Ben Van Dyck, Author at Verhaert Masters in Innovation

Back to black, and the architecture of silence: Why EuroCucina 2026 is redefining the human home

Ben Van Dyck — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:32:21 +0000

EuroCucina 2026 highlighted how, in kitchen innovation, appliances are no longer designed as standalone objects, but as integrated elements within a broader living environment. Across the halls of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, manufacturers showcased kitchens that prioritize seamless integration, reduced visual noise and intuitive interaction over overt technological display.Kitchens are increasingly being designed as an extension of the living space, requiring appliances to balance performance, acoustics, material coherence, and architectural integration. This evolution reflects a shift in consumer expectations around how technology should blend inside the home: present when needed, invisible when not. At EuroCucina 2026, this ‘silent revolution’ became one of the clearest indicators of where kitchen innovation is heading.

The psychology of matte and the material challenge

While ‘black to black’ remained a visible aesthetic trend throughout the exhibition, the deeper story was less about color and more about integration. The real innovation lies in how intelligence and connectivity are being embedded into products without disrupting the visual calm of the space.

Matte finishes, tactile materials, and muted surfaces are increasingly being paired with hidden sensors, connected ecosystems, and adaptive functionality. This reflects a broader movement away from technology as a visual statement and toward technology as an enabler of experience.

For product developers and manufacturers, this creates new engineering challenges. As products become visually quieter, expectations for material quality, precision, durability, and user interaction rise significantly. Minimalism leaves little room for imperfection.

The haptic rebellion: Why we need the click

One of the more notable product directions visible at EuroCucina was the renewed focus on tactile interaction. After years of fully digital touch interfaces, manufacturers are rediscovering the value of physical feedback in creating intuitive and trustworthy user experiences.

A clear example was seen in the latest cooktop interfaces featuring haptic-feedback controls. Rather than relying exclusively on flat touchscreens, brands are reintroducing physical interaction points that offer resistance, precision and sensory confirmation.

From an innovation perspective, this introduces a significant mechatronic challenge. The next generation of premium products must combine the emotional familiarity of mechanical controls with the intelligence and flexibility of digital systems. The complexity lies not only in adding connectivity but also in creating advanced technology that feels natural and unobtrusive.

The performance paradox: Professional power in silent spaces

Another major trend emerging from EuroCucina 2026 is the rise of what could be called ‘professional domesticity.’ Consumers increasingly expect professional-grade cooking performance within kitchens that visually resemble refined living spaces.

This creates a major engineering paradox: how can high-performance appliances generate heat, airflow and extraction capacity without compromising acoustic comfort, spatial openness, or interior aesthetics? Systems are becoming increasingly dematerialized, with extraction integrated into lighting elements, cooktops, or architectural structures rather than traditional overhead hoods.

However, achieving invisible performance is technically complex. As appliance boundaries become more integrated into the living environment, manufacturers need to address airflow, thermal management, moisture control, and acoustics at the room level. This demands advanced simulation and multidisciplinary collaboration across engineering, industrial design and user experience.

Designing for longevity and modularity

Beyond aesthetics and interaction, longevity emerged as another important innovation challenge throughout the event. With technological evolution, markets are facing growing pressure to create products that remain relevant over longer product lifecycles.

The industry is gradually moving towards kitchens with timeless architectural exteriors combined with upgradable technological interiors. This means that modularity, serviceability, software adaptability and ecosystem compatibility are critical for product development.

The technology future is felt, not seen

The strongest takeaway from EuroCucina 2026 is that the industry is moving beyond technology as spectacle. The focus is moving toward technology that integrates so seamlessly into the home environment that it becomes almost invisible to the user experience.

This evolution demands multidisciplinary innovation that combines engineering, material science, acoustics, interaction design and human behavior into a single cohesive experience.

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How milk preferences are driving innovation in coffee machine technologies

Ben Van Dyck — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:36:26 +0000

Ordering a coffee used to be simple: black or with milk. Today, it’s a decision tree: oat, almond, soy, coconut; hot or iced; light foam or velvety microfoam. This growing diversity of preferences, especially the mainstream rise of plant-based milks, is introducing a new layer of complexity for coffee machine manufacturers. Milk is no longer a simple ingredient. It has become a variable that challenges consistency, performance, and design, quietly driving a new wave of innovation in how coffee machines are engineered.

