5 questions with Hans Juergen Kalmbach of Hansgrohe

How do you balance functionality in a faucet while ensuring that the faucet’s aesthetic appeal is not compromised?

If the product looks good but doesn’t create a great experience, you won’t be happy with it. When we say design, we’re not talking about just the aesthetics of a product. Design also shapes how you interact with the product. We look at how our creations can function intuitively so that you don’t need to push a lot of buttons until you get it done. When we do product development, we always have water, space and humans in mind. The product needs to look good in the space. When you look into the shower and you see an Axor shower or a Hansgrohe faucet, maybe with special finishing, you have a smile on your face. But then, when you shower under it, you’re even happier!

At our spray lab in Germany, our passionate team is developing sprays that feel and look different. Sprays that are more efficient, creating new ways of shaping water. We’re not just looking at it in the lab. We put on our bathing shorts and jump under the water with our innovation team to see what it looks like. We cannot sell any shower which we did not use ourselves!

How do Hansgrohe’s creations cater to India’s unique water management needs? 

When we look at the bathroom and the kitchen or the luxury segment overall, we see that it has evolved. It’s now innovation-driven, but equally influenced by personal experiences and concerns for sustainability. 

Our approach blends cutting-edge technology with efficient solutions. As a result, you have a shower that consumes water responsibly, but is also indulgent. It’s not easy to do both, but we focus a lot as a company on developing more efficient sprays in our spray lab. Some of our technologies, like EcoSmart and EcoSmart Plus, save up to 60% less water, reducing the amount of water used without compromising on comfort. 

Are there any new launches in particular that you’re quite excited about introducing to the Indian market?

I think we have a lot to offer for our business partners, but also our premium and luxury consumers. This year, we are going to launch a new shower collection called Raindance Alive. A completely new shower solution with a unique design and new functions. We also have a few novel faucets under the Raindance Alive collection and another shower collection in a different price segment called Activera.

We’re selling not just components in the shower and the wash basin, but also complete bathroom solutions. I’m very excited about bringing a completely new category to the market, which we call the wash place module. It is a pre-configured basin with a faucet and a face shower. So I’m very excited about showering, as you can imagine!

How has 2025 been for Hansgrohe so far, and what lies ahead? 

We usually launch our new products very early in India. We cater to the tech-savvy consumer who’s looking for something new and something innovative. This year is quite important because we launched a lot of new products. We have our international show at Frankfurt, the ISH. So there are a lot of novelties coming. We have a lot of new things on the shower and faucet side, but also in newer product categories, both for Hansgrohe and for our AXOR brand. Therefore, I’m looking forward to a successful and exciting year.

Read more: 8 colourful bathrooms to shower your life with some eclectic hues