When Sergio started his internship at Quooker in 2021, he knew very little about the product. On his first day, he was shown Quooker’s history wall and learned how the product he would be working on first came to life. ‘The story of Henri Peteri, who dropped everything to start working on his idea in his basement, really captured my imagination. When you see the development from the very first prototype he invented to the collection of Quooker taps we now sell all over the world, it’s incredibly impressive.’

As an R&D Engineer, there’s still plenty to develop After his internship, Sergio joined Quooker’s R&D department full-time as an engineer. Together with his colleagues, he works on the continuous development of Quooker products. ‘You might think: the tap is finished, what else is there to develop? But you’d be surprised by how many directions there are still to explore. Our department consists of 60 colleagues, and we’re all working on interesting projects. From designing new tap models to improving small components.’

From idea to a new Quooker tap: the Flex Square Sergio is currently working on our latest tap, the Flex Square. A round version already existed, but now there is also a square version with a flexible pull-out hose. ‘For a long time, people thought it couldn’t be done. But by moving and adapting some of the components inside the tap, we managed to get the hose through two bends. That’s what makes working at Quooker so interesting: every day you’re working on a product that still has so much potential for further development. You work with different materials and technologies and gain an increasingly detailed understanding of what’s going on under the hood. Because R&D and the factory are under one roof, the teams work closely together. As an engineer, that also gives you ideas about how we can streamline production.’

Testing, experimenting and sometimes starting again Developing new solutions also means doing a lot of testing. And things don’t always work out the first time. ‘We’re constantly experimenting and testing, and yes, sometimes that means getting your clothes wet.’ One weekend, Sergio woke up in a sweat. ‘I suddenly realised that on Friday afternoon I’d forgotten to switch off a tap that was being moved back and forth by a robotic arm. For a moment, I was worried that the entire floor of our workspace would be flooded and our test equipment ruined. I went into work on Saturday and turned off the water, but left the robot running. By Monday, the whole test was a write-off.’

What will the Quooker tap of the future look like? What will the Quooker tap look like in five or ten years’ time? Sergio: ‘I think our products will be even easier to take apart and put back together, making it easier to replace individual components. But I’m also really looking forward to something a little closer to home: the moment I happen to look inside somewhere and see a Flex Square. It does feel a little bit like my baby.’

Published on 22-07-2024