On show at IFA.
Founded in 1983, Belkin International’s mission has always been to create products that help people realise the power of technology and make people’s lives better, easier and more fulfilling.
At IFA, Stephanie Willems, managing director of Belkin’s EMEA business, highlighted the company’s priorities in Berlin.
On the product side, Belkin’s Connected Things division, within the newly merged Belkin International and Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT) entity, unveiled its Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock.
This comes at a time when both corporate offices and co-working spaces are embracing the idea of “hotel desks”. These unassigned, operating-system-agnostic desks are based on the premise that employees should be able to work wherever and whenever they want without their productivity being interrupted. The ability to connect seamlessly without compromise is key for workers and consumers.
More widely, IFA visitors could see how Belkin’s portfolio increasingly supports a truly connected world, from home to work and on the go.
“We’re focused on delivering solutions built on consumers’ desire for easy connectivity with the aid of premium accessories,” Willems said.
“We react quickly to consumer needs, creating products from the consumer’s perspective. Take fast charging, for example, and what that means to a consumer. We optimise the power that we project into the device and the device pulls from the charger – or the wireless charger – to make sure that it gives the fastest charge possible. It sounds simple, but the difference to the user is immeasurable. It means getting more done without disturbance or delay.”
Willems said the company’s mission is to enhance the experience at home, in the office or on the go.
“Of course, mobility is key for today’s consumer and we expect the industry to adopt fast wire charging as standard,” she said.
“While wireless charging has attracted a lot of attention, speed is essential. When you must leave your house or work in 30 minutes and you forgot to charge wirelessly, the value and marketability of fast-wire charging is clear.”
That said, Belkin is not solely focused on charging solutions.
“We are focused on products that meet consumer needs across the mobile spectrum. For example, the accessories market is growing at a strong pace. According to Future Market Insights, the global mobile phone accessories market is expected to reach €110.5 billion ($178.5 billion) by 2025 due to strong demand both for protective covers and power banks,” Willems said.
“We try to identify the needs or un-met needs of the consumer and design for them.”
Willems said a key differentiator for Belkin is the amount of consumer testing and research it does to get more from hardware and charging. “There is a young, digitally savvy generation that thoroughly researches the products they buy and won’t accept compromise in design versus performance. That’s our focus. We say that we create people-inspired products, because people are the heart of everything we do.”