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A table made of noble elm or mahogany from China is more than a piece of furniture. Especially when the timber comes from buildings scheduled for demolition. Bernd and Jörg Bauer realized this in a flash. A remarkable idea became the business model and got wings. That’s what APUS^® stands for. A look behind the scenes of a Swabian start-up.

A meeting that radiates charisma. Jörg Bauer met the Chinese Ming, who has been living in Germany since 1988, in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. Ming is an artist, furniture designer and gourmet of high-class Asian cuisine. The entrepreneur from the Far East tells us about his furniture design and his exceptional tables made of centuries-old timbers from China: this perfectly natural and mature material is regarded as indestructible, robust, absolutely durable and very noble - in short: a rarity. Ming sources the timber from old houses, monasteries or public buildings that have been replaced by modern structures. The elm comes from Shanxi Province in the Greater Beijing area. He obtains the mahogany from all over the People’s Republic. The designer, who was born in Beijing in 1963, has devoted himself to art and painting since he was a boy and young man. His first furniture-design works date from 1993, when he was completing projects for interior decors, decorations and trade-fair stands in China. Ming began to produce pieces of furniture and designer objects from these woods – thus breaking new ground. “I’ve long searched for the material that best matches the way I express myself. With these timbers, I’ve found it”, explains Ming. “Wood is a witness of life. Sometimes the annual rings can be seen clearly, other times vaguely, sometimes well, other times poorly. Wood is a mirror of our life”, he philosophizes.

The table as an experience: Touch it once and be enchanted for ever.

His tables attract many people to the Ming China Center in Freiberg am Neckar. Jörg Bauer was captivated and arranged for his father Bernd, a master carpenter and furniture-maker, to meet Ming. The latter was impressed too and inspired equally by the aesthetics and the haptic experience. “Anyone who has touched this wood once is and remains fascinated”, said Bernd Bauer, who has been an entrepreneur in the furniture trade for 20 years and has a flair for trends: “The idea of developing something unusual out of it has never let me go since. The time is ripe”, says Bauer with conviction. These woods are much darker in colour and much more robust than the local timbers. And: This wood is 100% natural. This means it has never come into contact with pesticides or other protective substances. In a way, it’s recycling at the highest level. Such a table needs no maintenance. Even red wine stains can’t spoil it. It stands for something special and combines aesthetics with nature and lasting values. Whereas these pieces of furniture are very popular in Europe, demand for light woods is fortunately low in the Chinese domestic markets. This is because Asians prefer black and red varieties of trees.

The business idea: Design meets craftsmanship

Initial talks with hotel owners in Germany and abroad, business customers, kitchen unit builders, architects and real-estate agents confirm the demand for such individually made, high-quality furniture in the luxury segment. The decision ripened. In 2012 father and son established a company with its registered office in Waldenburg near Schwäbisch-Hall. The business model is based on cooperation with Ming. He’s the one who has the contacts with Beijing and he’s already worked together successfully for many years with a locally-based carpenter's workshop. The concept also provides for cooperation with different designers. The pieces of furniture are created primarily according to the customers’ wishes. Product lines are also in preparation. Materials such as glass or metal can be integrated just as easily as carvings, symbols, signs, writing or images. They also include company logos. In addition, it’s possible to incorporate sculptures or statues. “We’re in touch with art dealers in China and help them to look for that very special piece”, adds managing director Jörg Bauer (32). Prices are also fixed on an individual basis. For Ming’s designs, the firm’s executives have the timber worked in Asia, in keeping with the centuries-old craft tradition. The production parts are then transferred to Germany and assembled here. When we work with designers from Europe, on the other hand, we import the raw material and produce in German carpenter’s workshops“, explains managing director Bernd Bauer (57), who is in charge of production and wood processing.

