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Fedden USP
Designing Demand - supporting businesses in uncertain times
26th September 2011These are testing times for manufacturing. Strong competition from overseas and the downturn in export demand highlighted by the recent Markit/CIPS survey paint a bleak picture. Companies need to keep costs down, but those that fail to innovate and make the most of what opportunities there are risk losing out to faster moving rivals.
Designing Demand is the Design Council's national business development programme and the call for applications has just opened.
Fresh perspective and practical suggestions from an independent third party can be valuable to companies facing these challenges. The mentoring service from the Design Council, for which applications opened on 5 September, can provide these benefits at a highly subsidised rate. The Designing Demand service allows you to benefit from dedicated mentoring and advice on how design could help shape how your company tackles today’s hurdles and plans for long term growth.
It is open to small and medium sized manufacturing businesses with an appetite for growth and innovation.
Designing Demand has been running for nearly ten years helping SMEs understand how design, used well, can be a strategic and effective tool to boost performance and increase competitiveness and profit. The programme is designed for businesses with an appetite for growth and innovation, who want to strengthen their market position. It is also part of the government’s business support portfolio, Solutions for Business.
Over the last four years more than 2,000 businesses have engaged with the programme’s activities and 650 have been mentored. An independent evaluation of the programme earlier this year showed that return on investment for every pound invested in design is typically over £25.
There is a strong portfolio of case studies on the website (www.designcouncil.org.uk/business) which demonstrate how Designing Demand’s flexible, structured processes can be transformational for many different types of business.
There are just 40 places available on the service this year for SME manufacturing businesses specifically. If you are interested in applying, contact Neil Fedden (neil@fedden-usp.co.uk) as soon as possible as the call is open for a limited time only.
