LUTZ MEYER, DIPL. INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, WORKS ON IDENTITY-FORMING FEATURES IN THE DESIGN
The man who gives the weycor wheel loaders their shape and designs their appearance is Lutz Meyer. Almost all design-related topics pass over his desk. This includes the ergonomically sensible arrangement of operating elements, the representations and pictograms on the displays, and even the choice of materials and colours. He creates the product illustrations for the technical documentation and also contributes his ideas and expertise to trade fair design. In addition to new developments, he is also involved in the design of the wheel loaders and rollers. Several international design awards confirm his achievements in this field.
"I work in a sworn team, with highly motivated colleagues. This makes the work particularly exciting and appealing. We are a small but fine manufacturer with 50 years of tradition and have so far held our own in the game of the big boys. Networked on the relevant social media channels and with an ear to the market, Atlas Weyhausen can gladly be called a "noble forge" that responds to customer wishes. The name is the trademark."
In 2003, as an external self-employed designer, he took on the job of advising on the design of a first bonnet, after which he received a firm offer with the proviso that he would also work on site. After six years at Atlas Weyhausen, his goal was then to create an independent section and to strengthen the interdisciplinary exchange with other departments. Competitors on the market often lead the way in product design with large design departments, but "they're all just cooking with water," is his attitude.
"Here we argue and discuss fairly with each other. It's not always easy, but it works, because problem solving is the goal and that's what makes the work so appealing. Especially when you see the great wheel loaders in production. Or when you have helped to design the completely new XXL series. It makes you proud when you see the wheel loaders in action on construction sites."
The change from Atlas to weycor caused Lutz Meyer a little bellyache. "But we never completely dropped the name Atlas from the name, because it is quite correctly called weycor by Atlas Weyhausen." In the meantime, however, the bellyache has gone away. In this context, Lutz Meyer has also further developed the old company logo.
Among other things, Lutz Meyer makes use of external connections to the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences with its still relatively young "Industrial Design" course. Here he gave a lecture on the development and design of the weycor AR 620. There are also contacts with other companies in the field of large-scale agricultural equipment.
Looking to the future, the designer sees Atlas Weyhausen on the right track. "We are quite confident about this and know our strengths." These include technical innovations, for example, such as emission-free machines, assistance systems and fully autonomous machines in compaction technology.
We know what is happening in the market and work with high motivation; in the long run we are well positioned and prevail. Our development strategy demands a durable and sustainable design. Product cycles are much longer for construction machinery than for cars, for example.