wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

dme_des ign

management

europe

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

page 2 | 6 page 3 | 6 page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affo rdsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatisfactory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedetti International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page wi th fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

page 6 | 6

product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007

wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

dme_des ign

management

europe

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

dme_design

management

europe page 2 | 6 page 3 | 6 page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affo rdsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatisfactory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedetti International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page wi th fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

page 6 | 6

product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007

wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

page 2 | 6

dme_des ign

management

europe

dme_design

management

europe page 3 | 6 page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affo rdsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatis factory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedetti International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page wi th fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

page 6 | 6

product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007

wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

page 2 | 6 page 3 | 6

dme_des ign

management

europe

dme_design

management

europe page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affo rdsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatis factory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedetti International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page wi th fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

page 6 | 6

product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007

wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

page 2 | 6 page 3 | 6 page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affordsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatis factory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

dme_des ign

management

europe

dme_design

management

europe page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedetti International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page wi th fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

page 6 | 6

product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007

wanted. Always challenging the convention is Benedetti’s form of innovation. New productsopen doors for their sales team and change attitudes in the company. Change and designis not about making money, it is about survival, especially in today’s economy.

Motivating changeHaving the staff is in an established company, experiencing the benefits of change andinnovation; motivating and pulling them out of the old routine is the first challenge for a newowner. Benedetti laid out the plan clearly for everyone at the start;

“We’re not going around the earth we are going to the moon. We may not get there butcertainly we are going to be in orbit, we’re not staying here. I am not interested in 5% or10% better, if there is not 50% better I am wasting my time and effort . . . our dispensersare not going to look like any other dispenser”.

Straight talking and passion is a motivating force and can rub off onto the employees, if hedoesn’t believe in it then the staff won’t.

Centralised Design in Benedetti InternationalBenedetti has placed the design department next to his office, a clear indication of theimportance it has been given in the company’s strategy. In operational companies innovationis difficult because staff are busy running the company; it leaves innovation distant fromcentral management and never gets done. By centralising design, it allows the innovationprocess to be rapid, productive and everything that is started gets completed. For Benedetti

design

management

europe

BenedettiUK

Why should first aid boxes be square? Why should they be green? Why haven’t we inventeda neat way of dispensing cling film? These questions are the hallmark of an inquisitive mind,combine that with a passion for design and a shrewd business sense and you have a serialentrepreneur and a walking advertisement for design in business.

Giovanni Benedetti is chairman of Benedetti International, a mother company for WallaceCameron Ltd and Wrap Film Systems Ltd, two companies that firmly place their survivaland success on design and innovation. When he bought Wallace Cameron in 2001 itsturnover was £2million, today it is £37million with an 85% share of the UK market and agrowing export rate. Similarly with Wrap Film Systems Ltd. It was bought a few years agoand increased its turnover immensely. In fact, Mr Benedetti has an impressive history ofcompany acquisitions, builds and buyouts - twelve in total, ranging from freight logistics andindustrial cleaning to paper systems and launderettes. It is not by accident Benedetti hasenjoyed this success. Design and innovation, especially radical innovation where it did notseem possible, are the core values he has applied to all of these businesses.

“What gives the company value is designand innovation, it makes it unique and ittakes market share from the big boys. Thenthey want to buy the company. . . I attributedesign 100 per cent to that success, withoutthat we’re nothing. “ - Giovanni Benedetti,Chairman of Benedetti International

Benedetti enjoys being the underdog and exploits the advantages of being a medium sizedbusiness in order to gain market share from the large companies. Their design capabilitiescoupled with continuing innovation and new products are winning them large contracts fromlarge buyers in commodity markets dominated by the big players. Their success is goingagainst the declining trend of Scottish manufacturing and beating cheap Chinese importsto win large lucrative contracts. The Wallace Cameron range of first aid kits take up 95%of the catalogue market, 85% of the UK market and export is growing year by year.

The ProductsCharacteristic of the Benedetti approach to design are the radical improvements his productshave made to conventional and inadequate predecessors. The Millennium Award winningAdulto first aid kit is a refreshing revision of a tired product and addresses the changingpriorities to Health and Safety in the work place. Its contents and the manner in which theyare dispensed have been carefully considered to improve treatment and supply. Simplechanges such as the transparent casing to view contents and bright colours to improvevisibility all offer a different and better product. Other features, including pilferproof plasters,which prevent plaster theft, indicate a high level of attention given to the product and itsfunction. Dedicated packaging of the medical supplies with simple instructions improvestreatment as well as creating a systems approach to generate future supply sales. Subsequentdevelopments of the Adulto First Aid box have been tailored systems for different environments;offices, factories, laboratories and workshops.

Opportunities are found in everyday problems and the Benedetti Cling Film dispenser isanother example of this approach to capitalising on the shortfalls of their competitors. Afteryears of frustration with inadequate cardboard boxes featuring a useless serrated cuttingedge, the Benedetti Cling Film disposable dispenser instantly begs forgiveness for theminutes and meals lost in the past to the cling film box.

page 2 | 6 page 3 | 6 page 4 | 6

it allows a ‘hands-on feel’ to keep on top of design developments. He sees his role as adesign leader rather than design manager, as he puts it, “It is as much knowing what youdon’t want as what you want.”

The in-house design team is large, with thirteen members from several design disciplines- production engineering, industrial design, graphic design, web design and two designmanagers, working on both Wallace Cameron and Wrap Film Systems products. Designersare recruited straight from University to bring fresh ideas and an open mind to what can bedone. Their ‘anything is possible’ attitude is valued in the company. Equipped with the latestsoftware, and even their own rapid prototyping facilities, the design department representsan annual investment of £500,000 per year, or 1.3% of turnover.

