PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2016

NEWS 11 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 09/16 www.petpla.net MHT MOLD & HOTRUNNER TECHNOLOGY AG Your Machine - Our Solution 1996-2016 20 YEARS Booth 1C35 R&D/Leverage announces opening of updated design innovation studio Expertise in total packaging solutions including strate- gic structural brand development through production mould engineering and manufacturing puts R&D/Leverage as a full service provider for consumer products OEMs. To enhance the company’s services in upfront research, design and brand development for fortune 100 and 500 customers, R&D/Lever- age announces the renovation and upgrading of its new design innovation studio. R&D/Leverage’s multiple facilities are located on a campus designed to provide access to the many value-added services the company offers. The newly updated design innovation studio is intended to provide a relaxed, informal and open “creative space” that infuses the energy required for collaborative brain- storming discussions as well as formal conference space and dedicated offices for the privacy of our customers. This design studio experience coupled with R&D/Leverage’s high-tech pro- duction expertise provides an integration of art, science and technology in a way that customers can achieve their goals. “Getting a group together in a relaxed space is conducive to a more open, free-thought process as opposed to sitting around a conference table,” explains Matthew Hutcherson, a Designer at R&D/Leverage. “That speaks a lot to the more open approach that designers and brand owners are taking nowadays. For creative people to have that open space and to not feel they have to be formal really helps the creative thought process and gives our customer’s confidence they’re with the right partner.” Shaun Markey, Brand Strategist for R&D/Leverage, explains that the challenge that many brand owners often have is find- ing a partner that can deliver a full package of services that includes creative product design and strategic brand integra- tion at the front end of a programme along with innovative engineering and mould manufacturing at the back end. “That is R&D/Leverage’s unique value proposition,” Markey states. “Part of the catalyst for the new studio is our commitment to our customers to develop and deliver a collaborative and crea- tive experience.” The beauty of R&D/Leverage’s process is the company’s wide-ranging expertise in all areas of helping brand owners take a product from concept creation to design development and finally to mould manufacturing. R&D/Lev- erage offers the flexibility to integrate product development, design and brand innovation as well as an understanding of what the consumers’ needs are. R&D/Leverage has the “soft” skills that brand owners depend on to innovate the brand as well as the technical knowledge to determine the ideal type of molding platform on which the product can best be executed. Over the past 40 years, R&D/Leverage has grown organi- cally due to its vision and understanding of customer needs, connecting its expertise and strengths in brand development, product design, mould design and development and moulding technology to deliver a collaborative and creative experience. Providing the new Design Innovation Studio is further proof of R&D/Leverage’s commitment to the world of consumer products and the brand owners’ need for a single source partnership. “Customers typically require various resources for product design, mould design and build, and moulding processing, but the back and forth between different suppliers’ wastes time and money,” says Markey. “In the middle is the critical engineering portion with a line of sight to the manufacturing component of the programme. Foresight driven design is what we provide. What’s envision at the front end of the programme informs engineering and on to manufacturing.” “We want to continue that dynamic evolution and provide a customer focused base that will be a point of destination for our customers, collaboration with them and helping them envision product designs and incorporate the technology that maintain their leading-edge status with consumers,” says Markey. We are committed to driving innovation and collaboration to help the brands achieve their goals with a trusted partner.” www.rdleverage.com