Vivo II,
Zumtobel

Fifteen years after the launch of the first Vivo spotlight, which has been constantly fine-tuned technically, the extensive spotlight series was to receive a new technological platform. Our brief was to develop both the design and this modular platform. Switching from manual to automated production was a key starting point. The design for all the technical components had to enable efficient manufacturing with a short takt time on a production carousel at the German plant. This helped avoid outsourcing of production to a low-wage country outside the EU.

Vivo II gave us a chance to implement the specifications of the Circular Design Rules for the first time. The electronic and mechanical components have a long service life, and we also devised a concept for maintenance and replacement, as well as for remanufacturing used spotlights. The weak point in many spotlights tends to be the joint around which the body of the light swivels – in this case, a special laptop joint extends the service life.

The Vivo II spotlight series is manufactured on a fully automated production line. Workpiece carriers transport the individual components onto a carousel where they are assembled step by step. For a keynote speech on the circular economy at Zumtobel, we created a speculative film that reverses the production process. It shows the assembled spotlights being taken apart again, step by step, and the electronic components being removed, sorted and placed on the workpiece carriers. The film aimed to demonstrate scope for fully automated remanufacturing of used spotlights. In future, the focus will be on rethinking the principle of linear manufacturing and reinventing production infrastructure, such as this manufacturing plant, to ensure it can support circular business models and produce new spotlights from old.