ionews_2009_30

May 2009

IoNews30

latest prof.Jo geraedts

Koos eissen

fineliners and marKers

at tu delft

the good, the bad, the ugly

40 years of produCt design

famous alumni

Wolfram peters and Jeroen van erp

number 4000meet three related numbers: 4, 40 and 400.

2 6 4 8 7

2The toluene in the markers made drawing even more fun

used to be final products for presentations but became a tool in pre-presenting an idea, in showing a first impression. Fineliners and markers had the advantage that they looked better than pencil when reproduced on a copier.

I remember the smell of the markers.

,,They used to be filled with a toluene-containing liquid. It made drawing even more fun right? The refills are now based on alcohol. I do regret one thing though: I should have bought stocks in Pantone. They must have sold millions of markers and refill-units.

You were offered a peek in the kitchen of famous designers. What was your most bizarre meeting?

,,Hard to say. Maybe one of the most bizarre meetings we have had was with Job Smeets (Studio Job). He fills white sheets of paper with a blue ballpoint. He uses only the A4-format, and he fills the whole area of the paper, like children do. I asked how many sheets he had already filled. He took me to a room with four large piles of A4 sheets. Four piles! He gave us half-an-hour to choose. I could have watched his drawings for hours and hours! So much fun.

Here at Amsterdam AutoRAI we are surrounded by sportscars. I was told the red Ferrari 328 GTS on one of the pictures in your book is your own. Are you a petrol head?

,,Yes, definately. Besides the Ferrari, I have got a Citron Traction Avant and an AK 400 Eend bestel. I also use an old 76 Porsche 911 targa for rallying. I would like to buy more classic cars, a Porsche 928 for example, but I wouldnt know where to put it. I think Ill stick to drawing sports cars for now.

Are designers still making drawings by hand? Isnt it more advanced to use a computer in this era?

,, Some may think so, but if you ever enter a design studio, you will find out differently. Studios still make sketches and drawings by hand. They are part of the decision-making process and used in the early stages of design: in brainstorming sessions, research and concept exploration. Drawing has proved to be a powerful tool for communicating with fellow designers, engineers, model makers, clients and contractors.

Is drawing the best way to show an idea?

,,Drawing makes you aware of the spatial impact of your thoughts. A fast way of communicating and interpreting, faster than making a model. People like Khodi Feiz also use drawing as a tool to remember. Feiz, whos sketches are published in our book, often uses a dummy sketchbook for collecting his ideas. A nice way of working, although I could never do that. I would be annoyed by the less succesful drawings and tear out the pages.

Can freehand drawing beat Computer Aided Design?

,,We paid a visit to the makers of Killzone, a very succesful computer game designed by an Amsterdam based company. It turned out that this high-tech, CAD-driven company starts the design of their computer games by first making freehand drawings: artist-impressions and paintings showing a certain atmosphere. What kind of vehicles are to be used, how much dust has to be on the hood, how many bumps should the car have and so on. Classic drawing techniques seem to be very helpful in CAD-drawing: a fading

background, for example, will reduce the amount of polygons in a digital image.

Is your book meant to be a guideline?

,,It is instructive, but its not as explanatory as my previous books. The book shows how our leading designers use their sketching skills, offering inpiration for both students and professionals. Some people consider the book as a guideline: we recently received a request from a Chinese student, who asked for comment on his drawings. It turned out that he had made perfect copies of some of the drawings in my book.

You have introduced fineliners and markers in Delft. Why should we leave drawing with pencils?

,,Freehand drawing used to be done with pencils, preferably thick and black ones like Koh-i-Noor 4b. Fineliners were considered to be not noble. However, the design profession was changing. Drawings

Koos Eissen introduced fineliners

and markers at

TU Delft

Associate professor Koos Eissen (59),

responsible for the freehand drawing

classes at IDE since 1975, employed

current Pininfarinas director of design

Lowie Vermeersch as his student-

assistant. Eissen and his wife Roselien

Steur paid a visit to his former students,

now leading designers, and asked them

for first sketches of products.

At Amsterdam AutoRAI, Eissen talks with

IO News about the sketches collected

in Sketching, drawing techniques for

product designers.

