The Voyager Executive Communications Kit (VoyagerECK or “ECK”) from Klas Telecom won over a 38-member jury and received the internationally recognized Red Dot Design Award in the category of product design. Red Dot is an internationally recognized quality label for excellent design that is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. With its mobile, all-inclusive, handheld secure communications system for deployed communications, Klas Telecom, in partnership with Dolmen design firm, proved its engineering and design excellence in the most recognized international competition for product design.

The international jury experts discussed and assessed each of the 4,928 entries from 56 countries. But only the designs with the highest quality and innovative power were given an award. This rugged and secure communications kit from Klas Telecom succeeded in being the first of its kind to convince jury members that it deserved to win the sought-after Red Dot seal of quality.

A statement by the jury relays that VoyagerECK’s dependable functionality was what sealed the deal. “Helpers on the spot and other institutions in crisis zones must be able to rely on communication equipment – the highly functional VoyagerECK fulfils this demand convincingly,” one jury member said.

“VoyagerECK is really for anyone that needs to communicate securely on the move,” Klas Telecom Chief Technology Officer Ryan Kendrick said. “It provides users with simultaneous voice, video and data access in the convenience of a lap-top sized, discreet package. Now, any government or federal executive, first responder, or state and local law enforcement agent can be equipped with a secure, mobile workplace.”

More information on VoyagerECK can be found here.

Among VoyagerECK’s other descriptors is a built-in Cisco 5915 Embedded Services Router (ESR) and an Ethernet switch to deliver voice, video and data access to both unclassified and classified enclaves simultaneously to multiple users and optional wireless access to public Internet. The kit comes with an innovative Voyager Ignition Key (VIK) on the red-side switch that facilitates rapid change of classified enclaves and enables persona portability for phone numbers and network settings by any operator, without special networking training required. The built-in VoSIP handset provides easy access to classified voice networks and is easily accessible through an external door. The router and switch are also removable and able to scale up to support larger operations.

For the past 60 years, the most-respected design experts have been convening every year in Essen, Germany to seek out the best designs. Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award, said that this year, a record number of almost 5,000 products were entered. Zec went on record saying that this year in particular presented a huge amount of work for the jury members, who assessed each individual product. “This year, the laureates of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 have demonstrated exceptionally high achievements and have thus been deservedly successful in the world’s largest design competition,” Zec said.

The internationally respected product competition will culminate in the Red Dot Gala in Essen on June 29, 2015. The glamorous award ceremony with more than 1,200 guests will be hosted by Professor Dr Peter Zec in Essen’s Aalto-Theater. At the subsequent Designers’ Night after-show party, the winners celebrate into the early hours in the midst of award-winning products in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen. The winning products are then presented for four weeks in the special exhibition “Design on Stage” before being included in the museum’s permanent exhibition.

About the Red Dot Award

In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award breaks down into the three disciplines of Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept.

The Red Dot Award was created by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and with around 17,000 entries each year is one of the best-respected design competitions in the world. In 2015, it is celebrating its 60th anniversary: It was in 1955 that a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. The sought-after award, the “Red Dot”, is the revered international seal of outstanding design quality.

Award-winning designers, manufacturers and agencies use the Red Dot winner label and receive numerous other winners’ privileges, such as the presentation of the award-winning product on Red Dot Online, in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, the Red Dot App and on Red Dot 21. Additionally, the winning products are communicated in the international PR activities of Red Dot and exhibited in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen for a whole year. More information is available at www.red-dot.org/press.  

About Klas Telecom

Founded in 1991, Klas Telecom is an engineering and design company with over 23 years of experience developing highly capable, lightweight communications solutions for use in austere environments where low size, weight, power and ruggedization are required. With over 80% of the company dedicated to engineering and design, Klas Telecom is able to stay on the forefront of the remote communications market. Klas Telecom operates in the U.S. and international defense, first responder, disaster relief, law enforcement and transportation markets. The company employs staff across four offices located in Washington, DC; Reston, VA; Tampa, FL; and Dublin, Ireland. More information is available at www.klastelecom.com.

About Dolmen

Recently Dolmen was featured in the British Design Museum as part of the Designs of the Year 2015 exhibition. They design firm won the 2014 Grand Prix at the Irish Design Awards. Dolmen is a creative design and innovation consultancy. Dolmen uses design thinking to better understand your customers and deliver world class, internationally award winning products and services. Dolmen generates IP & patents for clients and lean product development underpins everything that they do. Over the past 24 years Dolmen have consistently delivered products and services to their clients that significantly impact their bottom line. Dolmen makes ideas work. More information is available at www.dolmen.ie.

Press contact at Klas Telecom:

Carrie Sarver | Marketing and Communications Director

[email protected]

+1 202-2886342

Press contact at Red Dot:

Catharina Hesse

Communications Manager

Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen

Gelsenkirchener Str. 181

45309 Essen

Germany

Tel.: +49-201-30104-50

[email protected]

www.red-dot.org/press