Fermax is a company that designs, manufactures and commercializes audio and
video door entry systems and
access control
In the fields of physical security and information security, access control (AC) is the selective restriction of access to a place or other resource, while access management describes the process. The act of ''accessing'' may mean consuming ...
systems. The head office is located in the city of Valencia, Spain, where the company was founded by Fernando Maestre in 1949.
History
The company, which has always focused on intercoms, started out its activity marketing a radio-intercom for industrial and professional use. By 1963, their experience allowed them to launch a new intercom, this time designed for apartment blocks or buildings, in other words, an audio door entry system. It was the first to be designed exclusively in Spain and for years remained the only one.
File:Radio-intercomunicadorFermax.png
File:Fonoporta_fermax.png
The vertical residential structure adopted in Spanish
developmentalism
Developmentalism is an economic theory which states that the best way for less developed economies to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and imposing high tariffs on imported goods.
Developmentalism is a cross-discip ...
helped spread the audio entry system's use as an item of mass consumption and facilitated the company's development. In 1974, Fermax began producing its type T-1 interphone model, a wall-mounted receiver which held sway in the market until 1987, and went on to manufacture 4,500,000 units of what is considered one of the icons of Spanish industrial design. Fermax started manufacturing video door entry systems as of 1980 and subsequently went on to include other access control systems.
21st century
By 2011, the firm had offices in 15 countries and trade agreements for distribution of its products in 65 nations. Fermax products were installed in building projects all over the world, en
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
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Bilbao
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(Spain) and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. This international presence was acknowledged with an award from the IVEX in 2011. Their working model has also been recognised, among others, by the
ESADE Esade (Escola Superior d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses) is a prestigious international private educational institution based in Barcelona, Spain. Esade runs two schools of the university, Esade Business School and Esade Law School, as well ...
Brand Centre, being granted the Brand Centre prize in 2010 in the B2B category.
For technological research, Fermax runs two laboratories, one for each production plant. In 2006, the company signed an agreement with the
University of Valencia
The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...
to create the Fermax Chair in Building Automation and became a member of ITACA, the Research Laboratory at the
Polytechnic University of Valencia
The Technical University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, UPV; , es, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) is a Spanish university located in Valencia, with a focus on science, technology, and arts. It was founded ...
.
File:Videoportero de Fermax.tif
Design
Industrial design was a task entrusted almost exclusively to designer Ramón Benedito, who in 1992 received the National Design Award granted by the Ministry of Industry. Fermax design has been awarded several times:
* 1976: Award for Industrial Design Promotion. Granted by the BCD Foundation
* 1991: Prize for Innovation in Industrial Design. Awarded by IMPIVA (Valencian Regional Government) for the City panels
* 2005: Intel Design Augusto Morello. Awarded by Intel Milan for the Loft monitor
* 2007: ADI-FAD selection for the Halo outdoor panel and iLoft video entry monitor
* 2013: ADI-FAD selection for the Smile video entry monitor
Fermax products have taken part in the following exhibitions:
* 1998: Industrial design in Spain.
Museo Reina Sofia Museo may refer to:
* Museo, 2018 Mexican drama heist film
*Museo (Naples Metro)
Museo is a station on line 1 of the Naples Metro. It was opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. ...
Madrid
* 2007: Two centuries of industrialisation in the Valencian Community. MuVIM. Valencia
* 2007: ADI-FAD selection. Barcelona
* 2008: Ibero-American Design Biennial I. DIMAD. El Matadero. Madrid
* 2009: Suma y sigue del disseny a la Comunitat Valenciana. MuVIM. Valencia. Brussels. Madrid
* 2010: Valencia Design and Innovation. Bancaja Foundation. Valencia
See also
*
Courtesy phone
A courtesy telephone is a telephone located in airport terminals, large train stations, hotel lobbies, and other places where many travellers are expected, which is used to relay messages to a specific person.
It is typically used in connection w ...
*
Speaking tube
A speaking tube or voicepipe is a device based on two cones connected by an air pipe through which speech can be transmitted over an extended distance.
Use of pipes was suggested by Francis Bacon in the ''New Atlantis'' (1672). The usage for tel ...
*
Intercom
An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings which functions independently of the public telephon ...
*
Video door phone
Video door-phone (also known as video door entry or video intercom) is a stand-alone intercom system used to manage calls made at the entrance to a building (residential complex, detached family home, workplace, etc.) with access controlled by ...
*
Door phone
A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...
References
External links
Fermax Official Website{{commons category, Fermax
Manufacturing companies of Spain
Spanish brands
Companies based in Valencia