Koos Eissen and his daughter Eiske

www.sketching.nl

Sketching; drawing techniques for

product designers K. Eissen, R. Steur

ISBN : 978-90-6369-171-4

Koos instructs exchange students

The year 2009 is a jubilee year for the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE): our 40th anniversary. We will celebrate this with a big party on June 18th for employees and alumni. We also organized a number of special activities and symposia, such as the Mobility Event, featuring a number of IDE-graduates with key positions in the automotive industry. In cooperation with Kunsthal Rotterdam, we are preparing an exhibition of 40 years of excellent design, showing both the past and the future-fitness of the IDE approach. IDE methods and knowledge can help developing the future, not only to the benefit of the industry, but also in socio-cultural ways. IDE engineers have the ability to design and visualize different versions of the future, and offering a choice. In October we will have a conference on this theme: Challenging the future; designing for sustainable living and working. A symposium that will apply to our key-ambition: Sustainable wellbeing.

prof.dr. Cees J.P.M. de Bont, dean

PREFACE

Col

um

n

Salone del Mobile

In 2003 four of us left Eindhoven on our way to the design fair in Milan. We travelled by way of

Brussels Charleroi, then on to Bergamo where we boarded a coach (the cheapest mode of transport)

for the remainder of the journey. We slept out of doors at a campsite located far outside the city

centre: we had to walk, take a bus and connect to Milans underground to reach the city.

The next day we attended the only football match Ive ever seen live Rome v Milan. Collina was the referee and the match ended in a 3-3 tie. We ended our day with drinks at Le Tre Marie close to Via Torino. You find places like this by sheer coincidence. You then find yourself returning night after night because the food is so good, the service by Marianne is so attentive and Alfonsos cocktails are so surprisingly refreshing. We will simply have to forgive him for sending us to a trendy nightclub on our last night in town we ended up waiting for an hour in the rain before finally being sent packing.

Of course we also saw design: Droog, Cappellini and Armani... the Zona Tortona and we even had a look at the design course at Polytecnico di Milano. Really exciting stuff... Really.

Two of the four of us are now designers, one is a mechanical engineer and the fourth is a designer and researcher in Delft. These days when we get together for drinks and talk about the trip, we never discuss Jurgen Bey, but we always talk about Collina, Marianne and Alfonso. Working as a designer is really nice, but sometimes design is just a really good reason for other unique experiences.

Thomas Visser

PhD candidate at the ID StudioLab

AGEnDAwww.io.tudelft.nl/events

I.D-KAFEE FoR AlumnI: Every first Wednesday of the month

Go to www.ioalumni.nl to register. The association is open to everyone with a bachelor or master degree in Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft.

We hope to see you soon, the board of the IO Alumni association.

3

Throughout 2009

Ten Top TalksInspiring lunch lectures. Rodney Fitch (January), Stephen Batill (February), Henrique Cayatte (March) and John Ehrenfeld (April) were already very successful. The following lectures are planned: Huibert Groenendijk (28th May) and Mirjam van Coillie (18th June). After summer holidays, four more lectures will be planned.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

mKB InnovatieontbijtEntrepeneurs are invited to have breakfast and learn about IDEs contribution to D-INCERT (Dutch Innovation Centre for the Electrification of Road Transport) and Car In The Future, a cooperation between the three Dutch universities of technology. Key-speakers: Cees de Bont (IDE dean), Sacha Silvester (Delft Design Institute). Registration obligatory: www.valorisationcentre.tudelft.nl

Thursday 18 June 2009

lustrum Party WonderlandCelebration of 40th IDE anniversary for (former) employees and alumni. During this event we will raise money for Help Manuel (www.io.tudelft.nl/helpmanuel).

Friday 25 September 2009

mobility EventAdrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Lowie Vermeersch (Pininfarina), Laurens van den Acker (Renault) and other IDE alumni with key-positions in the automotive industry have been invited to give their vision on future mobility.

17 - 25 October 2009

Design unitedInformation will become available on our website

Wednesday 28 October 2009

livingInternational symposium coinciding with the inaugural speech of professor Keyson (Smart Products and Environments). The symposium addresses the role of design

and design research regarding the issue of sustainability from social and environmental perspectives, with a focus on the living and work contexts.

