KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021
We strongly recommend viewing KBzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Tyneside firm has designs on markets worldwide
A Tyneside firm has designs on taking on the world with its range of innovative and sustainable 'Eco' products with the help of UK Trade & Investment.
Cohda Design specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of innovative, contemporary products all with a focus on being sustainable. It has been summed up by the New York media as "Punk Rock ECO design”.
The Gateshead firm, launched in 2006, has already gained world-wide recognition for its innovation and Eco credentials and has now signed up to UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export scheme in a bid to explore new markets.
Richard Liddle, founder and Managing Director of Cohda Design, explains:
“Our aim is to design, manufacture and supply innovative contemporary products that break down the pre-conceptions of what sustainable, innovative designs should be.
“Our latest products include the Revive table legs, which are manufactured in the UK from previously redundant steel production equipment and can be attached and removed in seconds to produce a variety of permanent and semi-permanent tables. By using previously redundant tooling presses the legs save a lot of energy in manufacture, with even further energy savings when transported to customers due to the reduced weight of the designs compared to more traditional furniture.
“We’ve also recently launched our Shovel Speaker design which operates with a single, full range loudspeaker driver to offer optimum sound quality. Its shell is manufactured from a single sheet of recycled ABS plastic and at the end of its life the components can easily be removed and the shell recycled again.
“We signed up to Passport and have commissioned an Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) report to help identify retailers and distributors across the world.”
Already Cohda has set up links with retailers in the USA, Canada and Europe. It also recently started to enter the Asian market and has secured retail in central Hong Kong with a new design chain. And Richard was invited to cut the ribbon at the first store’s opening in Hong Kong earlier this year and while there. He presented a seminar on exploring the balance between Western and Eastern approaches to sustainable design.
New designs from Cohda can also be seen on permanent display in central Milan’s Design Plus gallery alongside world recognised designers including Fernando and Humberto Campana, Richard Hutton, Flavio Favelli, Anila Rubika and Robert Orchardson.
Bob Beresford, one of UK Trade & Investment’s International Trade Advisers, says:
“Cohda Design is an emerging, world-recognised design brand and its products are receiving wide acclaim for their innovative and sustainable objectives. As a relatively young company it needed support in helping identify markets and the best means to tackle them.
“Any company, whether a new or experienced exporter, can benefit from the expert support that UK Trade & Investment can offer and Passport and OMIS both offer a practical, flexible service that can be tailored to a company’s individual needs.
“We’re delighted that Cohda is already enjoying the benefits of this support and would encourage others to get in touch to find out how we can help.”
T: +44 (0) 191 423 6247
F: +44 (0) 191 423 6201
E: [email protected]
W: www.cohda.com
T: 0845 05 05 054
E: [email protected]
W: www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
15th January 2010