D-Line invest in Innovation
A North East business with a well established international reputation has joined The Innovation Programme to develop new innovative merchandise.
D-Line, which specialises in designer cable management, was founded six years ago after Managing Director; Paul Ruddick, identified a need for a product that could hide wires neatly. D-Line merchandise can now be seen in outlets such as B&Q and Screwfix and leading wholesalers in the UK as well as exporting to seventeen countries, including US, South Africa and even New Zealand. Paul said:
“I have 15 years experience running an electrical product consultancy so I understood that to hide cables installers often didn’t want to be channelling behind walls then redecorating. At home I had cables all over with no easy way to hide them, so I understood there was a gap in the market and that a global opportunity existed.”
The business, which employs 17 people, has recently moved into bigger office space to accommodate more demand. This year D-Line trunking has been installed in over 20,000 hotel rooms. The products are used by electricians, TV and aerial installers, floor layers and office companies all over the world. Paul continues:
“Despite the fact we are living in a wireless age untidy cables at the back of desks, televisions and hanging from walls are things that everyone can identify with. We joke that all we think about 9-5 is cable management solutions to blend in with decor - it is because of this that we understand the field better than anyone else.
“To satisfy our customer needs we must constantly innovate by developing products which will give us access to new markets and in this competitive age we can still see gaps. The BIC are helping us seize some of these opportunities and we are developing a fourth generation of products which will broaden our client base.
“In our niche we are the global market leader and that is why it is fundamental we keep driving forward and engage with local expertise.
“The Innovation Programme has helped us accelerate development at a time when businesses can’t afford to stand still.”
Innovation Manager, Chris Hylton added:
“D-Line is such an exciting project because they are a company that already started with an innovative product and they have proved successful at exploiting that to not just customers in the UK but the world. They came to the programme as they have a further idea for their most complicated product yet and I am excited to see what progress D-Line makes within the next three years.”
Sarah Spence, Communications Executive
North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC)
0191 516 6073
sarah.spence@ne-bic.co.uk
The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) offers a wide range of support services for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Located on the banks of the river Wear in Sunderland, the BIC’s 14-acre site includes a range of flexible office and industrial space to let, in addition to superb meeting and conference rooms. Our experienced advisers help hundreds of new businesses to start up each year by providing one-to-one business advice, mentoring and support, training courses, workshops and seminars. Whatever your needs and whatever stage of development your business is at the BIC is here to help.
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