Fond Of relies on the powerful Windows collaboration display from Sharp for productive, dynamic meetings.
The display has been designed to work seamlessly with the familiar Microsoft tools that individuals and organisations will already be using in their workplace.
Virtual collaboration: connected despite the distance
Fond Of, a successful and evolving backpack manufacturer who place a heavy emphasis on technology and collaboration, share their story with Mathias Heinz, head of IT outlining the company’s foundation in 2010 as a small start-up for school backpacks.
Today Fond Of has over 300 staff members working across seven brands and 35 countries. They moved to their current Cologne headquarters, known as The Ship, in 2019. It is regarded as one of the most digitally advanced buildings in Germany.
The Windows Collaboration Display in use at the textile and bag specialist Fond Of
Since it was founded in 2010, the Cologne flagship start-up Fond Of has made impressive progress and is now one of the world’s leading companies in the field of bags and textiles.
The course for a lucrative future has been set: the latest technology supports the company’s innovation-driven work environment in its new headquarters, “The Ship” in Cologne-Ehrenfeld and embodies the “New Work” idea like hardly any other office building in Germany.
Forward-looking work environment: “The Ship”
Fond Of created a new concept for media equipment after it moved into its new company headquarters, dubbed “The Ship” in Cologne-Ehrenfeld at the end of 2019.
With more than 13,700 square metres of space for “activity-based workspaces”, as well as the latest digital technology and architecture, “The Ship” embodies the corporate philosophy of focusing on a productive work environment that promotes a feel-good vibe, freedom, creativity, networking and joint
innovation.
The most important principle in the digitisation concept for The Ship building is that technology be used in such a way that it offers the users of the building more comfort, and promotes productivity through faster processes. The media equipment concept had to be adapted accordingly: the old projectors were tossed to one side.
The team under Mathias Heinz, Head of IT at Fond Of, looked for a solution that would do justice to the Ship’s modern premises and environment and the company's ambitions. The main focus was to collaborate and exchange ideas. In the course of the research, the team became aware of Sharp's collaboration solutions through their integration partner, zgoll GmbH.
Fond Of relies on the powerful Windows collaboration display from Sharp for productive, dynamic meetings. The display has been designed to work seamlessly with the familiar Microsoft tools that individuals and organisations will already be using in their workplace.
The company has an incredibly young mindset not just with a low average age of employees but also in their fresh thinking organisational culture that encourage collaborating without boundaries.
High tech for the highest demands
Asked about how to make the most of hybrid working, Mathias said: ‘We have been working in a hybrid environment since 2014, so advice we can pass on is that you give teams the trust to work and collaborate for themselves.
Be there when they need you and create processes and guidelines for everybody. In one sentence, be an enabler, not a supervisor.’
As one of the most modern collaboration solutions on the market, the Windows collaboration display from Sharp in particular seemed to be custom made for Fond Of’s high demands. As one of the first displays of its kind, it is characterised by state-of-theart technology that offers a wide range of services in terms of collaboration. It has been optimised for Microsoft applications, which means that it can be quickly integrated into existing work environments. This gives companies a digital hub for teamwork, whether on site or remotely - an aspect that was particularly important to Mathias Heinz and his team.
