This week marked the end of a six week project run by Clive
Durose to encourage innovation and creativity in local University
students.
The project required first year product design students from
Staffordshire University to devise clever and unique uses for
factory rejects. The rejected products - spindles which didn't meet
quality control standards, mostly due to timber imperfections, have
no real use or commercial value to the company.
The project was the brainchild of Clive Durose' Product &
Market Development Manager Ellie Moss, who herself studied product
design before joining Clive Durose on a Knowledge Transfer
Partnership with Staffordshire University.
Ellie said,
"As a manufacturing company, we are bound to have rejects due to
our tight quality control and we have no real use for them. The
idea for the project came about partly through the companies' close
ties to Staffordshire University and partly to solve the small
problem of unused rejected spindles. We wanted to challenge the
students to really express themselves, come up with something
unique and individual whilst also introducing them to a real life
design and manufacturing company"
The students were given six weeks to develop their ideas and
last week presented their final concepts to the company design team
and Clive Durose, MD himself. Some of the ideas included children's
toys, lamps, stools and even pub games. Clive was impressed by the
thought that had obviously gone into the ideas. He said,
"Lots of the design ideas we saw from the students were well
thought out in terms of design, manufacture and also customer
demand. They considered the process of manufacture, keeping waste
to a minimum and also identified suitable markets for the products,
such as children's toys or as commercial gifts. Overall I was very
impressed and hope that the students gained plenty from the
project"
After the success of this project, Clive Durose will certainly
be continuing its close connection with local education and looking
for future opportunities to inspire young designers.