THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th TH Group Innovation, Value, Experience Stephen Mitchell - MD
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Global Brands – Made in Scotland Teknek – global leader in contact cleaning Coughtrie – Scotland's oldest industrial lighting company – formed 1938 MESO design – Technology and Product Realisation services Keizai – Operational Excellence development services
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Who are Teknek? Teknek are: –World leaders in contact cleaning market –Manufacture solely in West of Scotland –80% of suppliers within 30 miles of site –98% export of finished goods Around 50% goes to Asia
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Coughtrie Vandal Resistant Lighting –Social housing –Custodial –Railways –Urban All made in Scotland
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Collaboration Innovation in all things –Products, process, distribution Key Values for TH Group –Innovation, Value, Experience Major competitors – Asian copycats – Innovate fast and regularly Two Different Projects –Short Term – Herriot Watt –Long term – Glasgow University
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Why collaborate We have well developed traditional R&D Need to be more innovative in the R&D process Merge the ‘tried and tested’ with the ‘wacky idea’ Looking for best practise, and long term sources of expertise. IP major issue, so keep it local
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Herriot Watt Coughtrie –70 year old business – conventional lighting –Rescued from bankruptcy in Nov 09 –Identified a major gap in LED knowledge –Starting with our local SE account manager constructed a brief of the skills we needed –Herriot Watt had the appropriate skills –Short Term specific project ~ 3months –Provided specific results and up skilling –Jump start – project will continue with new internal team –First major Social Housing LED project – Lambeth
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Glasgow University Teknek –Gap in the innovation process Needed both faster innovation and latest thinking –Three Universities ‘pitched’ Glasgow, Strathclyde, Caledonian –Chose PDE (Product Design Engineering) at Glasgow
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Dare to be different First project –Unspecified Had two of the best MEng students over the summer Worked on injecting ‘wacky’ innovation into R&D process –1 st product launched only 6 months after started Project 2 –Harness innovation at PDE Principle sponsor of PDE course –£2k student prize for the most innovative design –Formed an Innovation and Design Business using PDE graduates – MESO Design That resource is blended with PDE to provide innovation for both TH Group companies and third parties
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Interface to Business Meso Design –Technology and Design 1 year old –Lodged several patents ranging from »Personal air pollution monitoring »New concept in Vivariums –Third party products already appearing, for example »Weight Angel »Commercial vehicle weight and weight distribution system
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Does Collaboration work? We liked it so much we bought the business !!! –Pick your project well –Pick your partner well –Don’t pick the partner who has access to the best funding –Ask for the moon –Have fun
THG_S. Mitchell - June 9th Support Well supported by SE All Academic interactions good Now giving back –Provide £25k per year to PDE –Industrial Liaison Board Finding industrial projects for students –Taking Innovative idea from PDE and helping commercialise them