In his long career (1966- 2004) Bob Daenen carefully observed this shift of behaviour, of life-style. Being in charge of design at Tupperware, he could benefit from the original founder (Earl Tupper) and company-culture of “uniqueness and innovation” which fitted perfectly with his design-vision & philosophy. In the early sixties, Tupperware enjoyed a rapid growth in Europe, but realised that the original U.S designs did not always suited the local markets. To sustain growth, local designs were needed together with a European culture-fit. This became Daenen’s job-description when hired in 1966, to set-up a European design-office in the first plant outside the USA in Aalst, Belgium.

Considering Europe as one market, his first designs became rapidly successes, allowing expanding the design-group and adding his “second-gear” design strategy: local needs+ basic needs translated into global products. These designs of basic product-families (linked in stead of individual-stand alone products) became European successes and were taken over by American and Pacific markets. This was leading to his “third-gear”, to organise closer collaboration & synergy between the design-groups of the Americas, Europe & the Pacific by starting an “International Product Development Committee”, where Daenen became the founder and first chairman.

This resulted in greater flexibility, broader offering, positive creative drive, greater integration and return on investment due to the standardisation and multiple exchanges of equipment.

Bob Daenen also brought design at top-management-level by integrating the product development key-players (manufacturing, marketing, sales, design & engineering) under one roof as an integrated and multi-disciplinary team. Together with his colleagues Stig Lillelund, Morison Cousins and collaborators, he lifted the design-image and product-diversification of the company, being in the sixties rather rational & severe, towards modern, poetic and advanced, resulting in many international design awards, attracting and satisfying new consumer groups around the world.

Many of Daenen’s designs are realised in collaboration with Eric Herlow Design (Copenhagen) with Stig Lillelund and his collaborators. Bob Daenen expresses his thanks to his collaborators for the excellent teamwork during his long career. Special thanks to Pieter De Coster, Victor Cautereels, Bob Bateman, Brooks Rorke & Johan Mortier, and to the colleagues (both in the Aalst & Orlando design-centres) in Product Design, Product Marketing, Cad-Cam, Prototyping, Product Engineering & Research, Production and Sales, all key-players making the successes happen.