Highlights of 75 years - Hettich

GAPSA
One to watch in
international office
furniture
The Spanish GAPSA (Grupo
Armarios Persiana S.A.) Group, is
headquartered within easy
distance of Barcelona. GAPSA
specializes in tambour-fronted,
metal cabinets, where it is a
market leader in the European
office furniture segment. In 2003,
the owner-managed company,
decided to work with OBE Hettich
on a large development project.
The aim was to develop a new
cabinet as part of a new model
range. By September 2004, the
“Master“ office cabinet range was
ready for marketing.
Tambour-fronted metal
cupboards feature space-saving,
fast-assembly organizer systems.
Photo: Gapsa
It began with a meeting at the biennial
Maderalia in autumn 2003 in Valencia.
GAPSA owner and managing director,
Enrique González Becerra, visited the OBE
Hettich booth to discuss his plans for the
new range. He was interested in integrating
a Hettich organizer system in the new
models, because he liked Hettich‘s cohesive
system approach.
The initial meetings defined the specifications:
a metal, tambour-fronted cabinet,
1,200 mm wide, fitted with telescopic
hanging file frames, Stop Control and
self-closing, and a number of organizer
elements. The hanging file frames would
be wide enough to accommodate three A 4
files side by side. Installation of the organizer
components should be toolless.
In record time, the Office team in Spain,
working closely with the developers in
Germany, came up with an initial proposal
based on steel adapters which would allow
toolless installation of the pull-out runners
in the steel cabinet. Using this solution,
GAPSA showed a prototype of the new
Master tambour-fronted cabinet at the
biennial OFITEC in Madrid in February 2004.
The very positive response to the new interior
fittings during the prototype presentation
led GAPSA and Hettich to re-examine the
project looking at the potential for rationalizing
production. By the end of the second
development phase in June 2004, the
partners had a product that was ready for
series production.
The new secret of success is a heavy-duty
plastic adapter that is quickly mounted
on the steel side panel. The runners for the
GAPSA building in Castellar del
Vallès. Photo: Gapsa
news
pull-outs are then attached to this adapter
in a toolless assembly process. The adapter
accommodates the Stop Control and selfclosing
mechanisms. And it is also prepared
for an upgrade with a Parallel System for
perfect lateral stability.
Director Enrique González commented
on the joint development: “I‘m very
satisfied with the committed support we
got from the Hettich Group and especially
from OBE Hettich. This cooperation has
allowed us to benefit from the profound
know-how of a leading fittings specialist.
The space-saving, easy to assemble, interior
fittings, with the very wide pull-out and
hanging file frames, is helping us to meet
the requirements of our customers in Spain
and throughout Europe.“
GAPSA, headquartered in Castellar del
Vallès (Barcelona), was founded in
1996. Today the Group has a daily production
of over 500 units. It sells its products in
24 countries, and exports account for 78%
of total production. Half of this volume
goes to France via the independent subsidiary
GAPSA France. GAPSA also has a 60%
share in GAPSA AMERICA in Caracas.
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