Know-how

First step, ensure the long-term continuity of the group’s know-how. And for that, the company focuses its development on innovation by filing still as many patents both on fibre-made brushes and on moulded brushes. The company owns to date, more than 500 patents worldwide!

Geka is also the owner of 3 different technology platforms that open up huge possibilities not only for mascara. The two protected technologies of Moltrusion® and Sandwich are based on using two different materials. The third technology is based on manufacturing only one material.

And icing on the cake, engineers at Geka have not put aside the good old brush made out of fibres by developing and producing their own fibres "to be flexible and free themselves from external suppliers", we were told at the headquarters in Bechhofen, "but most of all to continue to control our innovation at all development stages of the product." The firm is also on the brink of presenting ten new models in the coming weeks. The twisted wire brushes will have a unique look while really adding value to the application.

Geka´s missCURL©

Geka has its own in-house fibre production and many brushes made of EOS are well-established on the market by Geka’s customers since many years. The new and highly innovative fibre generation was presented at Luxe Pack in Monaco. “One’s can say they really gives wings to lash dreams: with its wing-like loops, fibreDreams© lifts the application of mascara to a higher, as yet unexplored dimension. The Geka-patented fibre is a true goddess when it comes to picking up and applying mascara formulation quickly. It gently conjures up maximum volume, perfect separation, and extra-long lashes. The polyamide fibre opens up a whole new horizon for twisted brushes. fibreDreams© can be combined with Geka´s patented brush shapes and finishes, thus creating a totally individual brush. This makes Geka applicators stand out from the crowd.

Investments and innovation

Second step, always invest heavily in the equipment population, but above all, innovate, innovate, innovate!

Investments focus both on the German factory and the U.S. plant. The company has increased its worldwide capacity in the last 2 years by additional 94 million pieces for lipgloss and mascara. Another 40 million pieces capacity will be added in 2011.

As for the will to innovate, it is resulting, again this month, in the development of a new brush, Geka´s missCURL© mascara brush. According to Geka "missCURL© gives the perfect curl to every girl!" The slightly curved, protected moulded brush goes with a swing when it comes to transforming curling attempts into curling successes. During application, missCURL© picks up every single lash, one by one, and carefully bends it into a curl – from base to tip, delicately separating them, with no clumping.

From the brush to the wiper

Third step, control all the elements of a packaging and its applicator. A control that also implies the wiper. A dozen patents have been filed and are pending!

Full service offer

Finally, the fourth step, and not the least, the desire to present a "Full Service" offer in order to reduce complexity, costs and leadtime.

A brand new factory for the filling of mascara, eyeliners and lip gloss will be operational on a surface of 650 sqm on the 1st of June 2011 in Bechhofen. Cost of the operation, around 1,1 million euros. An investment that completes a series of initiatives launched in recent months with the setting up of a team of ten dedicated and competent employees, including the arrival of Dr. Christina Zech and the signature of a partnership agreement with the Italian firm Ancorotti Cosmetics.

"Finally, explains Franco Lucá, if we sum the total investments carried out over the last two years and those planned for next year, we will reach the historic amount of 15 million euros". To be compared to the 100 million euros in turnover achieved this year by the German firm.

But this is necessary to secure our global and indisputable leadership in this segment,” concluded Franco Lucá.