Design Network North project – creating a new shower pod range

•Overview

•The background

•The design stage

•Achieving customer buy-in

•Moving to manufacture

•Where now?

Overview

•Typical SME – 40 years oldSub contract manufacturer of glass fibre components for the caravan, motor-home, holiday home, bus & coach, electric vehicle, modular building market, as well as running a solid surface casting dept, producing, sinks, baths, shower trays for retail & commercial.

•Recession resulted in 25% drop in turn overSales in the leisure industry declined, from early 2008

•Looking for sales opportunitiesLooking to fill the gap left, when we received an email & follow up call from DNN explaining the exemplar program

The background

•RTC support & guidanceJohn Hethrington explained how the DNN process worked & we sat down to think of a suitable product.

•Why develop a one-piece no leak shower pod?Thought over several options, inc range of basins, a light-weight WC, but choose a shower pod for a holiday home, as we knew there was a market for a higher quality product

•DNN processWe were successful in getting funding & picked a design team to work with.

•Market researchWe did initial market research by looking at existing holiday homes to see what was been installed, we also visited websites & looked at brochures.

The design stage

•Developing outline requirements with design teamWe discussed initial requirements with Bigto, based on the market research we had done, we give them just basic information, as we wanted to see what they could come up with.

•Visiting customers to build the “wish list”We then visited a few holiday home companies to find out what was important to them in a form of a questionnaire.

Achieving customer buy-in•Design team developed several optionsBigto came back with several options, each offering something different, like moulded in seats, shelves, columns.

•Compromise required We looked at all the options & decided on a one piece pod, we could then market it as seamless-leak free. With not having anything moulded inside the cubicle, the internal space was greatly increased, we also decided on a retro fit valve access service cover with a built in shelf.

•Scale model goes on tourBigto made a scale model & we took this down to one of the companies that expressed an interest in using the pod, we had compromised on a couple of things, but they liked it.

Moving to manufacture

•‘Tweaks & mods’We made some changes inc, having a central waste hole & added a rubber seal for the valve cover. We also had to source shower doors, valves/mixers & shower kits.

•Full scale patterns & mouldsUsing the CAD data, the pattern was produced, we are now running 4x mould tools & can produce 20 per week on a normal shift.

•Current sales at £350,000 per yearCurrent monthly sales based over the next 12 months, should increase, as we have just added a new customer.

Where now?

•More sizesCurrently making mould tools for an 800sq pod based on the same design

•Basin rangeThis has giving us the push to start manufacturing our own basin range, now in mould tool production.

•Develop sales within holiday home marketTalking to a few more holiday home companies.

•Multi sectional podsOne for the future, these pods will be able to fit into retail homes.

•Sell on lineCurrently looking at a e-commerce site to sell the shower pods & basins

A successful DNN projectsafeguarding jobs andincreasing headcount

LamplasValley Road Castleside Industrial EstateConsettCo.DurhamDH8 8JA

Tel: 01207 502474Fax: 01207 500407

sales@lamplas.co.ukwww.lamplas.co.uk