Future
Innovation and Preliminary Development Management—it’s an unusual department title in the world of
It’s actually a matter of steering. That might come as a surprise given the fact that we’re talking about trend research. The steering, however, consists of the timely, gentle counterpressure that keeps the thrill of intellectual drift on track.
It’s not an option for a brand like
Knuth Walczak’s team is used to working outside the public eye. Taking a sharp look at the future is not for everyone—but the editorial team succeeded in bringing together a few key experts and engineers for a talk.
Oliver Klittich, director of Innovation and Preliminary Development Management, is the first to enter the
Klittich gazes at the turntables. He has worked at
Knuth Walczak, an automotive engineer, previously worked at the Volkswagen Group and came to
Künstner, who has been at the company for four years, studied psychology with a focus on the interaction between people and machines. This is how she describes her job: “We monitor our market environment and work together with sales experts to keep a close eye on the trends that affect our customers. We study the economic and cultural development of different markets and come up with recommendations for action. At the end, we consolidate this information and make forecasts that are based on hard data and facts from many different sources. This is no idle speculation.”
To the question of whether the
A short while later the three navigators stroll through the gallery of the museum toward the exit. Walczak stops to look around. “I’m certain that the technologies of the future will not cool down the hot, fascinating core of the
Author Till Daun
Photographer Thorsten Doerk