INpress puts students to the challenge

Released 22/02/2010

Furniture company sets design competition

Mark Wilson and Sian Ellison of De Montford’s Product & Furniture BA Honours course during their visit to the INpress factory

INpress, a major player in the field of pressed panels for furniture, has challenged design students from De Montfort University in Leicester to create a new, commercially viable product.

A group of 15 Furniture Design and Product Design students, who are currently studying their second year of Honours degree courses, toured the factory to understand more about how the membrane-pressing process can be applied to the production of domestic furniture and other commercial products.

The students will then use a combination of drawing and modelling to develop their design concepts. These ideas will be judged and a shortlist of finalists will be asked to develop their designs further using a CAD package. A winning design will be selected and the student will be invited to undertake a work placement with INpress to develop the design concept into a production ready idea.

Graham Case, INpress technical/sales manager explained: "This is a very exciting project for both us and the students. It will help the undergraduates understand the commercial realities of design and we will benefit from their original ideas and a new look at the market place we operate in.

"Innovation has led the growth of the INpress business and we constantly push the boundaries of new technology in order to provide unique solutions for our clients. We are sure that the students will provide some new solutions and are anticipating some great submissions."

Initial design concepts are to be submitted by the end of March from which three final designs will be selected. A winner will be announced in April and their design will go into production by INpress by the end of the year, following a work placement in the summer.

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