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Wilkhahn: Designer Items for the Office

January 13, 2009

The office furniture sector has its highs and lows, and that applies to this manufacturer of office furniture as well. Unorthodox ideas have helped Wilkhahn to overcome crises and keep their priduction based in Germany.

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Image: DW-TV

The company's recipe for success is quality rather than quantity. Jochen Hahne, grandson of the founder, has headed the company since 2000. Tailored pieces are his specialty, which means a chair can cost 2000 euros. Renewability and recycling are also important business concepts for him, so he dreamt up a recycling system and has built a rapeseed oil power plant at the factory to produce clean energy. Our reporter Ute Walter pays a visit to the family business.