TEAMS Design - History

History

In 1956 Hans Erich Slany founded Slany Design in Esslingen, Germany. At this point he approached Robert Bosch GmbH with his ideas for power tools housed in plastics, a revolutionary idea that would make tools lighter, reducing the incidence of repetitive strain injury in workers. This idea also reduced the incidence of electric shocks to users. To train their engineers and commemorate a traveling European exhibition called "Making Work Easier: Ergonomics for Power Tools", Bosch published a book based on Slany's recommendations: "The influence of Ergonomics on the Design of Power Tools". TEAMS still manages the visual brand language of Bosch Power Tools even today.

During this time, Slany was very active in the design community, forming the Verband Deutscher Industrie Designer e.V. (VDID), with six other designers in 1959.

To secure new leadership for the firm's future after many decades, Slany sold some of his shares to designers Reinhard Renner and Klaus Schoen. The firm began to be known as SLANY DESIGN TEAMS with the intent of phasing out Slany's name upon his retirement. In 1996 when Slany stepped down, the name was officially changed to TEAMS Design GmbH.

In 1998, TEAMS Design began to expand internationally, founding their first branch in Chicago with Paul Hatch as president. The second German branch in Hamburg was opened under the direction of by Ulrich Warth in 2002. Ulrich Schweig succeeded Warth in 2010. Further international expansion quickly followed as branches were established in Belgrade and Shanghai in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Zarko Bubalo heads the Belgrade location, and Jonas Vollmer and An Luo direct the Shanghai office. The firm currently employs over 90 employees across all five locations.

TEAMS Design GmbH is currently run by Reinhard Renner, Hans Peter Aglassinger, and Klaus Baumgartner. Aglassinger and Baumgartner took over Schoen’s shares in the firm upon his retirement in 2003.