A trip down memory lane

The widespread popularization of café culture has reshaped how consumers experience coffee, turning it into a daily ritual defined by quality, convenience and choice. As café visits increased, so did expectations at home, pushing consumers to seek the same level of control and consistency in their own kitchens. In recent decades, coffee has shifted further toward personalisation, covering strength, temperature, milk type and foam texture. At the same time, plant-based milk has moved from niche alternative to mainstream choice, increasing the need for advanced milk systems that can support a growing diversity of coffee beverages.

Why milk choice creates a technical problem

The growing diversity of milk options has introduced a complex technical challenge for coffee systems. Milk foaming depends heavily on its protein and fat composition, which directly influences stability and texture. Most current foaming technologies require a minimum protein level of around 1% to ensure consistent results. However, some plant-based alternatives fall far below this threshold, for example, coconut milk contains only around 0.1% protein, making stable foam formation significantly more difficult.

Beyond protein content, plant-based milks also vary widely in how they respond to heat, steam, agitation, and emulsification, leading to inconsistent performance across different drinks and machine settings. This variability creates a major engineering challenge for manufacturers aiming for universal compatibility.

At the same time, consumer expectations have risen sharply. While over 80% of coffee is now consumed at home, 72% of consumers still believe professional barista output is superior, highlighting a clear performance gap. Café culture has set a high standard for latte art and microfoam consistency, and home users increasingly expect the same quality.

How coffee machine makers are responding

Coffee machine manufacturers are responding to the rise in milk diversity by developing a range of proprietary milk foaming technologies tailored to different consumer needs. The goal is to deliver a consistent sensory experience, balancing texture, taste, and visual appeal, such as microfoam quality. This requires precise control over the interaction between gas, liquid, and surfactants, achieved through carefully calibrated energy inputs within the system.

A key innovation focus is flexibility, with machines increasingly designed to handle both hot and cold foam variations, while adapting to the specific characteristics of different milk types, including plant-based alternatives. At the same time, hygiene has become a critical engineering challenge. Milk is a high-risk bio-contaminant, this in combination with the variety of types and uses, requires robust systems that prevent microbial growth. As a result, manufacturers are investing in Clean-in-Place (CIP) technologies and redesigning internal fluid pathways to eliminate stagnant zones and ensure compliance with strict food safety standards.

Future outlook

Looking ahead, coffee machines are set to become increasingly intelligent and adaptive. Future systems will likely auto-detect milk types and use AI-driven calibration to optimize texture and foam quality in real time. Foam profiles will expand beyond the simple dairy versus non-dairy distinction, enabling more precise customization by beverage and user preference. As a result, milk is no longer a passive ingredient but a key design constraint and innovation driver, transforming coffee machines into fully adaptive beverage platforms.

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Reshoring revisited: manufacturing devices in Europe

Ben Van Dyck — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 16:25:09 +0000

After decades of relocating manufacturing to China, there’s a growing interest among Western device and appliance manufacturers to move manufacturing away from Asia and closer to home. From this perspective, let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of relocating device manufacturing back to Europe and give you recommendations to define your device manufacturing strategy.

The interest in more local and European manufacturing is not new for several reasons. Besides obvious political and ideological drivers, manufacturers have seen big swings in transportation costs and supply chain disruptions during the past years. Meanwhile, China’s labor cost has risen, along with Western awareness of sustainability and social responsibility. As a result, some appliance manufacturers are considering relocating their manufacturing back to Europe, where they’ll benefit from higher standards, closer proximity to customers, and more stable political and legal systems.

As you navigate this transition, ensuring that your product’s journey from idea to industrialization is seamless and efficient is crucial. To safeguard a consistent quality and effective operation during the industrialization phase, you’ll need a trusted partner to guide you through every production step:

Supplier management: selecting a manufacturer with the right expertise and facilities to deliver consistent, long-term production quality.
Manufacturer audit: through rigorous audits, potential manufacturing partners are reviewed to meet the key criteria for your project’s success.
Testing and precertification: setting up and implementing comprehensive testing throughout the entire product development cycle, from conception to qualification, so your product meets all necessary standards before it hits the market.
Quality and technical file: specific product specifications, work instructions, maturity grids, and validation documents will guarantee quality at every production stage.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning: cutting-edge technology to optimize sustainable production processes, and reduce waste and energy consumption, all while maximizing uptimes.

More and more, product and device manufacturers are showing a growing preference for EU-made components and goods. Why? It’s about avoiding the challenges often associated with ‘Made in China’ products, such as quality concerns, long shipping distances, rising travel costs, and limited control over production processes. The tips in this perspective are based on the hands-on experience of our consultants during recent projects, offering valuable insights to help manufacturers adapt to this growing trend.