Thursday 12 November 2009

Design for usabilityHow to reduce usability problems with electronic products? Design for Usability is a collaboration of the three Dutch Universities of Technology, Philips, Oc, Thales and Indes. Hosted by professor Daan van Eijk.

16 - 18 November 2009

Conference Impact of Base-of-the-Pyramid Ventures

Main question: how to define, measure, and optimize towards enduring value creation of BoP ventures? Hosted by professor Prabhu Kandachar.

19 December 2009 - 14 March 2010

Exhibition 40 years of IDE.

4norbert Roozenburg

Ton Horsten

Paul van den Bosch

Wolfram Peters

The good, the bad, the ugly

40 years ofproduct design

December 2009, Kunsthal Rotterdam will exhibit 40 years

of excellent product design. We have asked the people

interviewed in this magazine to give an example of good,

bad and funny design. Some chose among their own

designs, some chose a product designed by others.

The 1980 VBA flower container, the graduation project of Rob Willemsen. One of our most succesfull graduation projects. Millions of these have been sold and it is still in production. Functionally,

aesthetically and commercially a perfect product, comparable with the Senz Umbrella storm umbrella.

The sun umbrella, my first commercial product in Africa (1978), produced by Mr. Diagne, president director general (as he stated himself) of a metal workshop, which included himself and an irregular bunch of helpers. The umbrella was to replace the

First graduate Norbert

Roozenburg (right) with

his project buxi in 1971

Probably an obvious choice, but Im still fascinated by Apples iPhone. The simple design and ease of use hide an incredible amount of technology.

I would like to add our E-Connect series for Wila Lighting, because its one of the most intellectual designs we have ever made. High quality materials and perfect manufactured. We received the 1997 Kho Liang Ie Award of the City of Amsterdam for this product range, together with Jos

Oberdorf. Another design that I am very proud of, is Blue Performance, a sailing yacht accessory line: not only the products, but also the whole brand development, website, user instructions and trade fair introduction in 2003.

5Jo Geraedts

Wolfram Peters

Jeroen van Erp

The Oc VarioPrint 1055 BC, a copier/ printer/ scanner designed for public environments, enabling scanning without loss of information or damage to fragile books, as pages can be placed fully flat on the glass. Users can easily combine several

scans in one document and convert them into Word or PDF. The challenge was to create a reliable, inviting design and to reduce anxiety feelings that novice users often experience. The 1055 BC acquired the iF product design award 2007.

Wim KolenbranderA memorystick, representing the huge development in this area over the past 40 years. I graduated in a time when computers were very expensive and filled up a whole room. Nowadays this technology has been applied in a wide range of products and it will keep on changing our profession.

Sometimes things get really silly, such as the Presovar, a coffeemaker designed by Martin Necas in 2008. Say no more... An example of a very good design is the Pininfarina conceptcar Nido, designed by IDE-graduate

Lowie Vermeersch. A brilliant concept. The new Volkswagen UP and new Fiat were inspired by this concept. The Nido has won the most prestigious design prize of Italy.

What was your graduation project?

The buxi: a dial-a-ride bus delivering door-to-door public transport. The municipality of Emmen wanted a pilot project based on the dial-a-ride concept developed in the United States. In cooperation with fourth-year-student Jaap Maartense, I developed the steelwork and interior of the buxi, based on a Mercedes-Benz chassis and powertrain.

You graduated in 1971. What did you do next?

I started working for IDE. During the eighties I worked as a team leader at Total Design in Amsterdam and I was executive-officer of the Akademie Industrile Vormgeving Eindhoven (the current Design Academy). In the end I felt most at home at Delft University of Technology and chose for a career at IDE.

What part of your IDE education has been most useful

regarding your current job?

Being executive officer of education at IDE, it is very helpful that Ive studied here myself. I have especially enjoyed graphic design, photography and philosophy. Unfortunately these are no longer obligatory in the current curriculum.

What, in your opinion, should be added to the IDE

education, or intensified?

I think technology should be taken more serious. Too many students and teachers limit their attention to form, concept, interaction and experience. The actual engineering is often left to mechanical engineers. To me that is a sad misunderstanding. We are not a Design Academy and shouldnt strive to be one.

