WHY CHOOSE HANSGROHE?

Hansgrohe were established in 1901 and for the past 100 years they have based their business success on the highest levels of manufacturing quality, innovation & invention, and service to their customers, the environment and the bathroom industry. Aquabrand hold the same core beliefs and so it was natural for us to choose Hansgrohe as the company to specialise in. We have been advising on Hansgrohe products and supplying to clients and customers across the globe every working day for the past 3 years.

Prestigious commercial and public developments in which Architects and developers have used Hansgrohe products include: The Queen Mary II liner, Norwegian Jewel liner, MS Europa liner, Grand Hyatt hotel (Shanghai), SAS Radisson Blue Heaven (Frankfurt), Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa (Switzerland), Hotel St Martins Lane (London), Bvlgarie Hotel (Milan, Italy), Side Hotel (Hamburg), Hotel Josef (Prague), Lufthansa First Class Lounge (Frankfurt), Europa Park Rust (Germany), Grand Marina Eurostars (Barcelona) and many more.

Here are some of the many reasons why organisations and individuals who require the best the industry has to offer always choose to install Hansgrohe products, whether it be in domestic properties, top hotels, luxury liners or indeed anywhere that water flows.

1. High Quality Materials & Innovation

Quality starts with the choice of material. Hansgrohe therefore only uses high-quality materials that complement each other perfectly and in long-term testing meet all the requirements in the bathroom. Innovative advances in the type and use of materials used in production have brought about developments such as the Rubit anti-limescale cleaning system, which allows the easy removal of limescale by simply rubbing it off the elastic silicone discs.

2. Sophisticated Electroplating

Since Hansgrohe strive to keep their products and manufacturing processes as environmentally friendly as possible, they have also broken new ground when it comes to electroplating their shower and mixer surfaces. This puts the least possible strain on the environment while ensuring a high-quality surface. Hansgrohe were the first company to produce a complete stainless steel bathroom programme with Axor Steel. This manufacturing process put 50% less strain on the environment than conventional production methods (as certified by the Fraunhofer Institute).

3. A Higher Safety Standard

Your safety is Hansgrohe's priority. The safety standards which Hansgrohe has set itself, in most instances significantly exceed the regulations of the trade. An example of this is the hot water Stop button on Hansgrohe thermostatic mixers, which prevents high temperatures being chosen accidentally and protects against scalding.

4. Water Conserving Products

The nature of Hansgrohe's products means that they have a special relationship with water and therefore a special responsibility to conserve it. This is also reflected in their development of water conserving products and water recycling systems. Examples of this are the Ecostop function on Ecostat thermostatic mixers, which saves up to 50% of the water the product uses, saving water, energy and money, and Waterdimmer restrictors, inserted into shower and mixers, significantly reducing the amount of water flowing through the product - good for both the environment and your budget.

5. Solar Energy

Hansgrohe is active in the use of sustainable energy resources. They have used solar energy, generated on the roof of their Offenburg factory, since 1993. They now generate more than 140,000 kWh per year - enough to supply 40 households.

6. Multiple Environmental Award Winner

Among its many environmental awards, Hansgrohe became the first industrial company to receive the official environmental prize awarded by the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, in 1995. Their largest production sites are governed by an environmental management system that operates in accordance with the Eco Management Audit Scheme (EMAS).

7. Shower Fun XXL

Fun in the shower increases with the size of the shower, therefore Hansgrohe have created Raindance, offering especially generous spray surfaces. Raindance hand and overhead showers systems are available with diameters of 100mm to 600mm. Raindance hand showers were designed with the modern user in mind, combining a shorter handle but with larger head than traditional hand showers. This development like many others that Hansgrohe create, is being viewed as a significant advancement in shower design, and is now imitated by other manufacturers in the industry.

8. AIR injection technology

Hansgrohe's patented AIR technology allows water to be mixed with air in the shower head, which provides a more forceful but softer feeling shower experience. Practically all Raindance showers are equipped with the AIR function, setting a new and unique quality standard in showers, also reducing water use by 10% or more. Other companies have started to use similar product names and terms to give the impression that similar technology is used but this is simply not the case. It should be noted that other companies shower products incorporating the word RAIN are merely attempting to capture the global success of RAINDANCE and contain none of the patented technology of Hansgrohe's Raindance shower products.

9. Spare Parts Peace Of Mind

Hansgrohe have a policy of manufacturing products with as many replaceable spare parts as possible. Even when a product is discontinued, Hansgrohe hold parts for those products for many years after. This is not the case with many other manufacturers, particularly those made in the Far East with internal parts not be able to be replaced or impossible to find.

