HAMM: 38 design and innovation awards in 25 years

Great design creates quality and safety

In addition to innovative technologies, the company attaches great value to a successful design. "As a result, ergonomics, functionality and aesthetics are in perfect harmony, and we imbue our rollers with 'HAMM-DNA'," explains Dr Axel Römer, Head of Research and Development at HAMM. By the end of 2021, HAMM had received 38 international design and innovation awards for pioneering, user-friendly products and solutions, and they therefore also play a leading role in this field. "By awarding us these many international design prizes, external, independent professionals have affirmed that, for over 25 years now, we have been on the right track as a construction machine manufacturer with our visions and concepts," reports Dr Stefan Klumpp, Director at HAMM AG. However, design is not an end in itself for the company, since intelligent configuration and the process design of the HAMM rollers help to prevent operator errors, for example. This not only increases safety, it also means that machine efficiency and comfort can be optimised thanks to a well-thought-out design. All in all, this contributes to high-quality compaction.

Revolutionary tandem roller

In 1999, the world's first design award for a roller went to HAMM. At that time, the roller specialist wanted to design the HD series to be more ergonomic and, with this in mind, they completely redesigned the frame and the drum suspension. As a result, for the first time, drivers were able to keep an eye on the entire drum with sprinkling system. Furthermore, it was then also possible to achieve precise edge-finishing along higher walls. In the cab too, a paradigm shift took place at that time – not only was a driver's seat added, but this seat could also be rotated and moved. In doing so, HAMM not only set new standards for the design of articulated tandem rollers. The basic principle of the rotating and sliding driver's seat became established as the standard that was gradually followed by other roller manufacturers too.

Focus on clear user guidance

The consistent design, with a focus on the driver, is still a maxim when developing new HAMM rollers. "One example is the Easy Drive operating concept, which we have offered and continuously developed for all machine types since 2016," says Dr Axel Römer. In any situation, the driver has great freedom of movement and a clear view of the environment around the rollers and of all of the areas of the driver's platform and cab. The language-neutral labels on all switches and buttons, along with their ergonomic layout, are part of the concept. These mean that the machine is easier, clearer and safer to operate. An ergonomically optimised workstation also involves a low level of vibration and noise. The modern cabs and platforms on HAMM's rollers already boast extremely low vibration thanks to the design. Furthermore, HAMM has implemented up-to-date solutions for a sound-absorbing design.

Design for digital solutions too

The focus is also on the driver when designing digital products. The latest example of this is the "Smart Doc" app, which supports the compaction control and documentation. "Specialists in communication design came on board for this, in order to use modern UX design methods to design the dialogues and displays so that they are as simple and clear as possible," explains Dr Axel Römer. As is the case with all Wirtgen Group machines, the focus of digitalisation was not on the individual machines, but on networking and the exchange of data between different construction machines.

Sustainable from the ground up

Alongside modern design, HAMM is also focusing on the topic of sustainability more than ever before. Therefore, when selecting materials – from wear-resistant steel, through to recycled plastic – and when supplying spare parts, value is attached to resource-conserving solutions.