What are you most proud of professionally?

An article that I wrote and that was published in Design Studies in 1993: On the pattern of reasoning in innovative design. The article is based on the ideas of the late professor Johannes Eekels and proves that the making of a design cannot be traced back to deductive processes and that design processes aimed at new solutions cannot be automated. Every designer knows this by intuition. The article provides scientific proof for this thesis. Writing the article gave me a sense of adding to science.

Which question has, to your own relief, not been asked in

this short interview?

What have 40 years of research and development in education added to the practice of design and engineering? Has it led to a fundamental change?

norbert RoozenburgAfter graduating as IDEs first ever graduate in 1971, Norbert Roozenburg (63) continued working for IDE.

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secondhand repaired umbrellas that foreigners in Senegal left behind. These were fairly expensive and rather vulnerable in the rough street and market life of Dakar. The design was based on market research by a Senegalese co-worker, who ran around with prototypes to get comments on the design, price et cetera. The umbrella was made of building materials that were readily available in Senegal.

Another design I would like to add is the desk set for Casteleijn (1983). The basic idea is a set of props supporting a glass plate. The cupboards take into account the status of the real manager, unwilling to or incapable of bending over to reach lower drawers. The cupboard is not attached to the wall, as the walls in modern offices cannot support such loads.

We have contacted Rob (59) in order to find out to find out his

current occupation. Since my graduation, I have always been an

Industrial Design Engineer. Next to the VBA flower container, the

Senseo Crema coffee machine is the second highlight in his career.

I headed the entire team as project leader for the first two years."

Both of those products have sold millions in their own markets.

"But the first was a one-man project, the second the result of efforts

by an entire team. Yet I think the following credo applies equally to

both: Everything thats needed, but nothing that isnt. Rob is now

Managing Partner of Well Design (www.welldesign.com).

Number 4, 40, 400... and who will be number 4000?


Designing audio-visual media for schools in developing countries. The project ended up to be a pretty theoretical piece of thinking on how a designer could design for foreign cultures.

You graduated in 1976. What did you

do next?

I left for Senegal, where I started working for UNESCO. I was charged with the development of school materials that were to be produced locally (furniture, learning materials). I also designed a couple of commercial products for the local market such as sun umbrellas for market women.

What part of your IDE education has

been most useful regarding your

current job?

Ive learned to doubt the apparently obvious, both in problems and in solutions.

What, in your opinion, should be added

to the IDE education, or intensified?

I dont have any idea how the present training looks like. I left in 1976 and have never been back but once, to see the building at the Mekelweg.

What are you most proud of

professionally?

First of all, that I have been able to make a living out of design during my whole life. Secondly, having gone to Africa as an industrial designer in 1976 and working there for 5 years. Some of the things I did there really had an impact. Thirdly the design of an office furniture set for Casteleijn in the eighties. Some projects I did (ceiling system/3d blinds) for Hunter Douglas and recently my contribution to the development of a successful industrial product development training at Windesheim, University of applied sciences, Zwolle.

Which question has, to your own relief,

not been asked in this short interview?

Do you think you are a real good designer? Did you always work according to your own, professed, beliefs? Has design a positive impact on the world?


I graduated at DAF trucks Eindhoven on a modular design for a dashboard. I made a full-scale model of foam. The dashboard was never taken into production since DAF had just started the manufacturing of a metal dashboard. During my graduation I also re-wrote and translated an American guideline on human factors in passenger car design. My translation was an early example of ergonomics and was used up till the late eighties.

Do you have a drivers license for

a truck?

No. I only drove on the parking lot...


do next?

I graduated on December 19th, I started at DAF on December 20th. I think I was the only one in my class to find a full-time job that soon. I worked on the development of simulation models for trucks. The models made it possible to trigger design solutions based on calculations of exploitation costs, planning et cetera. It was a pioneering technology that has become standard.



current job?

Being trained in pioneering in design. I never lost that approach. Im still developing new things.



Re-introduction of the Dutch language. Why do students and teachers talk to each other about their deepest design visions and thoughts in a foreign language? Fingerspitzengefhl gets lost in translation.


professionally?

