Friday, October 18, 2013: Test and measurement equipment leader Hioki E.E. Corporation’s Digital Multimeter DT4200 Series has been honored with a 2013 Good Design Award from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.
The DT4200 series comprise of seven models, including two multifunctional models for use in research and development of inverters and solar power systems, three standard models with functionality that has been optimized for on-site electrical work, and two pocket-sized models that combine enhanced portability with functionality that has been specialized for a range of applications. All models in the series feature a product design that maximizes operability and convenience to meet customer needs based on the product’s fundamental concept of empowering users to perform professional-grade work more quickly, as well as HIOKI’s commitment to bringing high-quality products developed and manufactured in the city of Ueda in Japan’s Shinshu region to customers worldwide. The series has been embraced by numerous customers since its launch.
In their evaluation comments, the judges who selected the DT4200 series noted:
The product is a line of digital multimeters that can be used in a variety of on-site electrical measurement applications. The instruments, which incorporate vertical and horizontal indentations to make it easy to wrap lead wires around them in either orientation in response to market research indicating that users tend to store the instrument by wrapping the lead wires around it with the test probes still attached, benefit from an easy-to-hold, stylish design that is not simply a square box.
Shutters linked to the rotary switch used to select the function being used serve to close off measurement terminals that are not in use, preventing electric shocks and short-circuits caused by mistaken operation. Pocket models, which are designed so that they can be held with one hand, incorporate numerous creative touches such as a rotary switch designed so that it can be operated with one hand. We find that the products deliver exceptional designs that demonstrate even a common, widely used measuring instrument such as a digital multimeter can still be improved if designers put their minds to it.
The Japan Institute of Design Promotion has been granting Good Design Awards as part of a comprehensive design evaluation and recommendation program for more than 50 years. HIOKI received its first Good Design Award in 1985, and the DT4200’s recognition marks the 57th time that the company has received the accolade (including two Long Life Design Awards).
