Design Students Have Got the Bottle for a Career in Glass

News release

25th November 2013

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Trainee design teachers from Sheffield Hallam University have been designing bottles and jars and getting first-hand experience of glass manufacturing on a visit to Beatson Clark.

Fifteen students who are in the second year of their BSc (Hons) in Design & Technology Education paid a visit to Beatson Clark’s glass manufacturing plant in Rotherham, where they had a tour of the factory and heard from designers and production specialists about the glass making process.

Before their visit they were asked to choose from three different design briefs and given a week to come up with a design concept.

“Having the opportunity to see industrial processes at first hand is really valuable as it allows the students to see the theory they learn put into practice,” said Mark Helliwell, a design and technology academic at Sheffield Hallam University.

“Beatson Clark is a brilliant place to experience aspects of the curriculum such as electronic and computer control systems, process control, materials, mechanical systems and quality control. 

“On top of all that the design and marketing input from the team at Beatson Clark gave the students an insight into what customers look for in a design and also the constraints of production.”

Charlotte Taylor, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark, said: “The young designers had some interesting and well thought out ideas, but visiting the factory and learning how the glass is made gave them a different perspective on the design process and proved what Mark says about the importance of first-hand knowledge.”

Beatson Clark has arranged such visits for Sheffield Hallam University students for a number of years.

On completing their course the students will become qualified design and technology teachers in secondary schools.

“The Government and industrialists are continually saying that education needs to encourage young people to understand and consider careers in manufacturing,” Mark Helliwell added.

“Beatson Clark are a great example of a company that actually supports the rhetoric by making their industry accessible. The students are always blown away by the visits – they bring the theory to life  and we really do appreciate the effort that goes into organising them.”

Notes to editors:

• Beatson Clark specialises in providing glass packaging solutions for niche brands in the food, drink and pharmaceutical markets worldwide. The key to its success has been flexibility, innovation and the high quality of its containers.

• Beatson Clark’s customers are at the core of its business and the company is proud of the long-standing partnerships it has developed thanks to the outstanding level of service it offers.

• Beatson Clark has a turnover of £44 million and a production capacity of approximately 496 million units or 88,000 tonnes.

• It has ISO 9001:2000, BRC/IOP Food Packaging Hygiene Standard and OHSAS 18001:1999 Occupational Health & Safety Standard and its manufacturing capability has an emphasis on flexibility to facilitate short tailored production runs. It has a UK distribution centre located in Rotherham.

Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
jez@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @jezashberry

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