Besides pioneering in truck simulation models, Im quite proud of my idea for the 1-1-3 photo delict emergency call. I took part in a contest in which I presented my idea for an emergency number based on photos: 1-1-3 sends a photo straight to the police. The idea wasnt taken seriously. I received a kind of honorable mention: a small police flashlight. Later on, several police captains became enthusiastic about the idea. They now claim to having thought it up themselves and started a pilot project.

Wim Kolenbrander The day after graduating at IDE in 1972, Wim Kolenbrander (60) started working at DAF Eindhoven. After working for Philips and Eindhoven University of Technology, he currently works for Obec Software.

Ton HorstenAfter graduating at IDE in 1976, Ton Horsten (59) left for Senegal, where he started designing school materials and furniture for UNESCO. He returned to The Netherlands, started his own company, worked for Hunter Douglas and is currently teaching industrial design at Hogeschool Windesheim (Zwolle).

www.onewaywave.nl

www.p-i-d.nl

NUMBER

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NUMBER

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Student number 4000 will graduate during the 40th anniversay of Industrial Design Engineering. meet three related numbers: 4, 40 and 400.

6

7Number 4, 40, 400... and who will be number 4000?


I did a project for Alisun, a producer of sun tanning equipment. They were looking for new products to add to their portfolio. I did a market research and proposed to start developing a range of fitness equipment products. I concluded my project with the development of a concept for a treadmill.


do next?

My first job was at Formaat, a sub contractor for Philips. I participated in a project for automating and centralizing the control of Rijkswaterstaat tunnels, bridges and motorways. Our assignment was to develop several alternatives for the new organization of control rooms, design control room layouts and to assist in the user interface design.



current job?

In my job as a business consultant at Fujitsu Services, it is very important to understand both business and user requirements and to translate these into feasible solutions, based on available technology. I think the broad generalist view of the IDE curriculum has been very useful.



Its been 20 years since I graduated. Im not familiar with the current curriculum.


professionally?

In a previous company I introduced an idea for a new software product: a work permitting solution for the process industry to support technical personnel to execute maintenance activities in a safe way. We developed this idea into a full product range. It is now being used in dozens of companies throughout Europe.



Would you have chosen again to study IDE?

NUMBER

400

Paul van den BoschAfter graduating at IDE in 1987, Paul van den Bosch (47) started working on the design and re-development of Directorate General of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) control rooms. He is currently working as a business consultant at Fujitsu Services.

Student number 4000 will graduate during the 40th anniversay of Industrial Design Engineering. meet three related numbers: 4, 40 and 400.

www.fujitsu.com

www.global.oce.com

After graduating in physics at Eindhoven University of Technology in 1976, Jo Geraedts (56) obtained a PhD in Physics and Mathematics. He started working for Oc Industrial Design in Venlo and is IDEs latest professor (December 2008).


I did a research on laser development, optics, plasma physics and gas dynamics. My thesis: De twee-golflengten-laser-schlieren-methode toegepast op een thermische grenslaag in een Argon plasma.

You graduated in 1976, what did you do next?

Starting in 1979, I worked for four years as an experimental physicist at Radboud University Nijmegen. In 1983 I obtained my PhD, based on research of Infrared Laser Excitation of Clusters, the first step on the road to nanotechnology. The radiation was produced by a self designed CO2 laser.

What part of your education has been most useful regarding

your current job?

I consider my work in the company as an important part of my education, especially the learning process during the technical design of the Oc 3165 printer and the mechatronic research projects at Oc Group Research. Generally speaking I think its important that an industrial designer can act as a member of a team instead of playing the industrial designer as a consultant role.

What, in your opinion, should be added to the IDE

education, or intensified?

Intensifying the focus on integral product development. As a member in a multidisciplinary team, one needs to understand that a team should optimize the total product instead of each individual efficiently optimizing his sub-solution.

What are you most proud of (professionally)?

Working on the biggest development in the office scenery of the last 25 years, which is unquestionably the PC on every desk. This development changed the copying machine into a multifunctional printer, which influenced both the engine and the interface. At Oc Design, I was responsible for developing one look and feel.

Where do you see IDE in ten years?

