Fans made by CasaFan - innovative ideas from Germany

Brief overview of the company

All benefits of CasaFan fans at a glance for customers:

• Up to 25 years manufacturer’s warranty on the motor
• Durable product for fair prices
• Best quality in material and processing
• Market-leading technical innovation
• Energy-saving models with a world record in low consumption
• Domestic, commercial and industrial application
• Particularly high protection ratings for industry
• Reverse function helps to save heating costs
• Easy installation without maintenance requirements
• Accessories and extras like remote controls or wall control units
• Combination system allows customer-defined design
• Exceptional customer service, genuine interest in customer feedback
• Company guarantees uncomplicated handling of delivery, enquiries etc.  

 First years after the foundation

CasaFan was founded in 1984 by the venturous businessman W. Kissling. Think back to this year and try to see the world through his eyes in a short flashback: Weizsäcker became President of Germany with an overwhelming majority of votes, private television stated in this country and Apple introduced the Macintosh as first home pc to the public. It was the beginning of a significant upheaval, the grand digital age, however not much of that was noticeable yet in people’s everyday lives. World affairs carried on quietly and so did life in Germany, despite separation through the Berlin Wall. Mail order selling and online business were still very much stuck between being unimaginable and slowly starting to develop. Inspired by the USA, the only modern and trendy products in West Germany were available through „CamelShop“, a magazine by the US cigarette brand. During that time there were no other suppliers of ceiling fans in Germany except for „CamelShop“. It was convenient niche for the foundation of a business.

With technical know-how and a leanging towards tinkering, Mr Kissling had been interested in ventilation technology for a while. The German market wanted to be developed, he felt. The company name CasaFan loosely translated means home fan and was determined by the decisive entrepreneur right from the beginning.  

Market positioning

The business philosophy was also clear from the start and can simply be summarised with „Quality has priority“. The business objective was always to design first-class products for specialised trade that even electricians can work with.
In order to find suitable partners for the production of the designs, several samples were ordered from countries of manufacture, like China for example. After close inspection management decided in favour of best quality instead of lowest costs. Thus, a partner in Taiwan was chosen, which is a relatively wealthy country when compared to the rest of Asia. An engineer’s salary corresponds to about 2,000 Euro, making it comparable to the wage level in Germany. When it comes to production however, this is quite costly, but its quality and cheaper suppliers are worlds apart. In the end, it is essential to explain this decision about pricing policy to the customer as well, which is not always easy. Still, prioritising quality instead of quantity has proven to be the right choice throughout the company history. „Our competence is an excellent product, technically innovative with an appealing design.“ This clearly sets the Hessian business apart from other competitors.

Following the American example, large home improvement stores emerged in West Germany around 1970. After the foundation of CasaFan and the success of the ceiling fan DIY stores quickly caught up with cheap products. This put in CasaFan in a harsh competitive situation, because the cheapest price is often one of the most important critera for customers when it comes to deciding on a purchase. Nevertheless the aspiring business remained true to its principles of being a partner of trade and created a strong countermovement to special offers by focusing on high-quality material processing and complex new product developments. By concentrating on promoting technical innovation and continuing good basic concept with uptodate material CasaFan evaded risky power struggles in pricing policy on the market. The development of durable motors assured long-lasting favour and recommendation of customers. 

Growth of the business / staff

In the foundation year Mr Kissling worked all by himself, without business partners and collegues. The first commercial success the company gained importance and soon the first staff members were employed. The staff at CasaFan view themselves as a community of closely networking project teams that advance all internal developments.  

The first important new development

CasaFan was the first manufacturer world-wide to introduce a combination system with reversible blades in various colours, an addition to the selection which continues to play a significant role for the success of the company. The product line caters to every aesthetic taste: clever interchangeable blade sets are available for each model, modern with polished metal or traditional with a finish in antique oak or rose wood. By now, many components of ceiling fans, e.g. light kits, controls and extension rods are part of a mix-and-match system. That way customers profit from a single base product. They are given the choice about design and finish of the fan they are about to order, so the product matches the interior design of the room. Even in case personal taste changes over the years or suddenly, the room it is supposed to be put up it is much bigger after moving house, the buyer can simply equip the durable motor with new, shorter blades, just to name an example. This also creates confidence in the business, in craftsmanship and honesty, because the prices for the well thought-out quality down to the last detail are absolutely fair, ranging mostly from 200 to 400 Dollar depending on equipment and warranty. Today, CasaFan offers more than 3,000 model combinations for ceiling fans. There is no limit to the creativity of customers!  

 Cutting edge technical innovation

Ever since the United Nations Climate Change conference in Kyoto 1997 environment protection and climate friendly consumption of technical appliances are big issues for manufacturers. In order to reduce man-made contribution to global warming, the CO² emission of technical appliances is continuously decreased by law. Political decisions encourage customers to revise their opinion and choose more sustainable products. In the year 2005 CasaFan was the first manufacturer world-wide to distribute products with an energy-saving EC-DC motor (electronically commutated motor). It consumes more than 50 percent less energy compared to conventional ceiling fans, securing an exceptional position on the market. This technical innovation is now slowly adopted by other brands as well.

The second big step on the way to environmental protection through fans in the domestic sector: Until now there was no statutory provision for energy consumption of technical appliances with a wattage of up to 1400 Watt. Only top-selling products for the industrial sector were subject to such regulations. However, in January 2016 the energy efficiency label with a clear classification from A to G has become mandatory for Comfort (privately used at home) Fans as well. Always looking ahead, CasaFan foresaw this event and started production of economical articles at the right time, so that the company already offers a wide range of environmentally-friendly models for domestic use.

In areas such as portable ventilation in the industrial and commercial sector compliance with safety regulations and standard guidelines is a decisive factor during the buying process. For example, ever since 2014 CasaFan has been the only manufacturer of pedestal fans suitable for use in industrial sectors. The SPEED2PROTECT pedestal fan with protection certification IPX4 is protected from dust and splashing water from all sides. Devices bought in DIY stores cannot even be applied in these areas because they simply are not safe enough. Thus, CasaFan’s business philosophy of focusing on sustainable goals, thinking ahead and high quality really does pay off.  

 Keeping up with the times

CasaFan manages to be a market leader again and again with foresighted ideas, clearly setting themselves apart from other manufacturers. In the process products are adapted to suit customers‘ taste that are changing over the course of the decades. In order to pick up zeitgeist tendencies, CasaFan is often inspired by furniture industry when it comes to designing new ceiling fans. This reference makes sense, because in combination with the new, shabby chic shelf unit or strong colours like glossy white that has been particularly popular in the last 10 years, appearance and design of electrical appliances are always changing. Every 6 – 8 years, chrome, brushed chrome, silver or white finishes replace each other, the company knows from experience. However, there is no reason to rely on this knowledge alone, developments and trends in society are watched just as closely. The direct comparison with competitors, even from other countries, is common as well, however the market of premium-quality products is rather sparesly populated. This results in ideas for new products or guides that hold important information for all those who are curious about the topic.

That is why CasaFan attaches so much importance to conversation with customers, taking advice and customer feedback. All enquiries are documented and evaluated by service representatives in great detail. What an amazing approach to customer service!  

A look into the future: brilliant design