine cases of babies aged three days to six months who were hospitalised with suffocation symptoms. The children were sitting in a car seat when the problems occurred. One child was in the car, the other eight were in a children’s seat at home.

Indes has developed the iZi Sleep for HTS BeSafe. This is a group 0+ seat (to 13 kg) that can be placed in a sleeping position when used outside the car, for example on the carriage of a pushchair. Easy to use outside the car and safe in the car. iZi Sleep responds to the need many parents have for a seat they can use outside the car in which the baby can sit or lie.

For advice on product safety and comfort, please contact Willem Mees van der Bijl, project manager at Indes, tel. +31 (0)53 4803944

‘I like determining the form and working mechanism of a product. That’s why I’ve become a designer,’ says Kay Behrendt. Kay is an account manager at Indes. He was born and raised in Germany, where he read Law and Design. Kay’s graduation project was ‘the future of mobile data processing’, a purely conceptual project for NCR. Various work placements brought him into contact with the Dutch design world. He has worked for various agencies active in such areas as shop design, industrial design and communication, initially as a designer, then as project manager, and eventually as consultant.

After that, Kay worked as an independent consultant for about three years. In that period, he worked on communication projects with different teams. He has found that he prefers working in a team, in which you can benefit from the strengths of colleagues. And that is why he is now on the Indes team.

‘What I like best about designing is plotting the strategy and establishing the programme of requirements for new products,’ says Kay. ‘That is an essential part of my work as an account manager’.

If you’re looking for advice on the requirements that are important for your product or service, please call Kay Behrendt, tel. +31 (0)53 480 3931.