Curious about reshoring manufacturing? Download our perspective to get insights on the growing trend of reshoring to Europe, and how to optimize your strategy for success in today’s evolving manufacturing landscape.

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To successfully launch new products, design-to-manufacturing is gold

Ben Van Dyck — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 11:47:07 +0000

Product innovation is like a roller coaster ride where some products successfully make it to the market, others stumble or never even make it to the starting line, because of budget bloopers or manufacturing madness. Can you believe that 95% of new products fail? That’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. Companies keep tripping over the same hurdles time and time again. Design-to-manufacturing (DFM) is one of your golden tickets to turn product dreams into reality.

Where product innovation meets manufacturing

Applying design-for-manufacturing (DFM) principles in your product development process will significantly enhance the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall quality of your products. Here’s the million-dollar question: how do you design a product for manufacturing? How do you design a product that ensures a seamless transition from final prototype to mass production?

For maximum efficiency in manufacturing and minimal production costs, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of how design choices influence these aspects. The product’s shape, for example, has a significant impact on the cost of the injection molding and thus on the total manufacturing cost. DFM includes: simplifying product designs, minimizing the number of parts, standardizing components, and selecting materials that are easy to work with.

Securing success: collaborative design synergy with manufacturers

DFM aims to bring all relevant key players together as early as possible in the design phase. The further along you are in the manufacturing process, the more expensive it becomes to make changes to your design. So early collaboration with designers, engineers, manufacturing partners and others is crucial to integrating manufacturability considerations into the product design. It will enable you to mitigate risks like supply chain disruptions, inflation, and material and labor shortages, while it also facilitates the creation of easily manufacturable designs. Whether your manufacturer operates locally or internationally, regular cross-functional meetings play a pivotal role in identifying potential challenges and aligning design decisions with manufacturing capabilities.

The impact of manufacturing on design and the transformative potential of innovation © Verhaert

Geographical manufacturing: rethinking the location game

Over the past few decades, many appliance manufacturers moved production to Asian hotspots, especially China. Why? The promise of lower labor costs, fewer environmental rules, and a massive market playground. Of course, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. They’ve hit a few bumps, like rising shipping costs, dips in product quality, intellectual property headaches, tricky trade relationships, and increasing geopolitical tensions.

Given these hurdles, some manufacturers are rethinking their location game. By bringing production back to Europe, they’re looking to tap into top-notch standards, be closer to customers, and enjoy more political and legal stability. Plus, let’s not forget, that choosing the right manufacturing spot before and during the design for manufacturability process is a game-changer. It’s not just about cutting costs, it’s about nailing that perfect product-market fit. Including geographical factors in your DFM strategy can be the secret sauce to your product’s financial and market success.

Curious about the great manufacturing relocation shuffle? Stay tuned for our upcoming perspective in which we’ll explore the tug-of-war between Europe and China!

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Regulations on emissions & filter technology in FMCG

Ben Van Dyck — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 12:52:44 +0000

In our ever-growing awareness of emissions and personal health, we’re seeing regulations for emission management and filtering technology entering the realm of FMCG solutions and devices. Health safety isn’t just a legal requirement around the world, but also a marketing tool, and in some cases it becomes a proprietary FMCG solution requirement.

However, the process isn’t easy and requires a serious and dedicated approach with accredited laboratories and notifying bodies. In addition to analyzing benefits, risks, strengths and weaknesses, we can lead your emissions filter project through each phase and with multiple international partners, focusing on the overall product objectives set.

Emission regulations in FMCG

Safety & perception

Emission management cannot be taken lightly. In countries around the world emission limits are rising as awareness of health and safety is rising. Regulatory limits for both work and public spaces are increasingly more strict, and make no mistake thinking western countries set the trend! It could become an expensive exercise if you think you can to tackle countries outside of Europe in a later stage. Even for in-home units or products that have no regulatory limits but do emit odorous compounds, a screening test campaign is advised. The wrong combination of odorous compounds could mean the difference between the main act or the side-kick of the show.

Emission groups

Air pollution emissions can be divided into different groups depending on their characteristics. Each type has a different impact on health and pollution. A good understanding of the various compound groups is needed to analyze the root cause of an emitted compound, and subsequently filter the emissions.

Volatile organic compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are organic gases that exist in the gas phase at room temperature. Most components that have an odour are VOCs, yet not all VOCs are odorous. Some have a negative health impact, while others are polluting the environment. A lot of VOCs are biologically generated by plants, animals or micro-organisms.

