Product quality
For us, product quality is not just about design and function. Our fittings suit a wide range of applications and can be assembled and installed with utmost precision.
Close observation
Blum products deliver convenience to furniture and make everyday life easier. Our in-house Requirements Research Department carries out observations on the use of furniture and has been researching the needs of users around the world for many years now.
Every kitchen user covers more than 1,500 km in 20 years.
Trend monitoring
We carry out comprehensive trend research so that you can include the furniture of tomorrow in your range today. We monitor changes to modern living worlds, watch which furniture trends come and go - and which stay. Our fittings help you manufacture top quality trendy furniture.
Input from customers
The quality of a fitting depends on sellability, ease of installation and adjustment. Our engineers always base product developments on the value-added chain of our customers. Working with OEM customers and cabinet makers is the best investment we can make to safeguard the quality of our products.
Prototypes
Our product ideas have to prove their suitability for everyday use very early on in the development phase. We do not only rely on computer simulations. Prototypes of our products are used in kitchen labs, where test subjects or we ourselves prepare food. We use the insights gained to optimise our product concepts.
All in all, kitchen drawers, pull-outs, doors and wall cabinets are opened and closed more than 80 times a day.
Single part manufacturing
Our fittings are small in size but huge in function. The CLIP top BLUMOTION hinge, for example, consists of 58 components that are finely tuned to each other. Every micron matters if you want to achieve great feats of engineering. That is why we specify dimensional requirements and define the quality of materials for every single component. Adherence to requirements is constantly checked during production.
Blum holds more than 2,100 patents worldwide.
Machines and equipment
At Blum, the objective of quality management is to produce quality and not simply check it after manufacturing. We develop many of the machines and plants at our production sites ourselves so that we can meet these high quality standards. Thanks to standardised test requirements and automated test rigs, we can manufacture minuscule parts in large quantities to a consistent quality standard.
Quality controls
We use special measuring equipment that is geared to our products to check the quality of parts at hundreds of control points in production. We make much of the equipment ourselves and work together with manufacturers to develop core technologies. More than 26,000 different types of testing equipment are employed at Blum worldwide – from simple callipers to computer tomography.
More than 26,000 pieces of testing and measuring equipment are used at Blum worldwide.
External testing institutes and organisations
Our products are in line with international standards and guidelines. To this end, we work closely with external testing institutes and organisations. However, we can only meet our own quality standards (which are frequently higher than those stipulated) because our employees strive for top quality. Everyone makes a contribution - from the initial idea to the finished product.
Motion and load tests
Our research has shown how hard the rigours of everyday use can be. Lift, hinge, pull-out and pocket systems by Blum continue to provide powerful functionality even under heavy loads. To ensure this we put all our products through stringent motion and load tests. So we only launch products that have passed our meticulous testing process, as do our customers and partners in the furniture industry worldwide.
Tests on hinges comprise 200,000 opening and closing cycles.
Corrosion test
A further feature of Blum products is the surface finish of components. To test the long service life of our fittings, we put them through extreme heat, water and salt exposure. This is how we simulate 20 years' of use within just a few hours. Once we have fully exploited potential for improvement in our lab, the fittings are ready to be employed in furniture.
Material testing
Be it nylon or steel, we use different testing procedures to check the quality of the material used for individual components and finished products. Special testing equipment is employed to simulate ageing, fatigue and a wide range of climatic conditions. Depending on the market, these are the conditions our fittings will be exposed to for many years.
How to identify original Blum products
There's motion, and then there's motion – the quality lies in the detail. The function and durability of Blum fittings are designed to inspire you on a daily basis. Make sure you've got original Blum products. Find out what to look out for here.
ISO certification
Here at Blum, we work with highly regarded independent testing institutes and organisations. We have our own internal standards which are higher than external ones. Blum's Quality Management System is certified to ISO 9001.
AEO certification
Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status is a quality mark indicating that Blum's role in the international supply chain is secure. We're happy to deal with customs clearance for our customers and suppliers. To simplify and expedite customs, safety and security procedures, we attained a combined AEO certificate (AEOF) which is recognised by the European Commission.
