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The redesign of a biogas upgrading housing

Linden, T.B. van der (2018) The redesign of a biogas upgrading housing.

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Abstract:Nowadays, the design of the product plays a major role when functional differences become significant small. In order to be distinctive on the market as a company, distinction must be made in both areas. The company Bright Biomethane sees opportunities in this area of product design. Bright Biomethane is a subsidiary of the main company HoSt. HoSt is the supplier of biogas plants and Bright Biomethane has been established for supplying the biogas upgrading systems. These biogas upgrading systems consist of shipping containers containing the biogas upgrading equipment. Bright Biomethane wants to change the look of the shipping container housing so it has a more stylish appearance. At the moment the containers just look like regular cheap shipping containers. In addition, the redesign also needs to provide more brand recognition. The aim of the assignment is to redesign the housing of the equipment of the biogas upgrading installation to ensure that Bright Biomethane’s systems are recognized as being from Bright Biomethane and are more appealing to the eye to get stronger position on the market as a biogas upgrading system supplier. To gather the relevant data for the requirements of the new housing, all stakeholders were analyzed and interviews were held and information was gathered about brand recognition. This research showed that in comparison with the competition, Bright Biomethane does not differ much in terms of the appearance of the upgrading systems. The distinctive character is mainly based on technical specifications and the simplistic way of working. There is no direct demand from the customer to adjust the housing, which resulted in the housing being designed from the perspective of the company rather than that of the customer. Also, a low budget redesign had to be taken into account, which limited the various possibilities. In addition, the company had the wish to dispose larger installations in the housing and increasing work- and maintenance space. At last, for brand recognition, consistency of the corporate identity turns out to be a key factor. Ultimately all requirements and wishes were included in the list of requirements which is a good guideline for redesigning the housing. Because the most important requirement was to get rid of the container appearance, alternative housings were first looked at. The search resulted in the alternative housings going over the intended budget. This fact led to a go / no go decision which resulted in staying with the current shipping container housing. To get fully rid of the container look, a method was examined to fully cover the container with façade cladding so that it no longer resembles the container; unfortunately this method went also over the budget. Now it was decided to stay with the current shipping container housing, it was examined what the shipping container gives its cheap look and what it takes to break it within the intended budget. The most important factors were the simplistic symmetrical shape, primary color use, the emergence of rust and low visual complexity. To counteract these factors, subtle adjustments have been examined so that it no longer associated with the standard shipping container, increases the brand recognition and is applicable for all customers and different containers. After a large form study and several designs were made, a choice was made for the final concept by means of an internal meeting and a multi-criteria analysis. This moment of choice showed that a subtle adjustment in the form of a paint adjustment to the container is most preferred. The final design has to be elaborated on certain aspects such as the logo design, color choice, choice of paint, realization and costs. These choices were made on the basis of the preference of the company and the associated theory. The final design was then tested by means of a SWOT analysis in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This analysis resulted in the insight that the adjustment certainly offers added value for the customer and the company. The product is in line with the characteristics of the company, ensures more brand recognition, represents more quality and reliability, is durable and can be used for all customers and containers. Finally a production ready design was delivered which the company will take into production. A recommendation for the company is to test the final design by submitting it to future customers. From this test they will be able to receive information about the acceptance of the new design. In addition, it is advisable to look over the longer term whether the brand recognition has actually grown and whether more installations have been sold. As a final recommendation, the company should check whether the design principle also can be applied in the main company. The main company HoSt also uses the standard shipping container as a housing and also uses the standard shipping container colors. From the research, color appears to play a very important role for the association of the shipping container. Therefore, it should be considered whether the same design principle can also be applied in the main company.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:20 art studies
Programme:Industrial Design BSc (56955)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/77571
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