10. Hansgrohe UK's Five Year Guarantee

The standard guarantee for any Hansgrohe product is 2 years parts & labour. This includes all parts other than those which will degrade due to expected wear and tear, such as thermostatic cartridges which will be affected by hard water. However, Hansgrohe UK have increased this 2 year guarantee period to a 5 year guarantee. This extended guarantee is only applicable if you have purchased your Hansgrohe product through an authorised UK dealer from 2007 onwards. If you are not sure, ask your retailer if they are purchasing via Hansgrohe UK, or alternatively telephone Hansgrohe UK on 01372 465655 to verify that the dealer is authorised.

For further articles and websites illustrating why Hansgrohe are Europe's leading manufacturer of shower equipment, please see Aquabrand's Articles & Links pages.

Hansgrohe prides itself on the high level of its manufacturing quality, and is governed by the standards expected by German and European regulations. However, this is not the case with many other companies. In today's global marketplace, an increasing number of products from the Far East are appearing in our shops and on the internet. Although some of these manufacturing companies take safety and manufacturing quality seriously, the recent scares and recalling of products in the food and toy industries have highlighted the need for precaution when buying goods manufactured in such countries. Aquabrand deals with countless customers who have previously purchased a bathroom product made in the Far East and found that it ceases to work in a short space of time. Just because a product looks good, has a name attached to it that sounds European, or is being sold by an established company does not mean that it was made in Europe.

The following recent quotes indicate the caution that should be taken when purchasing bathroom goods made in the Far East:

BSRIA (Building Services Research and Information Association):

"Basin fittings are still rather basic in China, with half of sales being pillar taps (often made from cast iron) and very few fittings sales in the medium to high quality areas."

"In China, brand image and product design are gaining importance over technical function. There are still many localised companies copying the designs of major players and selling the products at a fraction of the cost."

"Most production of medium-lower quality products is in the cities of Tangshan and Luoyang."

"For taps and mixers there are some 4,000 manufacturers, mostly in the low segment."

"The Chinese market remains open with Chinese manufacturing standards readily attainable and in any case not strictly enforced."

CNNMoney.com

Gerrick Johnson, analyst with BMO Capital Markets

"From the reports that I get about China, the manufacturing areas seem like the wild wild east. It's capitalism run amok with no enforcement of any standards."

Simon Watkins, Deputy Editor, Financial Mail, www.thisismoney.co.uk

"There is no reason to believe products made in China are automatically going to be of inferior quality or pose a danger. But there is a link between China's breakneck growth - and its strenuous efforts to fill Western shelves with low-cost products - and quality levels."

"Nowhere can expand as rapidly as China without quality being put at risk. It is not possible for millions of workers to migrate from the fields to the factories in a few years without such dangers. And where there are quick fortunes to be made, there will be opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to cut corners."

"That is not to mention the counterfeit industry that thrives in China. It is probably only a matter of time before a swathe of products is pulled from the shelves of our supermarkets because they are found to be copies rather than the real thing."

Wednesday, 4 July 2007 www.bbc.co.uk

"Nearly a fifth of goods made and sold in China have been found to be sub-standard, Beijing has revealed."

Rouse & Co International - global intellectual property consultants

Taken from www.iprights.com

Hansgrohe AG v. Yuhuan ZHONGYUAN Sanitary Wares Co Ltd

Hansgrohe AG (Hansgrohe) have registered many Chinese design patents for products such as bathroom shower units. In recent years, they have experienced large scale infringement of some of their patent designs, particularly by companies based in Zhejiang and Guangdong, who slavishly copy their designs and export the infringing products overseas. Two popular designs for a shower head and hand held shower were targeted for infringement. Both share a unique design and achieve good sales in the European market. Having conducted an extensive investigation into Yuhuan ZHONGYUAN Sanitary Wares Co Ltd (ZHONGYUAN)and its activities, Hansgrohe decided that it had enough evidence to ground two applications with the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, and requested two preliminary injunction orders in respect of both infringed designs patents. Both applications were granted after a short period of deliberation on the 17th of March 2005. This resulted in Court officials visiting the factory of ZHONGYUAN and seizing several product moulds and over 1,000 units of infringing products, which were then sealed in the warehouse of the ZHONGYUAN factory. Hansgrohe subsequently filed a lawsuit with the same Court shortly thereafter against the same company. The case was eventually heard on the 12th of July 2005, and was mediated by the Court on the 28th of July 2005. Under the terms of the settlement, the factory agreed to cease its infringement and the infringing products were transferred from the ZHONGYUAN warehouse to a Hansgrohe facility for treatment.

Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.