Entering the market: Style is a decision

So far, so good: father and son established the firm in mid-2012. “We were then confronted with the question of how we should present ourselves in the market”, said Jörg Bauer, who is in charge of sales and marketing. “It was and still is important for us to look absolutely professional. This meant we needed to find a name quickly and a corporate design together with a striking logo”. That's why the young entrepreneurs called in a PR expert and communication designer. Once again the business idea met with approval. There is definitely a market for unique, luxury furniture of this quality. Home decor lifestyle is becoming increasingly important. The need for self-fulfilment within one’s own four walls is growing. There is an equally marked readiness to spend money on special designer objects like dining tables or other pieces of furniture. In addition, the trend towards “cocooning” is becoming firmly established. People are looking for security and lasting values at home. The value of nature is very present. The starting points for communication were thus obvious. The firm’s sights can be trained on demanding private and business customers as target groups for its dining and boardroom tables and desks. The firm’s ambitious founders are aiming equally at women and men in executive positions and young career people with a taste for special objects, or the so-called wealthy “silver surfers”, who are active in retirement and consciously organize their twilight years. Business people in turn represent class, expertise, authority and authenticity. That’s why office furnishings take on an unmistakeable symbolic force. Tables offer entrepreneurs, consultants, lawyers and tax advisers a way to express their personality and corporate culture. Creative professions like architects or advertising agencies, which are regarded as trendsetters, also enjoy the freedom of letting their own form language flow into the table design.

The word-image mark: A migrant between the continents

A company’s name becomes powerful when it’s easily remembered and not yet used in the sector. The name and logo symbolize values that make a company and its products strong. A good word-image mark captures the spirit of the times. The name APUS^® originates from the species of the swift. This migratory bird belongs to the species of nest-builders and flies several thousand kilometres a year. That’s why it’s also called a “migrant between the continents”. Its Latin name is “apus apus”. APUS^® stands for the co-existence of continents and cultures. The name symbolizes one’s own identity, combined with a vision for personal goals “And it relates to the theme of cosiness at home”, explains Susanne Kleiner, a PR consultant from Munich, who developed the name and strengthened it with the message “Living designed by nature”. In advertising jargon “Living designed by nature” is the brand’s “claim”. With it, the firm expresses its commitment to keeping its promise and also raises the brand name to an emotional level. What’s more, the name APUS^® is easy to pronounce in many languages. “The addition of the English words”, Kleiner continues, “enables the young firm to give an international orientation to its sales”. Stefanie Hemmann incorporated the name and claim in the logo and developed the corporate design. “The logo sounds high-quality. The rectilinear, artistically conceived black characters arouse associations with the theme of design”, said Hemmann, director of creation at PRINZIP E communication agency in Herrenberg.

Wood is personality. Wood is life. Also in advertising and public relations

The word-image mark APUS^® incorporates a brown angle in the letters and thus builds a bridge with the firm's purpose of table design and furniture production. The swift is surprising and accompanies prospective customers as a statue in brochures, on photos or the website – reminding them of the original meaning of the name APUS^®. Letter heads, business cards and flyers, plus the online presence, pick up the lines of the design. Business cards and the cover pages of the flyer are made of genuine wood, with laser engravings and embossing that pick up natural motifs. Just as it is a very special experience to touch an APUS^® table, do does the material wood in the advertising media match the haptic feel. Colour tones borrowed from current fashion trends provide a fresh contrast as they flow into textures. To guide the firm safely towards its destination, ongoing advertising and PR actions support its development. The claim of the communication mix continues online and offline in all planned actions: no matter whether it's the website, brochures, advertisements, copy, press relations or business letters: APUS^® stands for honest material, choice quality, values, functionality and cosiness, aesthetics and design.

Character begins at home

APUS^® has spread its wings and taken off. Although the market for designer furniture is small. In addition: “Made in China” has mainly negative connotations – and in many cases rightly so. Those are the general conditions APUS® has to cope with, apart from all the positive aspects. Jörg Bauer is full of self-confidence. “We produce to the highest standards in China and Germany”, he emphasizes and states in support of his strategy: “We don’t make any compromises. This applies equally to production and to our communication in the market." The APUS^® founders have made some promising initial contacts in Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Work is in progress on a designer line by the French furniture designer Valérie Windeck. The time is ripe to get started and develop. There can be no doubt that the initiators and founders have deserved it, with all their enthusiasm and determination. Father and son are optimistic and full of energy: “I believe in APUS^®”, says Bernd Bauer confidently, “values are important again. A genuine APUS^® is a table that will last for generations. The future begins today.”

www.apus-living.de