With Wendelin Sachtler at the drawing board: Leonhard Jaumann

These days a product is launched after undergoing intensive discussion at designer meetings, as well as extremely thorough material tests and computer-aided design. Back in 1958, on the other hand, camera support engineering was in its pioneering days. 1958 was the year Sachtler was founded, and at that time company still operated out of a small garage workshop in Munich. Product development back then was quite different to that of today:

Product development over a cup of coffee
Leonhard Jaumann is one of Sachtler’s most experienced development engineers. A student trainee who worked for Wendelin Sachtler in 1971, Jaumann is still strongly influenced by his experiences with Sachtler’s founding father. “We usually designed new products using hand-drawn sketches spread across the table. We discussed the sketches and, where necessary, altered them on the spot. Sometimes people from the film branch came by for a cup of coffee, and joined in on our discussions. We had no written guidelines to follow – Wendelin Sachtler was always looking over your shoulder as you worked at the construction desk.”

Ski poles as tripod tubes
Jaumann believes Wendelin Sachtler’s success was not only due to his close relationship with the branch, but also a result of his overwhelming determination to create the best products. “He was a tinkerer and an unconventional, lateral thinker. One day as he was cross-country skiing, he saw lightweight, carbon fiber ski poles for the first time. So he immediately did everything he could to lay his hands on carbon fiber, and soon manufactured considerably lighter tripods than his competitors.” Long periods of planning were rare, and new ideas were often tried out spontaneously. “Even in later years, Wendelin Sachtler still worked on his company’s products with his own hands, searched for suitable materials, re-worked details, and tried out new principles,” recalls Jaumann.

Things that never change
Wendelin Sachtler was directly involved in both the technical and construction aspects of new products, but his involvement didn’t stop there. Fifty years ago, he also did the work that marketing and sales departments do today. “He made the first international contacts, carried out extensive sales talks and even helped set-up trade fair stands,” remembers Jaumann.

One thing hasn’t changed. “Wendelin Sachtler wanted his products to speak for themselves and to convince broadcasters through their quality and functionality. That’s why he made sure from the very beginning that his products would be easy to recognize. His distinctive ‘S’ has become an extremely catchy product logo, known all over the world.”