Having design as a fixed overhead allows Benedetti to keep ideas moving and work onthem until they become what he wants. The busier he keeps the design department themore cost effective it is and the more new products are released. It is this hands-on approachto design and innovation that suits his style of management, not monthly review meetingswith an external consultancy.

The innovation design processWith such a considerable design capability at their disposal Benedetti International canapproach new ideas and products with confidence. The informal new product developmentprocess used by them encourages new ideas and team thinking. Often it will start withBenedetti identifying problems that the company can address and market opportunities thatthey can profit from profit from. He will then collect a team of ten or eleven sales andoperational staff and designers to spend a day discussing and sketching ideas on the briefshe has compiled. The best ideas are then compiled and given to the design team to turninto presentable concepts.

Once completed the paper concepts are presented to the team again for feedback. Theconcepts are shortlisted, features can be swapped and modified, and everyone in the teamcontributes to the process. The team may want to revise the brief again until they feel it isright and repeat the process. The advantage of having design as a fixed overhead affordsthis approach to design development. With a consultancy the costs go up with every changeand there is less control over the quality of the output. Benedetti has the final say in whatgoes forward for design development. He has not ring-fenced a budget for design, but if hethinks it is a good idea then he will want it made – a good idea will make money.

Once the final design is approved by Giovanni it is handed down to the operational unitsfor production. The batch manufacture and market testing is by passed for mass production.The justification for this is that it saves time and money, they don’t have time to wait twoyears for a perception when they know what the customers and the market wants, asBenedetti says, “We have 14 guys here, are you telling me they can’t decide what is goodfor their market?”

Market research and feedback is conducted after the product is made, as asking customers

To cut and dispense a sheet of Cling filmfrom the roll you simply need to pull thefilm to length, close the lid and with asatis factory pushing action it cuts thesheet free from the role with a clean,straight, tangle free edge. The clever partof the design is the bi-polymer extrusionwith a soft element that grips the film inplace for cutting.

These products are selling becausepeople want them, they want somethingbetter, different and are willing to pay forit. Benedetti’s products are alwaysaddressing what the customer wants andwhat the customers didn’t know they

“I’m running my business on innovation, that is what I do. I am the guy that keeps the engineboiling all the time.”

page 5 | 6

what they think of a product is more useful than asking them what they would want. Surveysare also used to improve products. The Wrap Film disposable dispenser had a 90% positivefeedback from TESCO customers.

The innovation design process at Benedetti International has a logical structure whichfacilitates the input of many experts at the start which can improve the development stagesfurther down the process. The informal nature of the process works to encourage ideas andwith the current design capability they can manage six or seven full product developmentprogrammes at one time.

Benedetti’s strength, particularly in problem solving, is that he never gives up. Even thoughit may not seem achievable he knows there is always a solution and will persist until theyfind it. It is his drive that brings projects to completion, especially when designers are facedwith a brick wall.

“We have three gates but wedon’t like it too structured, sittingd own, d i s c us s i ng a ndprogressing it is a lot more freerand gives the opportunity tocome up with more ideas. Itopens projects out more.”Sheena Jack, Design Manager,Benedett i International PLC

Value added design serviceThe design department is not alienated from the rest of the company’s activities. Instead itsupports them. The quality of service and sales is enhanced by the expertise and originalitythey can provide. For example, in a recent bid for a catalogue contract the BenedettiInternational sales team furnished their prices in the format of the catalogue page with fulllayout, images, prices and index. The catalogue company was already impressed with their

dme_des ign

management

europe

dme_design

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product but their ‘catalogue page’ pitch convinced them to take the risk with a new supplier. In the first year their single page outsold other pages by four times, this was largely dueto the quality of the product but it was also due to their ability to design and improve thelayout of the page allowing customers to easily understand the new product. The followingyear they were asked to supply and design the entire catalogue. Benedetti Internationalclaim to know their products better than anyone else and they certainly know how to marketthem. This is an excellent example of providing design as a value added service.

ConsultancyBenedetti has turned his expertise and internal design and innovation values into a successfulbusiness consultancy service. Board members of large businesses take his advice seriouslybecause they see him as a businessman with an impressive track record. Unlike the majorityof design consultants he will define his own brief for the company and present completesolutions; product, packaging and marketing on a royalty only basis. This gives him theflexibility to make the ideas work rather than negotiate further time and funds when required.He uses the design capability at his company as a valuable resource tool to develop andpresent ideas to his clients. Recently his staff completed a television advertisement conceptfor a client as they recognised it as an innovative marketing strategy. This was beyond theexpectations of the client who was now able to visualise where the product was going.Current products for which they are providing advice include baby monitors, food packaging,paper systems, an environmental shopping bag and campaign and pallet systems.

ConclusionGiovanni Benedetti’s total reliance on Design and Innovation for business growth is basedon positive experience and the view that the world needs a lot of improvement. Althoughthe success of Benedetti International is largely based around the qualities of one man thereare many aspects of this case study that can be transferred to other companies:

Design as a fixed overhead of the business rather than a performance indicatoractivity, thereby allowing more ideas to be generated, explore them further and achieveexactly what they want.Centralising design in the management of the business allows control of its outputand therefore the future of the business.Using design as a value added activity to support marketing, sales and service.Including representatives of all sections of the business in the idea definition andgeneration stages of the process, which allows concepts to be thought through fullyand ease the development process later on.Use design as a business tool/communicator

Darragh Murphy, 28th August 2007