The most important, human-generated, sources of these VOCs are solvents (paint, ink, etc.), bio- and fossil fuels and biomass combustion. Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) is a metric often used to describe the general VOC performance of a process or device. A selection of the VOCs interact with the measurement device and give an indication of the general presence of VOCs.

TVOC is expressed as an equivalent of a certain compound such as propane or isobutylene. Since not all VOCs are taken into account with TVOC measurements, a verification on compound-level must always be made when interacting with compound-level regulations. It is, however, a good metric to make relative comparisons and performance assessments, and is itself a regulated value in certain countries.

Inorganic compounds
In general, inorganic compounds are odourless. Examples of volatile inorganic compounds include NO, NO₂, ozone, SO₂, CO, CO₂, etc. Some of these compounds impact health and environment and are thus regulated.

Particulate matter
Particulate matter (PM) consists of microscopic solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. Particulate matter can be found in various forms such as smoke, pollen, smog, dust, vapour and – topically – bacteria and viruses. Depending on the size of the particles, they can be harmful when inhaled. Small particles have the ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, and can cause respiratory diseases, cancer and heart attacks. Aside from entering the lungs of living creatures, particulate matter suspended in the air can create extremely hazardous situations if the particulate matter is flammable. A mixture of air and oil droplets or fine wood dust only needs a minor spark to create a huge explosion.

PM is categorized in different size levels, indicated by their maximum diameter in µm. PM10 is known as coarse particles and consists of all particles with a diameter lower than 10 µm. PM2.5 is fine dust and PM0.1 ultrafine dust. Note that PM10 includes both fine and ultrafine dust.

Strict regulations exist on PM10 and PM2.5 and PM levels are continuously monitored, especially in urban or industrial locations. When particulate matter limits are exceeded, smog alarms often go into effect and people are encouraged to stay indoors, wear masks and vehicle speed limits are activated to reduce fine dust emissions. The European Air Quality Index includes PM10 and PM2.5 to assess the air quality throughout the EU and can be consulted online in real-time.

Download the perspective to continue reading about the regulations, emission analysis & know-how of air pollutants.

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Appliance innovation in food & beverage

Ben Van Dyck — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 15:50:18 +0000

Digitally connected and intelligent appliances with features that nurture endless user customization. It might be the dream of the future food and beverage industry. However, it represents a huge challenge to appliance innovation.

Appliance manufacturers are betting on the next big innovation linked to the emerging hot trends. Yet, making a match of appliance innovations to consumption trends is not a straightforward comparison. Not all consumption and consumer trends present an innovation opportunity to appliances.

Consumption trends become more adventurous. There is a lot of experimentation, pop-up, customization and experience induced by increased traveling, TV shows and social media channels. Yet, this is so permanently impermanent. Always changing. It is often a brief hype of a certain taste sensation that no appliance can manage to capture in a profitable way. It is hard to hit the mainstream market before the next taste experiment has taken over the minds of consumers. Do you still remember the short life of frozen beer foam and related appliances? It was gone before many of you noticed it … some appliance investments were wasted along the way.

The growth of the cocooning trend keeps the appliance manufacturers persistently interested to develop the dream appliance that will be placed right in the middle of consumers` kitchens. There are ever more efforts put in the R&D of new functionalities, more convenience, and intelligence. It is directed towards appliances that could “do more” or “enhance quality & experience” of well-known beverage or food products. At Verhaert/Masters in Innovation, we did a market- and patent-study for the cold beverage industry (latest edition 2012 – 2017). The set of appliances that offer more variety and more custom-made beverages constitutes an important part of the innovation landscape today (20%). Moreover, we noticed that in this category there were ~ 3 times more patents than new appliance launches. Thus, a large market activity might still come.

Among other key trends, we cannot skip mentioning the digital trend. Appliances are no exception there. The digital connected appliances are coming up to please the consumers offering them remote interfaces and additional intelligence along with more control, more information and more interaction. These appliances will work with a variety of promises targeted at different consumer segments. First of all, for those who want to have everything digitally connected while cocooning at home. Secondly, for those who want to co-create their food & beverage experience in service centered horeca markets and, finally, for those who want to make a well informed decision and even get an advice matching their individual needs and believes (e.g. healthy, quality…). Yet, similar to “connected home” this appliance trend can be expected to explode within the next 5 years. Obviously, the digital trend will similarly also hit on trade and off trade with the promises of supply chain efficiency and more on-demand logistics.

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