Alfred H. Schütte GmbH & Co. KG is a leading, globally active manufacturer of machine tools. The group of companies, based in Cologne, produces multi-spindle automatic lathes and 5-axis CNC grinding machines. The company employs around 600 people and its products are represented worldwide. Founded in 1880 as a trading house, Schütte now looks back on a tradition of over 140 years as a machine tool manufacturer. With Carl Martin Welcker, a great-grandson of the company founder now manages the business of the long-established family company.

The new 5-axis grinding machine 105linear was to be presented for the website and, above all, for a trade fair. Its innovative design principle literally turns the previous arrangement of machine elements upside down and, through the intelligent axis arrangement, creates optimal conditions for highly precise machining results.

The challenge was: How do you illustrate things from inside the machine? How do you make processes visible that are invisible from the outside? The goal was to visualize and make the functional principle understandable – and also to present optional components. Especially in view of the cancelled in-person trade fairs, which instead took place virtually, self-explanatory and easy-to-understand solutions became all the more important.

To explain the product and its innovative functionality and to present it attractively, we created two different types of films:

As a highlight, we produced a highly complex 3D animation video with immense detail. This allows the viewer to precisely understand the machine’s structure and functionality. Furthermore, all processes, such as the automatic grinding wheel change or optionally available features, are visualized in detail. Thanks to 3D technology, the video requires hardly any further explanation; only the essential features and functions are highlighted by text overlays.

Additionally, real video shoots were conducted, focusing, among other things, on sales-supporting images and motifs. Using an ActionCam and a 360-degree camera, unusual and aesthetic shots were created, showing the process from new and surprising perspectives. High-quality intro and outro animations complete the videos. To prove the speed of the automatic grinding wheel change, we pitted the machine against sprinter Usain Bolt on the 100-meter track – a remarkably close race.

All videos are used internationally and are available in three languages (German, English, and French). For the GEMA-free soundtrack, we composed suitable music for the audio track in our own sound studio, adding more emotion to the videos.

Flanked by advertisements, press releases, and technical articles, the videos are at the heart of product communication. Through their vivid and self-explanatory nature, which easily highlights the construction, barely comprehensible from the outside, and the associated advantages of the product, they significantly contribute to sales success.