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[Nov 2006]
Bright Future for UK Ceramic Industry, Says CIF
Ceramic companies from across the industry met at the Design Museum in London last week to celebrate the closing of the Design Immersion Programme.
Started 18 months ago and run in partnership with the Design Council, the programme worked with eight specially selected non-competing ceramic companies including Dudson, Ibstock Brick and H&R Johnson, to integrate design back into their business. The close-out programme was an opportunity for several of the participant companies to share their successes and achievements following the programme.
Gavin Pyke, Design Advisor for the Ceramic Industry Forum (CIF) and project leader of the Design Immersion programme for the UK ceramic industry commented: "The achievements that each and every one of the companies have made in the past 18 months are astounding. The programme was a huge success from the word go. That said it was also hugely demanding and required commitment and focus throughout the process".
The Design Immersion Programme, which started in April 2005, stressed the relevance and importance of design in what is already a highly innovative industry. Once companies were selected they were put through their paces during an intense immersion day, where with the help of designers and specially assigned mentors each company had every angle of their design business analysed with an individual action plan being created at the end of it.
What followed was a gruelling 18 months where the companies aimed to bring design back to the forefront of their business through a number of techniques. This included identifying new design opportunities, creating design direction which in turn would hopefully increase competence, profit and productivity and competitiveness.
The programme proved to be a real catalyst for change with major inward investment and brand benefits resulting for the companies. The results are impressive. Naylor Industries established the ‘Yorkshire Flowerpots’ brand to compound their diversification into other markets and appointed a marketing director. H&R Johnson moved the entire design team to be closer to the core business and developed the Material Lab in London. Essentially the programme has made companies think of design in the broadest sense from packaging, brand, web and point of sale.
Sue Evans, Chief Executive of the Ceramic Industry Forum, said: "The Design Immersion programme started out as a design led initiative but it soon became clear that there would be many strategic impacts for each company, be that moving the design team to appointing new directors or outside agencies.
"However, the programme created an opportunity for new beginnings and had a huge impact on design. It required resources, time and a real sense of focus from each company and without their willingness to be design led plus the commitment from the mentors and designers this would not have been possible."
Whilst the initial programme is now over, each company is continuing to review their design functions and are keen to keep up the work they have started and engender more change within their companies.
ENDS