Company profile Employee and organisational development (the Blum Path) The all-round development of our employees and company is our top priority at Blum. The Blum Path is our shared commitment to achieving these development goals. It provides us with both guidelines and targets and, as such, is an important component of our social sustainability efforts (see ‘Knowledge and learning’ chapter). Strategies, trends and innovation We continually develop our strategies in response to ongoing changes in our everyday business activities. However, it is important that we also look ahead to ensure that our company is ready to tackle future opportunities and challenges. We therefore take the time to develop and implement our strategies as part of a collective process. We have created a network within the business and with some select market organisations that continuously monitors the latest trends (e.g. lifestyle, societal, economic and environmental) and assesses their potential impact for our company, including outside of our current core business. We talk transparently about any relevant trends within the company, and our trend network collaborates closely with our innovation network to ensure that these trends are integrated into our work. For us, innovation is the key to safeguarding our future because it empowers us to make continual improvements across all areas of our business. It also requires us to invest consistently in research and development. Thanks to this investment, over many years, we have cemented our position as a pioneering industry leader. Many of our product developments are considered milestones in furniture manufacture. For example, in May 2013, the hinge variant of our multiple award winning BLUMOTION soft-close system for pull-outs, doors and lift systems was awarded the European Inventor Award by the European Patent Office (EPO). We also rank consistently among Austria’s top innovators year on year and have been granted over 2,100 patents worldwide. 13
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