IDC Celebrates 40 Years of Success

This has been a year of celebration for Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) as it marks its 40th year of business. Formed in 1972, the company has gone from strength to strength and is now firmly established as one of the UK’s top product design consultancies.

In the run up to Christmas, the company celebrated its 40th anniversary with some special events which also provided a chance for clients to come together and discuss what they believe to be the key opportunities and challenges for their products. The outcome was fascinating, with issues of globalisation rating highly as both an opportunity and a concern; with higher customer demands and product expectations globally; issues of copycat technology (several clients having already experienced this); issues of product usage affecting reliability when used in countries without high training standards; regional supply and support; as well as other general issues such as meeting international legislation and quality standards. Clients also felt that transfer to manufacturing was a significant challenge for them, with a wide variety of issues cropping up when production starts. Interestingly, this is an area that IDC had previously identified and now offers a range of ‘design to production‘ services to support clients.

Despite the economic downturn, IDC has had an impressive two years in the run up to its 40th. It has received no less than four design awards (BEEA, Green Award, Red Dot Award and China Red Star Design Award) and has developed a reputation for sustainable product design. It has launched its own software product, the LCA Calculator, for analysing sustainability at all stages of design, which it now sells to customers. Clients can also be reassured when it comes to understanding Chinese markets; in 2010 IDC opened offices in Shanghai and the business has already doubled in size. Unlike many in the industry, IDC is still expanding with new senior members of the team, as well as the launch of a graduate training scheme to attract Britain’s best design talent.

Stephen Knowles, IDC’s MD, commented, “I’m thrilled that we’ve had such an outstanding few years counting down to our 40th anniversary, which proves the top quality of our team. But as we celebrate, we have have taken time to reflect on the needs and issues of clients, so that we can focus on the future with clear direction and ensure our progress is dynamic, leading-edge and tailored to the needs of business.”