ERMAFA – Recycling technology brought to life
Tire recycling, used oil recycling, or the treatment of hazardous waste. Recycling processes like these are highly complex and often difficult to grasp. For ERMAFA, we developed an interactive exhibit for IFAT Munich – the world’s leading trade fair for recycling technology – that brings these very processes to life in a clear and intuitive way.
A Driver of Innovation with a Long Tradition
Rooted in Chemnitz, ERMAFA – short for “ERste MAschinenFAbrik” – can look back on nearly two centuries of specialized machine and plant engineering. Today, the company combines this tradition with forward-looking recycling solutions. At IFAT, ERMAFA presented its technologies to an international audience of industry professionals on this scale for the first time.
Tokens That Tell a Story
At the heart of the exhibit is an interactive table where visitors can use an RFID tokens to select one of ERMAFA’s technologies. Each token represents a process – for example, a small oil drum symbolizes used oil recycling. When a token is inserted, an animated 3D model of the corresponding machine appears.
We collaborated with neongrau on the design of the tokens and the user experience. Within the interface, clickable process steps guide users step by step through the application, complemented by an intuitive visualization of key USPs.
From the First Sketch to the Finished Table
Together with ERMAFA and our partners, we developed the concept from the initial idea to the finished exhibit. Using sketches and mockups, we explored various applications. It quickly became clear: it should be a table around which visitors could gather and interact both with the content and with one another.
The result? An exhibit that brings complex recycling technologies to life in seconds – and turns abstract processes into a tangible story.
Photos: © Robert Arnold
Video: © Robert Arnold
