Dyson Vacuum Cleaner Tops Industry Poll

The Dyson vacuum cleaner has emerged as the clear winner in an industry-wide review examining the current state of UK product design.

The study, carried out by PDM (Plastics Design & Moulding) - the biggest trade event for UK product designers, sampled 270 industry stakeholders for their views. It found the sector to be in good health with the UK firmly established as a leader in the global design industry, according to 83% of respondents. More than 27% named the Dyson DC01, first launched in 1993, as a product which best exemplified this innovation in design.

These results confirm the reputation enjoyed by such star designers as Ron Arad, Tom Dixon, Ross Lovegrove and Sebastian Conran, but also underlines the global importance of UK industrial design groups, like PDD, Kinneir Dufort, IDC and DCA, to name but a few.



And plastics are a pre-eminent material in these groups' product designs. In the survey, 82% agreed that "the use of plastics allows product designers to achieve a high degree of innovation in their designs". This innovation is amply shown in Dyson vacuum cleaners, which make extensive use of various types of clear and coloured plastics in their iconic designs.

Alongside the Dyson Vacuum cleaner, design innovations in medicare, consumer electronics and automotive sectors, proved popular selections which included drug delivery and inhaler devices, the Apple iMac and the Smartcar.

There are various reasons why plastics are so well suited to the product design process in comparison with other materials. Among the most important aspects of plastics, the respondents identified their wide range of material properties and the versatility they provide in the shape of a product design. Other key design attributes of plastics named in the survey were: light weight (good strength-to-weight ratio), colour range, durability (non-corrosion), ease of production and disassembly, recyclability and low production cost.

PDM surveyed those involved in the creation of moulded plastic products: injection moulders, OEMs, design consultancies and suppliers to the plastics industry in their on-line poll which was carried out ahead of the third PDM event which took place in Telford (15-17 April 2008).



The next PDM event is set to take place at the Telford International Centre from 19th - 21st May 2009. It will be a key meeting place for manufacturers, OEMs, designers and suppliers and represents the largest annual gathering of product designers in the UK. The last PDM attracted nearly 3000 visitors over the course of its three days, including more than 500 product designers.

The PDM exhibition and conference is organised by Crain Communications, the publisher of PRW and features innovation and new technologies from more than 200 companies drawn from across the plastics design and moulding sector plus a dedicated free conference programme. For further information please visit www.pdmevent.com. Crain Communications also organises the annual Plastics Industry Awards which take place at The London Hilton, Park Lane, on Friday 20th June 2008.

For further information and to book your tickets, visit www.plasticsawards.com.

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