We will experience an increase in the use of adaptive control. The basic algorithms have been known for decades, but they have hardly been applied because of the intense calculation that they require. This is not a problem anymore. Adaptive control can compensate for user behavior, variations in the environment or in the system itself. In general, the controller can simultaneously learn about the process while controlling its behavior. These developments will result in a decade in which we will be less focused at stand-alone products that you can touch, and more on products with a mix of reality and virtual-reality.

Jo Geraedts

IO News is a publication of the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). It is published twice a year and will be sent to all professional contacts free of charge.

Delft University of TechnologyFaculty of Industrial Design EngineeringMarketing and CommunicationLandbergstraat 15NL-2628 CE DelftThe NetherlandsTelephone +31(0)15 27 89166Fax +31(0)15 27 87662Email [email protected] www.ide.tudelft.nl

Final editorsMichel Heesen, Angeline Westbroek, Hugo Nagtzaam.

DesignHaagsblauw, The Hague

PhotographySam Rentmeester/FMAX

Printed byDeltaHage, The Hague

Print4500

ContributorsMarketing and Communication IDE, Pleun Lauwerier, Cees de Bont, Thomas Visser, Koos Eissen, Norbert Roozenburg, Wim Kolenbrander, Ton Horsten, Paul van den Bosch, Jo Geraedts, Wolfram Peters, Jeroen van Erp.

Interested in receiving IO News twice a year to keep you up-to-date? Send us an email or give us a call! Telephone +31(0)15 27 89166Email [email protected]

IO News is published on our website. Visit www.ide.tudelft.nl and download IO News in PDF-format.

Creating suCCessful produCts people love to use

Our mission is to contribute to the knowledge, skills, methods and

professional attitude in the field of integrated product development.

We aim to achieve this through education and research at an

internationally recognized scientific level. We study, innovate and

improve the development of durable products and their related

services for people, on the basis of the balanced interest of users,

industry, society and environment.


The redesign and organization of the control centre dealing with the traffic control for the Rotterdam Harbor, located in Hoek van Holland. The design of the building and its specialized computer furniture was realized in 1980.


do next?

I started my own design studio together with Peter Krouwel. We named it Peters en Krouwel. In 1985 we changed the name of the company into ninaber/peters/krouwel industrial design, followed by npk industrial design (1996) and npk design (present).



current job?

Learning to use both your left and right brains in translating dreams into real products and services.



First of all scenario development in complex issues and, secondly, working together with other professions.


(professionally)?

Thirty years of npk design and all the products we made.



How will the market for industrial design in Europe and worldwide develop in the next 40 years?

www.npk.nl

Jeroen van ErpAfter graduating at IDE in 1988, Jeroen van Erp (49) started working as a freelance designer. In 1992, he was one of the founders of Fabrique.


It was an electronic routing system for large buildings such as hospitals. All the signs could be altered from a central point. I did the research and I designed the system, the signs and a readable typeface for the LCD screens, which at that time were still pretty low-res. Together with two students in Electrical Engineering, I built a working prototype.


do next?

It was a horrible time for finding a job. I managed to get some assignments so I decided to start working for myself. It went pretty well. In order to get bigger assignments, we started Fabrique in 1992.

What part of your IDE education has been

most useful regarding your current job?

To be honest, the most useful parts were in fact the inspiring lessons by people like Wim Crouwel, Ootje Oxenaar, Hans Baudet and Paul Mijksenaar. Besides that its a big asset that we are trained as generalists.



It would be great if personal skills and talents were more valued and developed. I also think theres a big future for discipline-independent creative thinkers. I think the overall focus should shift more towards design thinking rather than design doing.

What are you most proud of professionally?

Im most proud of the people I work with, the products and services we create and being one of the co-creators of Fabrique.



Why are you so critical about the Design education?

Famous alumniMany Industrial Design Engineering alumni have reached key-positions in the industry. Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Lowie Vermeersch

(Pininfarina) and Laurens van den Acker (Mazda) are international role models in automotive design. Automotive design is not the only

industry in which IDEs alumni are leading: meet Wolfram Peters (npk design) and Jeroen van Erp (Fabrique).

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Wolfram PetersAfter graduating at IDE in 1978, Wolfram Peters (56) started his own design studio Peters en Krouwel with Peter Krouwel, currently npk design.

www.fabrique.nl

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